News & Events

Assisted Living at RCH…We Are Ready For YOU!

For a limited time, new Assisted Living residents receive a FREE Echo Show HD Smart Device to keep in touch with their loved ones, with video calling and message capabilities plus other great features offered exclusively through the Speak2 Family app. Call today to find out more about this offer! 732-607-9230 ext 109.

We are also ready for you in many other ways:

We are vaccinated! Most residents and staff have already received 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine

We are family! Our compassionate assisted living nurses and aides are committed to loyalty and longevity

We are active! We have creative, socially-distanced activities to keep our residents engaged — from Cinderella carriage rides and holiday drive-by parades to outdoor concerts and small group gatherings

We are connected! Technology like the Echo Show* helps keep you in touch with family and friends, plus we offer patio chats, indoor/outdoor visits^ and more.
*Move-in by May 31, 2021 to receive Echo Show HD Smart Device
^Subject to compliance with NJ Department of Health regulations

We have improved ventilation! Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NBPI) improves air quality in all corridors and common spaces by deactivating harmful pathogens, including COVID-19

We are deficiency free for infection control! As determined in recent Department of Health surveys, plus we follow all CDC guidelines for frequent hand and surface sanitizing, mask use, and infection prevention

Call Abibat at 732-607-9230 ext 109 today to schedule a virtual tour!

COVID-19 Vaccine Brings Hope to Long-Term Residents, Staff at RCH

Residents and staff members at Reformed Church Home in Old Bridge received the first dose of the 2-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on January 5, just 3 weeks after the vaccine became available in New Jersey. Evelyn Arndt, who celebrated her 104th birthday on December 25, was gladly one of the first recipients during the vaccination clinic, as well as Magdalene Holland, a 92-year-old assisted living resident who was the Home’s first COVID survivor. The clinic at Reformed Church Home was conducted by Walgreens, whose team will return on January 26 to administer the second vaccination.

RCH Executive Director and Administrator Kate Shepard, reflecting on the importance of the day, said, “The clinic could not have happened a moment too soon! Although we have been blessed with no COVID fatalities, the fact that families have been separated from their loved ones is upsetting on many levels. Whatever it takes to try and bring residents and families back together, we are going to do it.”

Grace Brunner, RCH Advanced Practice Nurse, shared her enthusiasm as well, stating, “It was one of the happiest days here in a long time! We are starting the year off right, as in my opinion immunization is the only way out of this devastating situation. It’s the first step to recovery as a nation and to a return to a more normal lifestyle for our residents.” Brunner, in close collaboration with RCH medical director Edward Mezic, MD, and many dedicated nursing staff members, has coordinated care for residents infected with COVID-19 since the pandemic took hold last March.

Assisted Living resident Magdalene Holland, 92, said the vaccination clinic went very well and was very organized. “It [the vaccination] didn’t hurt. I was asked to wait for 15 minutes so they could observe if I had any side effects. I continue to have no ill effects whatsoever.” Holland was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April 2020 and spent 3 weeks recovering at Reformed Church Home in a separate COVID wing. Upon discharge, she insisted on walking back to her Assisted Living apartment, refusing wheelchair transport. When asked her opinion on the importance of the vaccine, she added, “We [the elderly] are at a high risk. It’s there for a reason so I feel we should take it.”

(Published in the Suburban News, January 13, 2021. See link below for full news article and photos.)

We Did It Again! Named U.S. News Best Nursing Home 2020-21!

Kate Shepard, Executive Director at Reformed Church Home, has announced that the skilled nursing center has been named one of the Best Nursing Homes for 2020-2021 by U.S. News & World Report, a nationally recognized publication that annually evaluates and rates health care providers across the country. The Home was awarded the highest rating of “High-Performing” in both the Long-Term Care and the Short-Term Rehabilitation categories. According to the publication, only 21% of the nation’s nursing homes earned at least one recognition.

U.S. News gives the designation of Best Nursing Home only to those facilities that satisfy the publication’s assessment of the appropriate use of key services and consistent performance in quality measures. “We are extremely proud of the work our entire team has accomplished to achieve this recognition, especially this year in light of the added challenges brought on by the pandemic,” said Shepard. “We strive to give our residents the quality of life and level of dignity they deserve while keeping them safe, which the U.S. News award acknowledges.”

Now in its 11th year, the U.S. News Best Nursing Homes coverage offers comprehensive information about care, safety, health inspections, staffing and more for nearly all of the nation’s 15,000-plus nursing homes. The ratings reflect exclusive analysis of publicly available data using a methodology defined by U.S. News, which evaluates factors that it has determined most greatly impact patient and resident care, safety, and outcomes. This year, nursing home profile pages were updated to include a patient safety summary reflecting COVID-19 data alongside other measurements of safety and related advice on how to choose a facility during the current pandemic.

“U.S. News strives to provide access to information that allows consumers to make educated decisions on all types of care,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. The Long-Term Care Rating aims to provide families and prospective nursing home residents with information regarding the quality of daily care provided by nursing homes. This includes analysis of staffing ratios, success in preventing emergency room visits, and pneumonia vaccination rates, among other metrics. The Short-Term rating incorporates measures of quality such as consistency of registered nursing staff, use of antipsychotic drugs, and success in preventing falls.

Reformed Church Home is a highly respected, not-for-profit healthcare community offering assisted living, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and respite care to seniors of all faiths and beliefs. For additional information, please contact Andrea Walls, Director of Marketing, at 732-607-9230, or visit www.reformedchurchhome.org.