Assisted Living and Independent Living Communities archived

If you wouldn't mind something further, consider Heath Village in Hackettstown.

My mother was at Emeritus at West Orange (very close to Essex Green). She started in assisted living, but quickly needed to move into the Memory Care unit. The management has changed completely since she was there (she passed away in the spring of 2013), but we were happy with the facility. The Memory Care director was an angel, and the nursing supervisor was very proactive and on top of everything. It was also clean, and the food looked and tasted appetizing. Expensive, yes. Perfect, no - but we were happy with it.

My wife has her mom at Winchester for over a year in independent living condo (she was in Florida and needed to be relocated for some health issues). She loves it and we were so impressed with the place that we now just had my parents move in two months ago to their own independent living condo. They have had a number of health issues and therefor have tested their emergency management and crisis process (hitting the button, calling the nurse etc.) and we are still very impressed with Springpoint (Winchester's new parent company). Springpoint has also brought PT on site and they have a new chef for dining which is an improvement as well. Winchester is very well run for medical care, maintenance etc. and it is a great place to live for the golden years. The beautiful Olmsted "gardens" are really a treat and they have lots of dignified activities (concerts, trips) for the residents.
I only hope we will be able to afford a place so nice when we need it!

Can you share the price details for Winchester? Is there a buy in then monthly? I was there a few years ago to check but now it has become a given. Mom is in assisted living in Fla. ($2900.00/month). I know up here it is at least twice or more. Don't really understand why. The salaries for the staff are not half in Fla.

About 4 years ago large 2 bedrooms in Winchester Gardens Independent Living were approximately $500K to "buy in" (with a guaranteed return of 90% when tenant leaves the complex) and an additional $5K per month maintenance that included one meal a day and support staff.
(These are rough numbers.)

I, too, would like to hear more about the pricing at Winchester. Although I know my Mom would not want to be uprooted, it's getting harder & harder to keep her in her house, especially as she becomes less & less mobile. She has long term care insurance which should help with the expenses. The difficulty will be convincing Mom that it's time to change her living arrangements. But I would still like to know about local possibilities that are affordable. Thanks.

Also, if the resident of WG is running "low" on funds the facility can take the monthly maintenance fee out of the amount to be returned to the resident (or their estate) upon leaving.

Thank you for the insights! I

Long term care helps a lot with the expenses for Winchester or any facility - it can provide up to$100 a day with cuts down a lot on the high cost. I wish my mother had that!!

@ckdhaven - how long does it takes to go through the application and approval process for Winchester?

If she's in good enough shape to start with an independent living situation, my parents moved to Cedar Crest in Pompton Plains about 2 years ago and love it. It's a continuing care facility and extremely well run. Nice buildings, gardens, dining rooms, pool, etc. Definitely less pricey than Winchester Gardens, which they also looked at.

http://www.ericksonliving.com/northern-new-jersey/northern-nj-senior-living.asp

My grandparents are in a place owned by the same business (Erickson) in MA; my grandfather is now in assisted living while my grandmother is in the nursing home and they have both been very well cared for.

I suggest that anyone moving their loved one for declining health reasons put a PLAN IN PLACE for the next level of care now.

Even if the family members are well-suited for independent living today there will come a time that they will need additional care. Unless you plan on bringing them into your own home and caring for them yourself, later on, you need to discuss their wishes with them NOW.

Some things to think about:

When the need arises, will the independent living community allow private aides to live-in?

Does the community offer van transportation to and from doctor's appointments? Is there a "infirmary" where your loved one can be cared for overnight if he/she becomes sick and you are out of town?

Can meals be delivered to the resident if he/she is sick or in rehab from and injury?

Does the community offer a assisted-living and/or memory care facilities as well so the family member can be easily transferred and not lose friends?

Note: Even assisted living facilities can offer a variety of levels of care. When comparing them check on the availability of licensed nursing staff and doctors. 24hrs? Some assisted living places can bathe, feed, care for resident but another level of care is needed to administer meds, send out urine samples etc. Winchester just began having a doctor (as well as a psychiatrist) on site weekly checking on all of the assisted living residents. This is HUGE when your loved-one is mobility impaired. Little things can become big problems very quickly and weekly checks of say, a nasty scrape, are very very comforting.

I have had several friends at Winchester Gardens and they all love it. I've had several others elsewhere, though not around here, and none of them were happy.

kmk said:

About 4 years ago large 2 bedrooms in Winchester Gardens Independent Living were approximately $500K to "buy in" (with a guaranteed return of 90% when tenant leaves the complex) and an additional $5K per month maintenance that included one meal a day and support staff.
(These are rough numbers.)

Holy Crap!!!

There are many, much smaller units.

Scotland said:

kmk said:

About 4 years ago large 2 bedrooms in Winchester Gardens Independent Living were approximately $500K to "buy in" (with a guaranteed return of 90% when tenant leaves the complex) and an additional $5K per month maintenance that included one meal a day and support staff.
(These are rough numbers.)

Holy Crap!!!

If you think that's a lot – the new continuing care place being built in New Providence (Lantern Hill) starts at $900k for a 1BR. Includes limo rides to the train station though!

I moved my mom from Houston to Winchester Gardens 4 years ago. She is in independant living and has a 1 bedroom, with a small den, livingroom, an eating area next to the kitchen. Don't remember what she paid to buy in, but it was not $500.00. She really loves it there. Your best bet is to get in touch with marketing, and they will give you the details. I think there are some blueprints of the appartment otions on their website. It is now owned by Sringpoint, but still called Winchester Gardens.

We looked at Winchester a number of years agol at that time the buy-in for a one bedroom, livingroom w/fireplace and kitchenette in the main building was around $400K and $3K a month. The buy-in is held in reserve and only used if it becomes necessary to draw from it due to lack of funds to pay the monthly amount. IF everything is used and there is no buy in money left - the person is permitted to stay and is not forced out - as happens in other facilities. If there is money left when the person passes, the buy in is returned to the estate. My MIL decided that she wasn't ready, so we got home aides until it became evident that even home aides were not enough. SoOrange taxes plus home aide costs plus utilities came very close to what we are now paying for Assisted Living at Brighton Gardens in Mountainside. We did not need the expanse and fabulous living options of Winchester now and Brighton was near-by to many family menbers. So far - and it has been a very short time - so good.

My mom pays around under $4000.00 a month, the includes rent, her dinners and beauty shop once a week.
edited to add...this also includes a weekly cleaning woman, free transportation to a major supermarket on Fridays, and all social activities, concerts, movies, parties etc. within the building.

Just went through this with my Mom and we went EVERYWHERE. First thing to remember is there is big difference between "Assisted Living", and "continuing care". For Example: Spring Meadows is "Assisted Living", Winchester is "Continuing Care". The main difference service-wise, is that "continuing care" communities offer independent living with some services, and you move into different accommodations as your needs change. Assisted living is really just a nursing home without the different levels. We found all of the assisted living places depressing.

Financially the structure of the two models is very different. Assisted Living doesn't often require a large down payment, but the monthly is higher. "Continuing Care" communities take a large down payment which is held in sort of an "escrow" account, that eventually goes back into the estate if there is money left.

Example: At WG, you pay a steep fee to "buy" a place in Independent Living, then you pay a fixed monthly rent that includes all of your taxes, utilities, some meals, programming, transportation, entertainment, and amenities. If you stay in independent living, you just keep paying your monthly rent. If you get sick and need to move up to a higher level of care, you continue to pay your standard monthly rent out of pocket, and the difference in cost for the higher service is deducted from your "escrow". If you run out of money they let you stay. If there is money left, it goes back to the family. Every place we shopped (Fellowship Village, Crane's Mill, Winchester) had a very different "equation" for how they qualify you and how much the downpayment was. Some have a lower initial "buy-in" but then the monthly is higher or you have to show that you have enough savings to not run our for a longer a period of time.

It's confusing, and every company structures it differently. Just be sure to really sit down and crunch all the numbers to try and compare apples to apples. To do this, and feel confident you are getting the best placement, my advice would be to file a financial application for more than one place, so that you can get enough info to actually do a real comparison. It's also very important that it feels "right" culturally and socially. You should also take into consideration the location for the rest of your family and care givers.

We ended up in Winchester which was surprisingly, a pretty good deal compared to others(after all the numbers we crunched), and it makes a huge difference that we are so close by.

Good luck!

My mother is at Care One in Livingston. The location is great because it is between my one sister in Morristown and me in Maplewood. She is in assisted living, a large studio with 24 hour care. It is about $7300 a month. This includes all meals, activities and ministration of her meds. It's not luxurious but she says they take good care of her. My mother will never be truly happy again since my father died and because she is wheelchair bound, had to move out of their home of 50 years.

The adjustment period was very difficult but as soon as the aides got to know her habits she has been very satisfied.

We looked at Winchester Gardens. It is beautiful. But my parent's little house in Jackson (NJ) sold for no way near the $500k buy in.

It's a very difficult situation. An important thing is that the siblings work hard to stay civil and agreeable.

Does Winchester Gardens have a dementia-care unit? I know when we were looking for my mother, there were assisted living places that told us they could not handle someone with dementia and that patients who required 24/7 supervisory care (as opposed to medical) would not be able to stay. We didn't look at WG, but I was wondering how they handle a situation like this, should it occur.

i am so thankful my mom chose to move to phoenix area she has two bedroom with kitchenette, all meals, graduated care for 2,000 month no buy in and she loves it, very very active community, three pools, shuttle bus etc

cody said:

Does Winchester Gardens have a dementia-care unit? I know when we were looking for my mother, there were assisted living places that told us they could not handle someone with dementia and that patients who required 24/7 supervisory care (as opposed to medical) would not be able to stay. We didn't look at WG, but I was wondering how they handle a situation like this, should it occur.

Yes they do.

@blianderson; Jackson New Jersey I lived there until 71 my parents until the 80s? and my aunts still live there. It sure has changed.

@cody, WG has a "memory care" unit and I believe it is about to undergo an extensive renovation. Maybe even enlarging it. My MIL has dementia but is not disruptive and is not able to walk (or wheel away) so we chose to keep her in the regular Assisted Living section.

I still haven't forgiven WG for not having a generator to keep the independent living residents from doddering around in the pitch dark during Hurricane Sandy. Ma and her aide lived w/us for 8 days, in the living room since she can't do stairs. The attitude was "if you're in independent living, you should be independent enough to have someplace else to stay" but I felt it was dangerous. Other than that, Ma has been pretty happy there, and enjoys the gardens, the trips, and the lovely architecture.

The thing that a lot of families forget is that 'independent' means 'independent'. Those residents make their own arrangements for medical treatments, for independent transport, for shopping trips, for disaster planing - because they're assessed as independent, and choose to live as independent individuals. Essentially it's the same as living as in an ordinary apartment complex, or in a garden-complex, except that you may have a few activities thrown in and maybe a communal dining room you can book into. And it's usually spelt out in your orientation package, but most families don't read the disaster info with the same attention to minute detail as they do say, transition to higher needs. (It's like people in wheelchairs having to fend for themselves if a plane is crashing; everyone else gets off first - everyone)

If older people are looking at moving into any kind of residential facility, it's a great idea to have some kind of advocate or advisor with you - on other threads, there've been some good links and suggestions. Calli, kmk, PeggyC and a couple of others can remind us of them. These people have factsheets and booklets with lists of questions and points to cover, ways of comparing apples and oranges, things to remember to plan for stuff that seems far in the future but actually isn't, and what to do if things don't work out as planned.

Families concerned about increasing frailty of their older relatives (especially when the relatives are resistant) look for different standards and different reassurances to the things that matter for the resident. It's always hard to get agreement! If you can find a place that meets current needs, and allows you to stay where you are as needs escalate, and brings in the added support all the way up to high-end end-of-life care, you're doing well. But it won't be cheap, and in other scenarios each transition from one facility to another will likely be a hard adjustment for either resident or family.

Little R,
The application, approval process at WG is a week to a few weeks (similar to others). My Mom & Dad had a fairly smooth process but they (WG) wanted everything clearly documented. It is expensive, but I agree with Mestaunton, it is worth it IMHO. I like having them only five minutes away and I planned out a full bath; sunroom with pull- out; and central back-up generator after Irene. They moved to Winchester from a condo in a neighboring town and have stayed with us many times during outages over the last few years. They are in "independent living" but they still need our support - It is the circle of life.
FYI, we are teaching our young kids to help them with filling up the weekly pill boxes, helping them to church, clearing the way to dinner/ and in and out of the car - my parents certainly did it for their parents and aunts and uncles for decades - and so did my wife's mom 20 years ago (she had her mom living in their home for over 25 years). That is family- that is both of our family's culture. We offered a few years back to all move in together... and our parents wanted to respect our independence and their own- if you can make it work financially it is the best you can do for them. They will be close by and be independent with support (security, food, medical emergency, activities, fitness, pool, social structure, transportation) and your family support as well. Good luck, there are many in the same boat!

Management of WG has changed since Sandy, probably because of the fiasco. Folks in Assisted Liviing were well-cared for during the crisis. Also, my in-laws moved directly into Asst Living at WG and did not start in Independent.

If the elderly person in question is not currently a New Jersey resident, then be sure you also familiarize yourself and them (as appropriate) with NJ estate/inheritance tax rules and rates and plan to visit an attorney promptly to update whatever will and other estate planning documents they have. (They should have wills, powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, etc.)

You may find that it makes more sense to have them stay in their current location or near friends/family in some other location and just increase your visits. That is what we did with my parents, in part because they had no desire to move to NJ, but also because their finances allowed them to be cared for in a facility very near their home of 50 years in Houston (which was also less costly than similar facilities here) and they were also able to cover my travel costs to visit them much more often in their final years there.

However, IF they had moved here, one of the first orders of business would need to have been a visit to an attorney to update their wills to account for significantly different rules in the NJ estate laws.

Thanks all. We did have a lawyer draw up papers last weekend and made sure it is honored in NJ. Right now, we've had a setback - my mother is back in the hospital and will need to go to rehab again. I am trying to have her transferred to sub acute rehab in NJ so she can be closer and I can see her more frequently. The weekend drive and being away from 2 young children is weighing on our family. She is totally open to moving to NJ.

I have spoken with Brighton Gardens also - they seem to have just a monthly rental fee instead of the buy-in model like WG which may be easier. It is just much further away. I am also researching rehabs so if anyone knows of reputable ones that is helpful!