Shady Lane Nursing Home

Shady Lane Nursing Home has 60 certified beds and offers skilled nursing care in a long-term care setting, and they take both Medicare and Medicaid, which can help with paying for the room, and they've got about 10 private rooms and 25 rooms for two people, all with their own bathrooms and showers, plus furnished studios, so folks aren't crowded, and if you need help with bathing, dressing, getting around, or taking your medicine, they offer daily assistance for those things, and nurses are on duty for 12 to 16 hours each day with full supervision around the clock, so someone's always there, and caregivers speak English so there aren't misunderstandings. There's a call system if you need help fast, and for those who can't walk, they have non-ambulatory care and help with transfers. Shady Lane sits inside a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), and its environment has lots of little touches, like private bathrooms, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, kitchenettes, phones, and cable TV in rooms, and they've added activity areas, nurse stations, a modern kitchen, and a dining area where a chef prepares food all day. They offer restaurant-style meals with special diets covered, like diabetic and allergy-safe foods, so you don't have to worry, and residents get to eat in a shared dining room or order what they like during all-day dining hours. For the mind and body, there are fitness and wellness rooms, walking paths and gardens, a library, arts rooms, activities, movie nights, an amphitheater, and even a game room, so folks can fill the day how they want, plus daily scheduled activities and programs that residents sometimes run themselves.

Health care at Shady Lane covers more than nursing and medicine, since trained staff can give physical, occupational, and speech therapy, plus residents can see a psychologist, psychiatrist, dentist, optometrist, and use the pharmacy or lab without going far, and x-ray services too. They even bring in pet therapy and run regular recreation, social events, and housekeeping services, so residents don't have to worry about chores. Transportation and parking are available to help people get to appointments or outings, and they've thought about safety too, by keeping an emergency alert system and training staff in fire safety, infection control, disaster response, and handling medical waste, plus even take care to label people's clothes so things don't get lost. Shady Lane opened in 2005 and is run by the Gloucester County Improvement Authority, and the mission statement says they focus on caring and quality long-term care. Family have support and move-in help, and they make it easy to find information, with admission forms, a services list, maps and directions, an FAQ section, a privacy notice, and an "Our Philosophy" section, and an advisory board helps keep things running in order. Shady Lane's nursing home scorecard from the New Jersey Department of Health & Senior Services is the highest possible, and that's worth noting. Overall, the place runs as a community, not too fancy but steady, with housekeeping, dining, recreation, and quality health services, a steady hand on supervision, and a lot of space for living.