Reco for Senior Memory Care facility

We need to find a Memory Care facility for a family member soon.  It's amazing how many of these places there are nearby so it would be great to get some opinions from anyone with first hand information.  Only so much can be learned from visiting and online research.  Thanks.  

My Dad is currently at Brightview in Wayne. He’s been there for 2 years now and is doing well.

Have you asked Renee Peters, the Older Adult Caseworker for South Orange and Maplewood?  She may be able to provide some feedback.  Another possible resource  is Donna Plotnick, Vice Chair of the Maplewood Seniors Advisory Committee, who works in the field of placing older adults in suitable homes.  She may be familiar with advantages and disadvantages of many of the local options.  Send me a PM if you want contact information for either or both.

My mother was in several facilities. Chelsea was our favorite..... also a bit less expensive.

If cost is a strong consideration, consider Pennsylvania.  If the person is a combat vet or spouse of one, apply to the V.A. immediately. There is probably an office in Essex county.  

upthecreek said:

We need to find a Memory Care facility for a family member soon.  It's amazing how many of these places there are nearby so it would be great to get some opinions from anyone with first hand information.  Only so much can be learned from visiting and online research.  Thanks.  

You might look at the various Sunrise facilities. The one in Westfield is very nicely run although very expensive. Activities specific to memory care are a bit lackluster but staffing is very kind, abundant, and seemingly well supervised. Memory care residents who are able and interested are escorted to assisted living events such as concerts as well as to outings for lunch or shopping. (I think Brightview facilities are also part of the Sunrise corporate body; they are slightly less expensive.)

There’s no real specific place for memory care that I’ve seen anywhere around here. There are good assisted living facilities, but they don’t really provide specific services for memory care. My mother was moved around to three places without any help. It’s just that you have to find a place they can be comfortable in. And again, you or someone else must pay regular visits so they don’t feel abandoned. It’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my life. She ended up in Wayne, it was the better place and eventually she passed away there. She was comfortable there. Check out these places, and pay attention to how the residents are doing. If they’re over medicated to control them be weary of it. Good luck.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

My mother was in several facilities. Chelsea was our favorite..... also a bit less expensive.

If cost is a strong consideration, consider Pennsylvania.  If the person is a combat vet or spouse of one, apply to the V.A. immediately. There is probably an office in Essex county.  

VA has an office in Newark.

Jaytee said:

There’s no real specific place for memory care that I’ve seen anywhere around here. There are good assisted living facilities, but they don’t really provide specific services for memory care. My mother was moved around to three places without any help. It’s just that you have to find a place they can be comfortable in. And again, you or someone else must pay regular visits so they don’t feel abandoned. It’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my life. She ended up in Wayne, it was the better place and eventually she passed away there. She was comfortable there. Check out these places, and pay attention to how the residents are doing. If they’re over medicated to control them be weary of it. Good luck.

There are designated memory care units or “neighborhoods” within many if not most assisted living facilities. At Sunrise they are called “Reminiscence.” They have their own activities and unit managers. I would think memory care units are a very common feature of most of the senior living chains. Even Maplewood’s Winchester Gardens has one within its larger AL area.

10 years ago my mother was in a facility in West Orange that had a Memory Care unit within the overall community. It's changed its name and management, so I can't comment on what it is currently like, but I found it helpful to visit as often as possible (usually 5 or so times a week, at different times) and also that the person in charge of the unit made an enormous impact. We were lucky to have a wonderful woman heading up the unit when Mom was there, but she has moved on to a different career path.

I do recall there was a facility called Arden Courts on Prospect St. in West Orange that was only for patients needing this specialized care - I never visited it, since my mother started out in the non-Memory Care side of her facility and then moved into it when necessary. I do recall that a number of the caregivers from Mom's place also worked at Arden Court - I found these staff members to be very caring and kind. That facility is still there and isn't far from Essex Green, so you may want to visit and see what you think of it.  Good luck. I know how difficult this is for family members.

upthecreek said:

We need to find a Memory Care facility for a family member soon.  It's amazing how many of these places there are nearby so it would be great to get some opinions from anyone with first hand information.  Only so much can be learned from visiting and online research.  Thanks.  

My mom spent her last years quite comfortably in a Sunrise/Brighton Gardens in E. Setauket, L.I. I know there’s one in West Orange, too, and they’re popping up all over now. The chain used to be owned by Marriott, which is one of the reasons they’re so beautifully decorated and yet warm and welcoming. She was in Assisted Living, NOT Memory Care, but it's my understanding that they have some level of care under for each category under the same roof at each facility, so the progression for residents is smooth. Their web pages talk a lot about Memory Care.

This was 14 years ago so much may have changed- my guess is primarily in the COST category.   I can tell you more about them if you want to talk offline, just PM me here.  I'm sure you know a visit is mandatory, and perhaps you’ve already investigated Brighton Gardens/Sunrise.

I can tell you my mom and my whole family were enormously happy with them.   God be with you as you navigate this arc in the Circle of Life.

Jaytee said:

There’s no real specific place for memory care that I’ve seen anywhere around here. There are good assisted living facilities, but they don’t really provide specific services for memory care. My mother was moved around to three places without any help. It’s just that you have to find a place they can be comfortable in. And again, you or someone else must pay regular visits so they don’t feel abandoned. It’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my life. She ended up in Wayne, it was the better place and eventually she passed away there. She was comfortable there. Check out these places, and pay attention to how the residents are doing. If they’re over medicated to control them be weary of it. Good luck.

Regular visits --- this is important for the reason stated, but also for checking up on the care and activities. My mom was in the Sunrise that was on Rt 22 in Mountainside. On a couple of visits, there was an activity going on. The presenter was going through the motions of presenting an activity. NOT ONE RESIDENT WAS INVOLVED IN IT.

I contrast this with Chelsea. At every visit, there was almost full participation in what was going on. The participation was at different levels but the residents were involved.

The Sunrise at Mountainside is now closed.

Just realized my original post was mistaken; it is Brighton Gardens, not Brightview, that is part of Sunrise group. Substance of post is correct though.

Thanks everyone.  At someone's suggestion I went online to 'A Place For Mom' and within minutes had recommendations for some 25+ locations that are within 30 minutes of here.  I'm hoping to find someplace close so that I don't make excuses why not to visit.   I made appointments and visited 8 of them including the Sunrise varieties and Arden in WO listed above.  They seem to range in pricing from $9 - $14k per month.  A few of them stood out for different reasons.  But they all seem to tell the same story so I was hoping for anyone who has had their family members in any of them comment with first hand knowledge so that I could narrow the field.  

Sorry i have no specific, local experience, but i'll speak up for choosing something as close as possible unless there are compelling reasons to pick a more distant place.  The time adds up, and at some point there's likely to be a period when you need to be on site more frequently, or urgently.

All best to you and your family!

Medicare.gov provides nursing home ratings:https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/results?searchType=NursingHome&page=1&city=Maplewood&state=NJ&zipcode=07040&radius=25&sort=closest