New Jersey Catholic Assisted Living

There are many Catholic assisted living facilities in New Jersey. Name a city in NJ and do a quick search and there will be several Catholic retirement community options that are well worth considering. Most of what shows up is truly Catholic as well, rather than a more common mix of Catholic, faith-based, and agnostic centers. Still, read on and we’ll give you a few quick tips for sorting out the Catholic assisted living facilities from all of the others.

Cost of Catholic Assisted Living in New Jersey

Costs for Catholic assisted living facilities in New Jersey are a fair amount higher than others in the US. Assisted living rates here average $6,400 per month compared to the national average of $4,000 per month. However, it is possible to find good options that are much closer to the national average, especially in the south in towns like Ocean City and Vineland, where the rates are closer to $4,600, monthly. Trenton, NJ is about the most expensive destination in the state at $6,700 per month.

Catholic Assisted Living Communities in New Jersey - Amenities

The first and easiest way to identify Catholic assisted living facilities is by their name. For example, St. Mary’s, Saint Joseph and Saint Francis are all Catholic assisted living facilities founded by and run by 3 different religious orders of Nuns. Others, like Fellowship Senior Living, is faith-based but not specifically Catholic. However, the name alone won’t tell the full story. Take Villa Rafaella, where the name doesn’t suggest any connection yet this is a dedicated Catholic assisted living facility, also run by a religious order of Nuns.

So, the next best way to sort out those that are and aren’t Catholic is to look at who if running the assisted living facility. Those run or religious orders or Catholic diocese will undoubtedly be Catholic assisted living facilities. Still, there will be others that are not run by ordained servants of the Catholic church. There is one more step to consider in this process.

Look at the daily calendar of activities in these senior living homes and see if the Eucharistic Mass is part of the daily schedule. If it is, no matter who is running the home or what name it goes by, this will be a Catholic assisted living facility that is faithful to the church.

Use these three tips and seniors will have no problem sorting out the Catholic assisted living facilities from all of the others.

Religious Amenities in New Jersey Catholic Retirement Communities

The heart of and Catholic assisted living facility is the chapel, just as the heart of a Catholic community is the parish church. This is where mass is offered, communion is shared, confession is heard and religious counseling will be found. In a Catholic assisted living center, there is no place that is more important in the day-to-day lives of both residents and staff.

Where the chapel is the heart of a Catholic assisted living facility, it’s people and the soul of these care centers. They deliver care with compassion. They treat each resident as an extension of their own families. They act in faith and allow their trust in God to guide their hearts and hands. This doesn’t mean that care givers in other centers can’t be good but they will never be as important in the lives of faithful seniors as those that lovingly share their Catholic faith.

Catholic assisted living facilities treat both body and soul and this is another key difference and it leads to another very important amenity. This focuses on bible study, where faith is explored in much deeper and more meaningful ways. With these religious programs, seniors have the opportunity to strengthen their faith in God. For true believers, faith is most definitely medicinal, and this set amenities most certainly compliments the physical care these centers deliver.

General Amenities in Catholic Retirement Communities in New Jersey

At all stages of life, attitude and the quality of life are inextricably connected. They move in concert where a positive attitude has a measurable impact on health and happiness. This equation leads to a simple conclusion. Old have little to do with age and everything to do with a senior’s outlook. Yes, there are aches and pains that can be incredibly annoying but those seniors that refuse to give in and give up, are challenged without being incapacitated.

Assisted Daily Living care is designed to help seniors face these challenges head on. They are guided by a simple belief that the more active a senior is, the happier and healthier they will be. So, they address physical limitations resulting from age, head-on with direct assistance bathing, grooming, dressing, eating and moving around throughout the day. In sort, ADL’s ensure seniors can continue to live actively even when the body and mind are working to slow them down.

Part of this care also involves activities. Busy is good. Productively busy is better. Happily, busy is best. Assisted living facilities design programs and activities that touch the interests of all of their residents so everyone has something to they love to fill their days with and the result is a community of seniors that thrive, rather than simply survive.

Food plays an incredibly important role in all of this, and it’s more than just needed sustenance. Great meals, shared with friends nourish both body and mind and it is for this reason that assisted living facilities pay so much attention to doing this really well. Menus offer a wide variety of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner, that are delicious and nutritious. They are served in restaurant-style dining rooms that are designed for groups so sitting with friends over a good meal is not just an occasional pleasure. It is a fun part of every day.

As great as it is to have friends to share the days with, everyone needs a bit of private time now and again. Apartments provide that retreat in the form of studio suites, one- and two-bedroom apartments and pleasant semi-private rooms. The two-bedroom units are commonly referred to as companion suites where seniors can share a space with a family member or good friend. Monthly prices will vary based on the space each senior selects.

Catholic assisted living facilities in New Jersey offer plenty of options and they are fairly easy to find, up and down the state. Seniors should be able to find something they will be very happy to settle into.