Listen to this articleU.S. News & World Report recently released the 2024 Best Nursing Homes list, which evaluates more than 15,000 facilities nationwide. Of New Jersey’s 348 nursing homes, 34 received an overall rating of 5 out of 5 in one of two categories: short-term and long-term care.
Launched in 2009, US News’ Best Nursing Homes rankings are based on data from Comparison of home carea program managed by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which sets standards for these facilities, as well as other sources.
In 2018, U.S. News added a short-term rehabilitation rating, assessing patient care after an inpatient stay for surgery, heart attack, stroke, injury or similar condition. Then, in 2019, the publication added a Long-Term Care Assessment, assessing the care provided to residents who are no longer able to live independently and need assistance with daily activities and medical care. Nationally, 2,804 establishments were recognized as one of the best in the country by achieving a score of 5 in one or both categories.
In alphabetical order, the top 34 nursing homes in New Jersey, according to US News, are:
- Barnert Subacute Rehabilitation Center, Paterson
- Connection to Rahway care, Rahway
- Care One in Cresskill, Cresskill
- Care One in East Brunswick, East Brunswick
- Care One in Evesham, Marlton
- Care One in Moorestown, Moorestown
- Care One at Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus
- Care One in Somerset Valley, Bound stream
- Care One in Teaneck, Tea pass
- Care One at Wayne Skilled Nursing Center, Wayne
- Cedar Crest – Mountainview Gardens, Pompton Plains
- Community Medical Center Transitional Care Unit, Toms River
- Complete care to the wall, Wall
- Continuing Care at Lantern Hill, New Providence
- Emerson Health Care Center, Emerson
- Hackensack Meridian Health Care Center – Prospect Heights, Hackensack
- Heather village, Hackettstown
- Hunterdon Care Center, Flemington
- Inglemoor Rehabilitation and Care Centre, Livingston
- Job Haines Home for Seniors, Bloomfield
- Lawrence Rehabilitation Hospital, Lawrenceville
- Lions Gate, Voorhees
- Lutheran Social Ministries at Crane’s Mill, Caldwell West
- Medford Leas, Medford
- Home of the Eastern Star of New Jersey, Bridgewater
- Parker in Somerset, Somerset
- Gloucester County House Shady Lane, Clarksboro
- Spring Hills Post Acute Livingston, Livingston
- Spring Hills Post Acute Woodbury, Woodbury
- Elms Rehabilitation and Health Center in Cranbury, Cranbury
- Mission Wiley, Marlton
- WillowBrooke Court Skilled Care at Evergreens, Moorestown
- Winchester Gardens Health Care Centre, Maple wood
- Woodcliff Lake Health and Rehabilitation Center, Woodcliff Lake
Click here to learn more about each installation and see how each performed in the individual categories.
According to Senior Living, nearly 3.3 million New Jerseyans are 50 years or older. As for the health of seniors, earlier this year, The United Health Foundation ranked New Jersey 29th in the nation for the health of residents 65 and older.
Around the Garden State, several facilities have introduced innovations in senior care, especially since the pandemic. In February 2022, Parker Health Group unveiled an expanded senior living community in Somerset, designed in response to the needs of seniors post-pandemic. Parker in Somerset, which earned a spot on the US News list, incorporates the latest infection control technology as well as visitor areas that promote safe socializing, even under lockdown conditions.
CareOne, which has several of its locations in the US News rankings (listed as Care One facilities), recently opened two new memory care service locations in New Jersey: Harmony Village at CareOne Valley in Westwood and Harmony Village at CareOne Livingston. These centers are designed for people with dementia and memory disorders and provide residents with neighborhoods that promote socialization, connection and inclusion with others of the same cognitive level.
