A senior celebration

Eleven women have helped a skilled nursing facility find cause for celebration.  

The women, who live at Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Commack, New York, were inducted into the inaugural class of the Gurwin Centenarians Society.

“We all hear about the graying of society, and over 85 is the fastest growing segment of the population,” said Herbert H. Friedman, Gurwin executive vice president/CEO, in a press release. “But to have so many who have reached the centenarian milestone in one building is remarkable.”

The women range in age from 100 to 106. To put that into perspective, those residents have been alive for 19 presidents, the creation of mass-produced automobiles and the invention of the ballpoint pen.

Inductees received citations from New York State Senator John Flanagan and Assemblyman Andrew Raia’s offices, and many family members were on hand for the occasion. In a telling fashion for people who have lived through the Great Depression and both World Wars, they don’t make a fuss over their age.

“It feels ordinary. I don’t think of age. I just think of living. Age really is just a number,” said Helen Stemple, 104.

“It just crept up on me! I never told anyone my age until I turned 100. Now it doesn’t matter if people know,” said Golda Thaw, 100.

Nicole Stempak

Nicole was Senior Editor at I Advance Senior Care and Long Term Living Magazine 2015-2017. She has a Journalism degree from Kent State University and is finalizing a master’s degree in Information Architecture and Management. She has extensive studies in the digital user experience and in branding online media. She has worked as an editor and writer for various B2B publications, including Business Finance.