“Home-like” nursing home developed

Newstranscript.com had a recent article about an application filed by the Village for Health Care and Rehabilitation of Workman’s Circle for a new and different type of long term care facility.   Plans call for the construction of a twostory skilled care nursing facility containing 152 beds for long-term care and sub-acute care (short-term rehabilitation) on a 13-acre parcel.

Testifying on behalf of the applicant was engineer Robert J. Curly, of CMX Engineering, Manalapan. According to Curley, the building will have 152 private rooms and 80 parking spaces, primarily for staff members.  The plan also calls for a large buffer of pine trees and an 8-foot tall berm to keep the facility private and so as not to become a disturbance to residents who live on Oakley Drive.

Marshall Goldberg will be the administrator of the Freehold Township facility. He said he takes pride in the home-like, non-institutional environment the skilled care nursing facility will offer.  He said the idea is to have the private resident rooms clustered around a living room area, which he said is the center core of the design plan. Some living spaces will have 16 resident rooms around a core center, others will have 12 resident rooms around a core center.

Materials to be used for the exterior of the building will include stone and stucco. The front of the building will have a covered canopy.  The first floor of the building will be comprised of 54,000 square feet with bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room areas.   Also on the first floor will be resident amenities such as a library, beauty shop, gift shop and activity rooms The second floor will be comprised of 54,000 square feet to include bedrooms and administrative offices.

The structure appears to be more like a residential property with a Colonial design and unique architectural features, according to project architect Judith Mumma.  Mumma explained that the model used to design The Village is called Greenhouse, a new concept in senior care which emphasizes home-like houses with between 10 and 16 residents, rather than institutional beds and corridors.

“This is loosely based on that model,” she told the board. “Residents will eat in their own dining room with just those in their house, not everyone in the building. This provides a safer, cozier environment.”

The model for the Greenhouse concept has the “homes” detached and completely separated. The homes for The Village give the appearance of standing alone as separate homes, but people can walk from one end of the building to the other inside.

There area no visible nursing stations, but rather a home-like center living room with a team room where nurses and aides will conference with patients in a safe environment. Medications and treatment carts are stored in those areas, but will be behind closed doors and not visible, according to the testimony provided to the board.