• Design for Comfort and Care
• The Chelsea at Warren - Gracious Assisted Living Comes to Somerset County
• Unique Caring Concept: The Country Cottage
• A Tradition of Excellence for More than a Decade

The Chelsea at Warren - Gracious Assisted Living Comes to Somerset County

When the time comes that an older adult needs some assistance with activities of daily life but wants to maintain an independent lifestyle, what can he or she do?

Certainly, for the individual who is in need of some daily assistance or affected by the early stages of Alzheimer's or other memory impairments, but who does not require extensive nursing care, a move to a nursing home is to extreme - And too expensive.

The answer for many has become Assisted Living, a relatively new and innovative concept which allows the frail elderly to remain independent while receiving individualized help with their specific daily needs.

The Chelsea at Warren Assisted Living Residence at 274 King George Road will help fill this growing niche in the senior housing market with a new lifestyle choice for those mature adults who may need or desire some assistance with the activities of daily life.

Medication monitoring and help with bathing, dressing, grooming or meals are among the services that are offered. With the recent opening of the Chelsea, families in the Somerset County area who may be concerned about an aging loved one now have the opportunity to take advantage of this practical housing and healthcare alternative.

Nestled in the hills of Warren on a wooded 10-acre site that includes a pond surrounded by a boardwalk and spanned by a charming footbridge, this new Chelsea residence combines the gracious comfort and luxury of a private residence with personal assistance services in a beautiful country setting.

The specially trained professional staff provides supportive services, programs, and social calendars that reflect residents desire to live their lives to the fullest and to enjoy the stimulating company of people with whom they share common memories and life experiences.

"Chelsea residents are assisted by a carefully chosen trained staff whose goal is to preserve dignity and pride in a welcoming, residential setting of comfort and community," said Nicolette Merino the Chelsea at Warren's executive director. "We give residents of The Chelsea the same level of care and attention that we expect for our own families."

The Chelsea's professionally decorated interior and its beautifully landscaped gardens provide warm and comfortable surroundings for elderly residents who enjoy private one- or two-room apartments with bathrooms and kitchenettes. The apartments can be furnished with their own cherished furniture and possessions.

Apartments offer a state-of-the-art emergency response system, walk-in showers, individual heat and air-conditioning controls, carpeting and custom draperies.

For residents with Alzheimer's or other memory impairments, The Chelsea Country Cottage provides the special care needed.

This dedicated and specially designed wing provides a calm and comforting environment in which residents receive the proper balance of assistance and structure while preserving their independence. Every aspect of The Chelsea underscores convenience and independence for older adults in an atmosphere of understated elegance and sophistication.

Assistive services, thoughtfully personalized to meet each resident's specific needs are provided 24 hours a day by a carefully selected and trained staff.

Housekeeping, laundry and linen service and a comprehensive wellness program are also part of the Chelsea plan.

Chelsea residents may participate in a variety of social programs which reflect their individual interests and avocations. The resident's Recreation Department plans daily programs, both on site and off, designed to address individual leisure interests.

Theater, museum, shopping and restaurant excursions, as well as parlor games and discussion groups are just a few of the many activities residents have to choose from.

Busy days or quiet days - whatever the individual prefers - there is something for everyone at The Chelsea at Warren.

Dining at a Chelsea residence is a gourmet delight with meals supervised and prepared by Culinary Institute graduates. Careful preparation which keeps the individual dietary wants and needs of the residents in mind, goes into every menu selection.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in a formal dining room while a smaller private dining room is available for individuals residents' special occasions.

Further information about The Chelsea at Warren can be obtained by visiting the residence at 274 King George Road in Warren, Somerset County, or by calling the Community Relation Department at (908) 903-0911.

Unique Caring Concept: The Country Cottage

As part of the Chelsea at Warren"s commitment to the care of older adults, a very unique environment has been developed within the residence to address the needs of residents with Alzheimer's and other memory impairments.

The Country Cottage offers a friendly, supportive and secure environment where residents can live with comfort and dignity.

The Country Cottage program provides a specialized program that takes into account the unique needs of residents affected by memory impairment.

From the family-style daily structure of familiar household tasks and shared meals, to planned activities like discussion groups or gentle exercise classes, each day at the Country Cottage is designed to enhance every resident's individuality and independence.

Under the direction of a certified Therapeutic recreation Director, specially trained staff members assist residents in the pursuit of their personal interests while giving careful consideration to individual needs and abilities. Specific attention is paid to helping stimulate memory and attention, preserving skills and providing a reassuring routine.

"By identifying the things that each resident can accomplish and that bring them joy and satisfaction, we seek to enhance both the physical and emotional well-being of Country Cottage residents in a caring, family-like setting," Executive Director Nicolette Merino emphasizes.

The Chelsea at Warren's innovative approach to the care of the memory impaired includes a physical environment designed to provide a feeling of calm and security.

A large indoor garden area filled with comfortable chairs and occasional tables is surrounded on all sides by full wall murals of scenes from nature – a babbling brook, a meadow, colorful flowers – all adding to the uniquely tranquil environment.

Clever architectural touches include trees which seem to grow right up out of the floor and stretch to touch the ceiling. A family room, an activities room and a full-service kitchen all help each resident adapt to their new home.

Here, the atmosphere of community and family warms the heart and touches the soul. Come visit The Chelsea at Warren's Country Cottage and join the staff for a leisurely cup of tea and an informative tour.

A Tradition of Excellence for More than a Decade.

This year's merger of Chelsea Management Group and Castle Senior Living brought together two of the state's most respected providers of senior care and developers of housing for mature adults and will bring expanded senior services to the Tri-State area.

The parent company of the Chelsea at Warren, Castle Senior Living, LLC, represents a collaboration of a major developer of retail and senior housing with AEW Partners II, an investment partnership managed on behalf of institutional investors by AEW Capital Management LP of Boston, Massachusetts.

Chelsea Management Group established itself as premier operator of assisted living residences in New Jersey. With more than 30 years of experience in the New Jersey senior market and a tradition of excellence, Chelsea Assisted Living residences have quickly gained favor with their personal touches and unique attention to detail.

"We are very excited about the future as we move forward with this merger," said Castle Chairman Stanley Diamond. "The combination of Castle's development expertise with Chelsea management experience will provide the residents of our senior communities with an unsurpassed quality of life."

"This marriage of our two strong companies represents a significant step forward in the provision of high quality and uniquely personalized senior living services," said Herbert Heflich, a Chelsea Management Group partner who became president of the new company. "However, Chelsea Residencies will continue to operate as relatively autonomous locations, allowing a sensitivity and immediate responsiveness to the needs and cultures of individual communities, while providing a warm and comfortable lifestyle to those mature adults who put their trust in us."

Castle Senior Living Residencies are characterized by their gracious architecture and appointments combined with a resident-centered philosophy which treats each resident as, not only an individual, but also as a member of a larger family within the residence.

Castle Senior Living Residencies are being developed throughout New Jersey and New York to help fill the growing need in the senior housing market for this new lifestyle choice.

The residencies are each unique in their design, shunning the current trend toward "cookie-cutter" buildings, allowing each to blend into the culture and surroundings of the community in which it is constructed.

Other residences operated Castle in New Jersey include The Chelsea at Fanwood, The Chelsea at East Brunswick, The Chelsea at Forsgate in Monroe Township and The Chelsea at Florham Park. The Chelsea at Teaneck is currently under development.

In addition, the company has plans for an independent and assisted living community to be located in Franklin Township.

In New York, Castle operates Prospect Park Residence, a supportive senior living residence in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn and is developing the 80th Street Residence, Manhattan's first freestanding supportive senior living residence dedicated solely to residents affected by Alzheimer's and other memory impairments.

The Fifth Avenue Residence on central Park is also in development.

Further information about Castle Senior Living residences can be obtained by calling toll-free (877) CHELSEA, or (877) 234-5732, or by visiting The Chelsea Senior Residences web site at www.ChelseaAI.com.

Design for Comfort and Care

Making the decision to move to an assisted living residence is always a difficult one. Even under the best of circumstances, it involves the leaving behind of familiar and known surroundings.

"We are very sensitive to the fact that we play a very important role in helping seniors make the transition to assisted living residences," says Debbie Schwartz, president of DSI, Inc. in Teaneck, the firm responsible for the interior design of the Chelsea at Warren. "Our goal is to create an environment that meets the complex needs of both residents and staff and yet is welcoming and feels like home, a home anyone would be proud to invite their friends and family to visit."

At The Chelsea, DSI accomplished its goals by creating a warm environment that is both gracious and inviting, filled with distinctive architectural elements and fine furnishings.

The residence boasts a library that is not only filled with books, but provides access to a computer and the Internet.

It provides many settings for social interaction and activities, including an exercise room, a country kitchen and an ice cream parlor.

But, nowhere is DSI's eye for comfort and care more evident than in The Country Cottage, the specially designed environment for resident affected by Alzheimer's and other memory impairments.

With the help of information from the Alzheimer's Association, the firm has created and environment that is varied and interesting yet therapeutic and uncomplicated.

One can easily see the care and thought that went into the design in such touches as dining tables that help prevent spills, materials that are durable and easy to maintain yet feel soft and supple to the touch, family rooms and sitting rooms that are filled with objects that can be safely touched and manipulated, and colors that enhance a sense of warmth and well-being.

Rooms throughout the Country Cottage have been created with diverse atmospheres, using different finishes, fabric, artwork, and even a fish tank, to create a a feeling of a comfortable change in scenery.

DSI also "brought the outdoors in" by creating interior spaces that give the impression of being out-of-doors by means of three-dimensional trees and murals of beautifully depicted outdoor scenes.

When asked what she liked best about her new home, Mae, The Chelsea at Warren's first resident responded, "I like everything about this place. I really like it here. The building is beautiful. I've been around a lot and I can tell you that this is beautiful!"

Hank, another resident who was quick to move in as soon as The Chelsea was completed also had kudos for the place he now calls home, "This building's decor is quite impressive. It's a very nice place for people to live."

All in all, with the help of DSI's creative efforts, The Chelsea at Warren is a warm and friendly place that deftly combines comfort with care.

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