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Vol. LXIV, No. 28
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
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Vol. LXIV, No. 28
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
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 LIFE-STYLE, LIFE-CARE: Harrogate LifeCare Community in Ocean County offers boundless opportunities for a life-style filled with leisure recreation or action-packed activities. In addition, full health care is offered as individual needs change. Shown is the main entrance to the Harrogate facility. |
If you or an older parent or other relative are considering a life-style change, Harrogate LifeCare Community may be the right place at the right time.
Located in Ocean County, this 22-year-old non-profit LifeCare corporation offers a unique approach to living.
“LifeCare, which includes skilled nursing, helps protect your assets and estate from the ever-rising costs of skilled nursing care,” explains Kathy Moore, Harrogate Director of Marketing. “Longterm nursing care can cost as much as $85,000 annually in the Ocean County area. Under the LifeCare program at Harrogate, the cost of skilled nursing care is included in your monthly service fee.”
300 people currently live at Harrogate, she adds, and for many, LifeCare is not yet a concern. With a minimum age of 62, many residents continue to do volunteer work and maintain a very active life-style.
47 Acres
Situated on 47 private acres, Harrogate offers 275 apartments, with styles that range from studios to two-bedroom and two-bathrooms. Every apartment has a patio or balcony, fully-equipped kitchen, and storage areas.
Ample parking, private garages, and gardening areas are also available, and there is 24-hour security.
Residents at Harrogate are from all over the country, including Arizona, notes Ms. Moore, who has long years of experience in this field. They have selected Harrogate after careful study and investigation.
“This is one of the best facilities I have seen,” she says. “There are many activities and amenities for people in all areas. We have everything from an indoor Olympic-size heated pool to a bocce court to card and billiard rooms to croquet and walking paths to beauty and barber shops, and a bank.”
Indeed, activities, amenities, and services are plentiful. Library, craft room, woodworking shop, fitness center and spa, general store, putting green and auditorium are all available.
Residents can enjoy one complimentary meal a day in the dining room, featuring open seating and flexible hours.
Cultural Programs
All utilities, except cable and telephone, are included, as well as weekly housekeeping, laundry service, emergency call system, scheduled transportation, guest apartments, and scheduled trips, cultural and educational programs, and events. There are classes in oil, watercolors, knitting and quilting, among many others.
Harrogate has a number of vehicles, including sedan, minivan, and two buses to take residents on recreational trips, shopping, and doctor appointments.
It is truly maintenance-free living. No more shoveling snow, cutting the grass, cleaning the gutters, etc. In fact, says Ms. Moore, studies have shown that people who move to such a life-style and setting live longer. “Life is easier. There is much less stress. It is just convincing people that the time is right, and that they are ready for a life-style change like this.”
Harrogate’s location in Ocean County not only offers residents the opportunity for trips to the Big Apple, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City, it is also within easy distance of the ocean. Swimming in the surf, walks on the beach, charter fishing, and beach concerts at nearby Point Pleasant are very popular summertime activities.
5-Star Rating
Ms. Moore also reports that residents keep very busy with volunteer work in the area and at Harrogate itself. “They run the library and work in the general store here, as well as doing other things.”
Harrogate is set apart from other retirement and continuing care communities by virtue of its LifeCare status, adds Ms. Moore. LifeCare means that skilled nursing (longterm care) will be available should it become necessary. “Not many other places offer LifeCare any more,” she points out. “Our health care centers have been consistently recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Washington, D.C. for the highest standards and quality of care, as evidenced by our across the board 5-Star rating.”
In addition, Harrogate offers a Home Health Care program for individuals in need of assistance in their home setting. A personal assistant or caregiver can help with medication, nursing services, bathing and dressing, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medical claim filing, etc.
Registered and licensed practical nurses, and nurses’ aides are available to provide what is needed. There is also an on-site clinic with physicians and nurses in attendance.
When the time comes to think about a change in living arrangements, the staff at Harrogate is ready to give prospective residents a tour and answer questions. As one longtime resident said: “The life-style at Harrogate is often compared to a vacation on a cruise ship. You can enjoy a lazy day at the library, take a stroll on a walking path; or for more exercise, begin your day with a few laps in the pool, take a Tai Chi class, and then relax in the Jacuzzi. A work-out in the fitness center can also help to start the day. It’s all up to you!”
Harrogate can offer whatever suits your style, with the added security of knowing longterm health care will be there, if and when it is needed.
For more information, call (732) 905-7070. Website: www.harrogate-lifecare.org.