The 10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Summit, NJ for 2024

Located in the New York City metro area, Summit is a vibrant city featuring a bustling downtown region with a historic district, access to amenities, such as libraries and grocery stores, and a high-performing hospital. Retiree-friendly tax laws support seniors’ financial stability, and seasonal weather offers changing scenery throughout the year. Of the city’s 22,000 residents, about 13% are aged 65 and over, many of whom are seeking flexible long-term care solutions.

For many seniors in Summit, assisted living provides a comfortable balance between independence and hands-on assistance. This residential care option features daily meal services, a variety of social and recreational activities throughout the week and care plans customized to each resident’s needs. Many facilities provide regular community outings to local cultural and entertainment destinations, and some let residents keep small pets. On average, seniors in Summit pay $5,750 per month for this level of care. This is higher than the national norm of $4,500, but it offers hundreds of dollars in potential savings over the New Jersey average of $6,495.

This guide features more information on assisted living in Summit, including details on free and low-cost resources that help older adults make important decisions regarding their care.

All assisted living facilities in Summit are licensed through the New Jersey Department of Health. This department enforces a set of rules for the scope of care facilities must provide, as well as staffing and building requirements. It monitors compliance with these rules through an initial and annual licensing process and routine site inspections. 

 

• Summit is a welcoming city for seniors and is listed on the AARP Age-Friendly Network, meaning that its leaders have passed laws that foster a comfortable environment for older residents. The city has a livability score of 61, putting it in the top 40% of U.S. communities for amenities such as grocery stores and farmers’ markets, libraries and municipal parks.
• New Jersey doesn’t tax Social Security benefits, and while other forms of income are taxable, those aged 62 and over can claim a deduction of up to $75,000 to reduce what they owe to the state. This may help some seniors afford retirement and long-term care expenses in Summit.
• Summit has one hospital, Overlook Medical Center, promoting access to a broad range of primary and specialty care services for area seniors. This hospital is nationally recognized for its neuroscience program and offers some of the leading doctors and most sophisticated treatments in the state.
• As is typical of the rest of New Jersey, Summit offers warm summers and cold, snowy winters. During the summer months, daytime highs fall between 76 degrees Fahrenheit and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and there’s a 29% chance of rain on any given day. Daytime temperatures in the winter are generally around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and snow is typically seen from mid-November to early April.
• The American Lung Association gives Union County, where Summit is located, a B for 24-hour particle pollution. This score indicates a relatively low number of days with a high concentration of pollutants in the air. This may benefit seniors living in or considering local assisted living facilities.
• Seniors can obtain transportation services through Senior Connections, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides bus services throughout the region. Riders should make reservations at least a day in advance by calling the main office at (908) 277-2932. This can supplement the transportation services available through assisted living facilities.

 

Seniors in Summit pay $5,750 per month on average for assisted living.

In Summit, assisted living facilities charge average monthly rates of $5,750 for long-term care, which is hundreds of dollars more than the national norm of $4,500 but about 11% lower than the New Jersey average. Local care costs are competitive compared to rates in other surveyed cities throughout the state, coming in at about $60 less per month than monthly fees in Atlantic City and 10% lower than rates in Vineland. In Ocean City, rates exceed care costs in Summit by 30%, and in Trenton, assisted living facilities charge 42% more than facilities in Summit.

Assisted living rates in Summit average $5,750 per month. This is less than half the cost of nursing home care, which starts at $12,471 per month for semi-private accommodations. While it’s in line with the cost of in-home care and home health care, which come in at $5,529 and $5,720, these options don’t include housing, meals and recreational activities, ultimately driving up seniors’ monthly expenses. Adult day health care facilities charge comparatively economical rates of $1,950 per month.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for assisted living, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance assisted living costs include:

 

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

 

For more information about different ways to finance assisted living, visit our Assisted Living in New Jersey page.