Best Nursing Homes in New Jersey

Excel Care at the Pines is a nursing home in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Owned by Chaim Schneider, the 151-bed facility is a short-term rehabilitation center serving post-acute patients transitioning from hospital care. At the same time, it provides longer-term nursing care for residents who remain beyond the rehabilitation phase. The home accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, giving families multiple ways to cover rehabilitation stays and ongoing care.

The facility focuses on rehabilitation services. It offers respite care for families needing temporary placement for their loved one while they recover or take a break. Most residents stay for an average of 134 days, including post-acute rehab residents and those who need extended nursing support. The facility’s clinical capabilities include hospice and palliative care services. The home can support residents at different points in their care journey.

Nurse staffing averages 3 hours and 17 minutes per resident each day. It is among registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse aides. The staffing level helps meet residents’ needs for post-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing care.

The facility’s current occupancy rate is 76%, with 115 residents on site, which means there is some room and resources available. The facility location at 29 North Vermont Ave in Atlantic City is in a very walkable neighborhood with a Walk Score of 71. It’s relatively easy for visiting families to navigate the surrounding area on foot.

State inspections by New Jersey regulators identified themes around infection control, staffing practices, food safety, life safety codes, respiratory care, and emergency preparedness. During the pandemic, a focused infection-control survey found no deficiencies related to federal standards. The facility has been fully compliant.

Overview of St Joseph’s Seniors’ Home

St Joseph’s Seniors’ Home is a nursing facility with 60 beds. The Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception operates it, a mission-driven religious organization. The home accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, providing families with flexible options to cover long-term nursing care. Its current occupancy rate is 52%, which has enough availability for residents seeking quality care in a faith-based setting.

Residents stay for an average of 866 days because it’s a long-term care community where residents can build meaningful connections and routines. Daily nurse staffing averages 4 hours and 37 minutes per resident. Nursing aides provide an additional 4 hours and 7 minutes of direct care each day. This staffing investment supports the home’s core services, such as skilled nursing, rehabilitation, respite care, and palliative care for residents at all stages of their health journey.

The facility’s regulatory compliance has been consistent. There have been no substantiated complaints or citations in the past six years. Inspection records also show strong adherence to infection control standards and privacy protections. Residents can participate in religious services and recreational programming, and touring is available all week from 8:30 in the morning to 8:00 in the evening.

The home is in a very walkable neighborhood with a Walk Score of 83. Visiting family can easily navigate on foot and access nearby services.

Overview of Wiley Mission

Wiley Mission is a facility located on East Main Street in Marlton, New Jersey. It is owned by John Glimore. The 86-bed home is in a very walkable neighborhood with a Walk Score of 72. Most errands and essentials are within walking distance. It accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, providing multiple ways for families to access short-term rehabilitation and longer-term care. Residents stay for an average of 160 days, including post-acute rehab residents and those in ongoing care.

The facility focuses on rehabilitation and subacute care, offering short-term rehab, additional rehabilitation services, and residential healthcare. Behavioral health services, psychiatric evaluations, and addiction support are available for residents with diverse care and wellness needs.

Total daily nurse staffing averages 6 hours and 34 minutes per resident. Registered nurses provide 1 hour and 11 minutes of care per day, nurse aides provide 3 hours and 20 minutes, and licensed practical nurses provide 1 hour and 18 minutes.

Wiley Mission operates as more than just a healthcare facility. It also hosts a range of community-oriented programs, including GriefShare groups, men’s and women’s discipleship programs, a food pantry, preschool services, and summer camp. They host these programs to support their faith-based mission and serve the broader community alongside residents.

State inspections focused on areas including residents’ rights compliance, medication management, food safety standards, life safety code adherence, and staffing ratio adequacy. Families touring the facility should ask how the home addresses these operational priorities daily. The facility’s current occupancy rate is 58%, with 50 of 86 beds filled.

Located in Dover, New Jersey, Excel Care at Dover is a skilled nursing home on North Sussex Street in a very walkable neighborhood (Walk Score 77), so most errands can be done on foot. Grande Center For Post Acute And Nursing Care LLC owns the home, which operates as a focused rehabilitation and post-acute care facility. It accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, giving families multiple ways to cover short-term rehabilitation and longer-term nursing care.

The 155-bed community is a mid-sized operation with 92% occupancy. Residents stay an average of 104 days, indicating that the home’s strength lies in short-term rehabilitation.

Residents get approximately 3 hours and 44 minutes of total nursing care per day. They are supported by a clinical team of registered nurses (35 minutes per day), nurse aides (2 hours 14 minutes per day), and licensed practical nurses (46 minutes per day). This mix of staffing allows the home to deliver the hands-on personal care and the skilled clinical oversight for post-acute residents.

The facility focuses on rehabilitation, offering specialized short-term rehab, respite care, and palliative and hospice services for those in the final stages of care. It’s near Newark and regional hospitals, which is a great option for families managing hospital discharges and ongoing clinical needs. This very walkable area means family members can easily visit from out of town and navigate the neighborhood easily. The home is also accessible by public transit.

Inspection reports from the past five years documented findings related to medication management, security protocols, and staffing ratios. Families evaluating the home should ask how the facility addresses these areas in its daily operations and what its quality improvement efforts are.

Overview of Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center LLC

Located on Jersey Street in Trenton, Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center LLC is a 141-bed nursing home. It serves residents who need short-term rehabilitation and longer-term skilled nursing care. The home is highly walkable, with a Walk Score of 74, so families can easily visit and access nearby local services and transit. The facility accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, providing families with several ways to access rehabilitation after hospitalization or surgery, as well as for ongoing nursing care.

The facility is focused on rehabilitation. It has dedicated services for short-term rehab, respite care, and outpatient therapy. Also, it offers pediatric skilled nursing, which is an uncommon capability in many communities. Residents stay an average of 234 days, including post-acute residents and those with longer-term care needs. At an 89% occupancy rate, the home steady population while remaining selective about admissions.

Nurse staffing averages 4 hours and 18 minutes per resident each day. It is distributed across registered nurses, nurse aides, and licensed practical nurses. That level of daily hands-on support provides residents with substantial daily assistance.

Residents are served three nutritious meals prepared on site. They also have access to structured activities in art and music, social gatherings, and pet visits. Other on-site amenities include a courtyard and community garden, a library, wireless internet access, scheduled transportation, and spiritual services. The community also offers a beauty salon and housekeeping support. There is a family visitation room to support regular contact between residents and loved ones.

Inspection findings focused on staffing adequacy, training compliance, and infection control protocols. Families evaluating the home can ask about how these areas are managed and monitored.

Overview of Foothill Acres Rehabilitation & Nursing Center

Foothill Acres Rehabilitation & Nursing Center is a 200-bed nursing home in Hillsborough, New Jersey, operated by Foothill Acres Rehabilitation. The facility handles multiple financial arrangements by accepting Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay options. For visitors, the surrounding suburban area carries a walkability score of 42 out of 100, which means the property is somewhat car-dependent and most travel or errands require a vehicle.

Individual patient stays last an average of 118 days, pointing to a clinical workload split between short-term post-hospital recovery and long-term care placement. Around-the-clock staffing manages this daily routine, delivering an average of 4 hours and 14 minutes of direct nursing care per resident each day. This shared responsibility utilizes a team of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse aides who coordinate physical rehabilitation tracks alongside memory care and palliative services.

Historical enforcement records show that state health department evaluations previously highlighted compliance gaps in care standards and life safety procedures. Gaps from these earlier reviews were resolved through facility-wide updates, and current standard survey logs report zero deficiencies across the property. Additionally, the building maintains an overall cumulative citations-per-inspection rate of zero.

For daily life, residents live in private or semi-private rooms and have access to enclosed courtyards, a beauty salon and barbershop, a library with computer stations, solariums, and personal laundry services. Meals are prepared to meet diverse nutritional needs and are served in spacious, dedicated dining rooms. The activities calendar is kept full with a cooking club, garden club, exercise groups, trivia games, arts and crafts, bingo, and casino games.

Tallwoods Care Center is a 180-bed skilled nursing facility at 18 Butler Boulevard in Bayville, Ocean County, New Jersey. Riverfront Healthcare Associates, Inc. operates the home, with Mendy Drillick serving as administrator. The care model covers a wide arc: sub-acute rehabilitation, long-term nursing care, a secured memory support unit, and hospice services, all under one roof.

New admissions are split across payer types in a way that reflects a genuine mix of short-stay and long-stay residents. Private pay covers more than half of incoming residents, typically for stays around a month. Medicare accounts for roughly a third, usually for post-acute rehab. Medicaid makes up the remainder, skewing toward long-term care.

The average length of stay across the population is 112 days. With 141 of 180 beds filled, occupancy sits at 78%.

Physical, occupational, speech-language, and respiratory therapy are all available on-site. The staffing roster includes three physical therapy assistants, three speech-language pathologists, an occupational therapy assistant, five qualified social workers, and nurse practitioners. Total nursing care runs at 2 hours 56 minutes per resident per day, with registered nurses accounting for 39 of those minutes. That figure situates Tallwoods in the lower band of state staffing levels, which is relevant context for families evaluating care intensity.

State inspections across a six-year window identified recurring concerns in earlier years, particularly around staffing ratios and care documentation. The facility’s record has moved in a better direction since then. Payment pathways include Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

Beyond clinical services, the facility runs a Secure Memory Care program alongside structured activity programming: creative arts, sensory engagement, group activities, and intellectual enrichment. Accommodations run private and semi-private, with satellite TV, phone lines, a resident-managed commissary, beautician services, and religious programming available on site. Bayville’s Walk Score of 65 means the surrounding area is navigable on foot for visiting family, with a moderate range of nearby services.

Tallwoods is structured to serve a clinically varied population, with particular depth in sub-acute recovery and memory care, making it most relevant for families weighing post-surgical rehabilitation alongside longer-term or memory-focused placement options.

Overview of Spring Grove Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center

Spring Grove Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center sits at 144 Gales Drive in New Providence; a 106-bed nursing home that’s running nearly full, with 98 residents currently here. Most stays are short-term post-acute rehab, averaging around 69 days. The facility takes Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, so admission isn’t restricted to any one payer type.

Nursing staff provides 3 hours 37 minutes of care per resident each day. That’s 46 minutes from an RN, 2 hours 11 minutes from a nurse aide, and 37 minutes from an LPN or LVN. Three specialty rehab tracks organize the clinical work: CardioPro for cardiac patients, RespiraCare for pulmonary cases, and Signature Services as the broader post-acute umbrella. The neighborhood’s walkable enough (Walk Score 63) that visitors and more independent residents can handle some errands on foot.

The kitchen sources seasonal ingredients and respects residents’ cultural and personal food preferences. You get lounges, outdoor courtyards with walking paths, Wi-Fi, a library, barber and beauty services, spiritual care, laundry on-site, and vending machines scattered through the building.

Over the past five years, inspection findings show a pattern of improvement. Earlier surveys flagged three recurring areas: nursing ratios and staffing adequacy, medication administration documentation, and life safety systems; mainly sprinkler coverage and smoke control maintenance. Most complaints filed didn’t pan out during investigation; the ones that did substantiate centered on understaffing and resident safety lapses, chiefly falls.

The facility has had no fines or license actions. Recent inspections came back clean, suggesting the facility has made real headway on those earlier problem areas.

Overview of Livia Health and Senior Living

Livia Health and Senior Living operates as an 86-bed skilled nursing facility in East Hanover, a suburb in northern New Jersey. It’s the kind of place you’d send someone recovering from surgery or a fall; the facility’s bread-and-butter work centers on rehabilitation and respite care, accommodating stays that average around two months. The profile suggests a throughput-oriented model rather than a permanent residence, which is frankly how many families approach nursing home placement anyway: it’s temporary, it’s necessary, and you want the right support for that specific window.

Occupancy sits at a healthy 87 percent (75 beds of 86), which means the place isn’t half-empty or so full that staffing gets stretched. That’s the kind of operational equilibrium where a facility can actually function.

The neighborhood rates a Walk Score of 42; not a walkable area in any conventional sense. Your family members visiting will need a car, full stop. There’s no strolling to coffee shops or grabbing a newspaper on foot. It’s car-dependent territory, which is standard for New Jersey’s northern suburbs.

The staffing picture breaks down to 3 hours and 46 minutes of total nursing care per resident per day. That includes registered nurses at 40 minutes, nurse aides at 2 hours 35 minutes, and LPN/LVN staff at 1 hour 16 minutes. You can look at those numbers and do your own math on whether they meet your family’s standard for adequate nursing presence. There’s no state comparison here because we’re not allowed to do that, but the ratios themselves are factual ground for your evaluation.

The facility accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay; so if cost is the primary barrier, there are likely pathways available depending on your loved one’s eligibility.

Regarding inspections: regulators have historically focused on documentation practices, medication administration, care planning, staffing consistency, and resident safety protocols. There were earlier concerns about infection control and emergency preparedness, too. The good news is that the recent inspections found no deficiencies. That’s not a statement about overall quality; it’s a statement about regulatory compliance at that point in time.

The facility’s utility is straightforward: if you need skilled nursing rehabilitation or temporary respite care for a loved one, Livia offers a functioning, currently compliant setting with reasonable occupancy levels. What you’re getting is a mid-sized facility with standard infrastructure and regulatory alignment.

Overview of Daughters of Israel Pleasant Valley Home

Daughters of Israel Pleasant Valley Home operates as a 303-bed nursing facility in West Orange, serving a mix of residents who need post-acute rehabilitation and those requiring longer-term skilled nursing care. The average resident tenure of 136 days reflects this dual mission, pulling in people recovering from hospitalization and those managing chronic conditions that need ongoing medical oversight. The neighborhood itself is moderately walkable; errands and some amenities are accessible by foot (Walk Score 50), which matters for visiting family and residents with mobility.

What actually happens here, day-to-day, revolves around rehabilitation and nursing. The facility runs a dedicated memory care and Alzheimer’s unit, short-term rehabilitation programs for recovery after surgery or injury, and respite care when families need a temporary placement break. There’s hospice and palliative care available for residents at end of life. The wound care and nutritional management programs are set up to support people with complex medical needs, and the facility offers social and recreational activities alongside the medical care; Metro Transport handles getting people off-site when they need appointments or just want an outing.

The staffing picture gives you a sense of the nursing intensity. Registered nurses provide 47 minutes per resident per day, but the total nursing care stack of RNs, LPNs, nurse aides, all roles combined, comes to 4 hours and 5 minutes per resident daily. Nurse aides put in 2 hours and 29 minutes, with LPN and LVN coverage adding another 35 minutes. That’s a meaningful amount of hands-on nursing time, which is what post-acute and longer-stay residents typically need.

Residents can use Medicare, Medicaid, or private pay. The most recent state inspection, conducted in November 2025, found no deficiencies. The facility has been under regulatory oversight for six years running, and earlier surveys did surface recurring concerns around care planning documentation, fall investigations, and how medication protocols were being followed. Those themes appeared across multiple inspection cycles and in complaint investigations over the years. It’s meaningful that the improvement trajectory played out over years rather than appearing suddenly; it indicates real operational change rather than inspection prep.