The Chelsea at Warren

The Chelsea was a very nice place. I like the atmosphere. There were a lot of reading rooms and quiet places to sit and do stuff. The staff was very nice and very friendly. I just don’t think that would be for my father, but I would have liked it.

We went to Chelsea Assisted Living in Warren, New Jersey. I live in the area, so I’ve driven by it many times. I thought the place was immaculate; very clean. I thought it was a place that had elegance and sophistication. I did not get the feeling that it was a nursing home. I found it to be a very quiet place and that’s what I was looking for specifically for my father-in-law. The person who took us around -- her name was Melanie -- was very helpful. The apartments that we saw were lovely. I thought the rooms were spacious. They had very high ceilings. I saw the dining area. It seemed very nice. I did see the daily menu. It seemed fine. We saw the big calendar of activities, but that wasn’t really our main issue. My father-in-law is not a "joiner," so that’s not our concern. It certainly would have been the place I would have liked my father-in-law to go to if he decided to do this, but he decided not to. I thought the entire place had a really nice atmosphere; quiet and calm. I would recommend that others go and see it.

I visited The Chelsea, and it was a very nice and beautiful place. It was very clean, and I was impressed with it. The staff was very nice. However, it was huge, and they couldn't take care of my mother's needs.

Initially, when I walked into the facility, I was a little unnerved by the feeling that it was an "old age home". That is the opposite of what I wanted for my dad but I decided I needed to see the whole facility before making a judgment. I spoke with the Director of the facility and found her warm and knowledgable. She knew every resident that we came across in our tour and their visiting family members. That's a nice feeling. She discussed different levels of care that they provide at the facility, as well as activities and amenities. Next, she took me on a tour of the facility. Her descriptions during our discussions did not do the facility any justice! I was happily surprised by all of the different activities available for the residents, both on site and off. There was a beauty salon, a movie screen room, a library, a doctor's office, a small store, a social room with a pool table and so much more. Outside of the screening room is a large billboard that shows all the activities available for the month. Each box for each date was FILLED with fun things to do. Next, we had some room visitations. I wasn't too pleased with what they called the studio apartments (which vary from small, medium, large). My feeling is that the personal quarters of the residents should be more than just a what amounts to a small hotel room. The one bedroom apartments though, seemed very nice and cozy. Of course, the monthly rate for those is very high. Another negative note it that the monthly cost even for the smallest room is very prohibitive. Though I understand that this is not a comment specific to this facility. While I understand that all the resident's needs are met here, it is difficult to understand how a person on a fixed income could possibly afford this type of facility. Overall, I had a very positive experience with The Chelsea at Warren. It is definitely in my considerations for the next step for my father.

When I walked into Chelsea at Warren in February 2012 as part of a law school class visit, I was pleasantly surprised. All of the cases we read in class regarding litigation against assisted living facilities painted a picture of unclean and unsanitary living conditions, careless staff and seniors that were neglected and abused. I can say with a smile on my face that none of these horrible things were present at Chelsea. The grounds of the facility were clean and well manicured. The staff seemed very attentive and happy to be there to serve the residents. The residents seemed like they were taken care of well. Seniors were talking walks in an outside garden despite the cold whether. Some were watching televisions in their rooms or eating. Other residents were participating in activities such as bridge, knitting or reading the newspaper. Overall this was a very positive experience and much different from what I had previously pictured an assisted living facility would look like.