Worst Nursing Homes in New Jersey
The right nursing home can bring joy and comfort to your loved one, but the wrong nursing home can leave a vulnerable senior with trauma and injuries that are sometimes fatal.
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Nursing Homes With an Overall One Star in New Jersey
Medicare’s Five-Star Quality Rating System assigns star ratings to all Medicare-funded facilities, with the goal of giving families a clear idea of the quality of care their loved ones might receive at each facility.
A five-star rating represents excellent care, and one star signals serious deficiencies. This overall score is based on a facility’s performance across three categories:
- Health inspections: Health inspection ratings reflect adherence to federal health and safety standards.
- Staffing: Staffing ratings measure the time staff members spend with residents and how consistent and skilled the staff is.
- Quality measures: Quality measures reflect how effectively facilities manage resident care.
New Jersey is home to 37 nursing home facilities with an overall one-star Medicare rating:
- Alaris Health at Belgrove
- Alaris Health at St Mary’s
- Allaire Rehab & Nursing
- Arbor Glen Center
- Ashbrook Care & Rehabilitation Center
- Atrium Post Acute Care at Park Ridge
- Autumn Lake Healthcare at Salem County
- Buckingham at Norwood, The
- Canterbury at Cedar Grove
- Cranford Park Care
- Crest Pointe Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center
- Dwellside Care and Rehab
- Elmwood Hills Healthcare Center LLC
- Excel Care at Dover
- Excel Care at Wayne
- Hamilton Grove Healthcare and Rehabilitation, LLC
- Hammonton Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare
- Laurel Bay Health & Rehabilitation Center
- Little Brook Nursing and Convalescent Home
- Manahawkin Health and Rehabilitation Center
- Masonic Village at Burlington
- Merwick Care & Rehab Center, LLC
- Mohawk Meadows
- Mount Holly Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
- Optima Care Fountains
- Palace Rehabilitation and Care Center, The
- Premier Cadbury of Cherry Hill
- Ridgewood Center
- Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center LLC
- Rolling Hills Care Center
- Shore Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Sinai Post-Acute Nursing & Rehab Center
- The Pines at Medford
- Trenton Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Troy Hills Center
- Venetian Care & Rehabilitation Center, The
- Whiting Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
One Star for Health Inspections
Medicare’s health inspection rating reflects how well a nursing home meets federal health and safety standards. These standards include areas such as staffing, medication management, protection from nursing home abuse, and food preparation.
State inspectors visit nursing homes at least once a year. They observe care practices, review records, and interview staff and residents. Inspectors issue a citation if a facility fails to meet standards. The rating is based on the facility’s three most recent health inspections and complaints from the last three years.
There are 31 nursing homes with a one-star rating for health inspections in New Jersey:
- Alaris Health at Belgrove
- Alaris Health at St Mary’s
- Allaire Rehab & Nursing
- Arbor Glen Center
- Ashbrook Care & Rehabilitation Center
- Atrium Post Acute Care at Park Ridge
- Buckingham at Norwood, The
- Canterbury at Cedar Grove
- Crest Pointe Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center
- Dwellside Care and Rehab
- Elmwood Hills Healthcare Center LLC
- Excel Care at Dover
- Hammonton Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare
- Laurel Bay Health & Rehabilitation Center
- Little Brook Nursing and Convalescent Home
- Manahawkin Health and Rehabilitation Center
- Masonic Village at Burlington
- Merwick Care & Rehab Center, LLC
- Mohawk Meadows
- Mount Holly Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
- Optima Care Fountains
- Palace Rehabilitation and Care Center, The
- Premier Cadbury of Cherry Hill
- Ridgewood Center
- Rolling Hills Care Center
- Shore Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Sinai Post-Acute Nursing & Rehab Center
- The Pines at Medford
- Trenton Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Troy Hills Center
- Whiting Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
One Star for Staffing
Medicare’s staffing rating assesses whether a facility has sufficient staff members to meet the necessary levels of care for its residents. It’s based on two components: the number of hours of care provided by nursing staff per resident per day and the types of staff providing the care, such as registered nurses and certified nurse aides. Staff turnover also plays a role in the rating.
In New Jersey, there are 5 nursing homes with a one-star rating for staffing:
One Star for Quality Measures
Medicare’s quality measures rating evaluates how well a nursing home performs in key areas of resident care. It reflects aspects of health and well-being, such as whether residents are receiving necessary vaccinations, experiencing pain, or losing weight.
4 nursing home facilities in New Jersey have a one-star ranking for quality measures:
Get Legal Help
At Nursing Homes Abuse LLC, we partner with experienced nursing home abuse attorneys who can assist you and your loved ones to get the justice you deserve.
Mathew Shooshtary
The Sanders Law Firm
Jay Kenneth Margolis
The Sanders Law Firm
Legal Issues
The following are some recent examples of nursing home lawsuits against New Jersey care facilities. This is just a snapshot of the many allegations facilities have faced for physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect.
Abigail House for Nursing & Rehabilitation
In May 2020, the family of a resident at Abigail House for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Camden filed a lawsuit against the facility for its alleged involvement in her death. The lawsuit claimed that the facility provided negligent care to the resident, which resulted in her drastic health decline, septic shock, and death.
Abigail House has also received 23 recent health citations—significantly higher than the state average of eight.
CareOne at Madison Avenue
In May 2024, a resident at CareOne at Madison Avenue in Morristown sued the facility after she fell twice while under its care. Her lawsuit alleged that the facility was negligent in responding to her falls and in hiring and supervising its staff.
Common Issues in Low-Rated Nursing Homes
New Jersey’s lowest-rated nursing homes often show consistent patterns that compromise residents’ safety and dignity. These patterns include understaffing, failure to provide individualized care, and inadequate infection control. If you notice these issues, it’s crucial to look out for potential mistreatment and report suspected nursing home abuse immediately.
Understaffing and Its Consequences
One of the clearest warning signs of a poorly run facility is a chronic staff shortage. Overburdened staff are more prone to making serious mistakes, such as administering the wrong dosage or failing to notice a health decline until it’s too late. In some cases, residents may go hours without assistance and suffer bedsores or preventable falls simply because there weren’t enough qualified staff available.
Failure To Develop Individualized Care Plans
A nursing home is not a one-size-fits-all operation. Each resident requires a unique care approach to provide the best possible outcomes. However, many New Jersey facilities lack individualized care plans. As a result, residents may receive unnecessary treatments in lieu of the treatments they really need.
Inadequate Infection Control Measures
Infections can move quickly through nursing homes. Facilities must identify outbreaks early and take measures to control them by performing testing, providing masks, and isolating infected residents. Unfortunately, many substandard facilities in New Jersey fall short in meeting these standards. This can cause many residents to suffer preventable illness or death.
Legal Support for Victims of Nursing Home Abuse
The worst nursing homes in New Jersey often fail to provide attentive, dignified care. This results in worse health outcomes and even preventable deaths for many residents. At Nursing Homes Abuse LLC, we’re committed to helping families hold negligent facilities accountable by providing quality legal help and resources.
We can connect you with trusted nursing home abuse lawyers who focus specifically on these types of cases. If your loved one shows signs of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact us today for a free, confidential consultation about your rights and options.
If you or a loved one are facing abuse or neglect in a New Jersey nursing home, including nursing homes in Newark, we can help. Contact Nursing Homes Abuse LLC today to learn more about your legal rights and options.