Exterior view of the 78,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art expansion of Parker’s skilled nursing care and post-acute rehabilitation community. Parker at Somerset is located on Dellwood Lane. – PARKER HEALTH GROUP
In response to the changing needs of seniors — specifically those realized during the pandemic — Parker Health Group unveiled an expanded senior living community in Somerset.
Parker at Somerset, which officially opened Feb. 1 on Dellwood Lane, offers seniors spacious private suites and high-tech rehabilitation equipment. The facility features 120 beds for long-term care and post-acute rehabilitation spread over three floors on a 14-acre campus.
“Our vision is to make Parker at Somerset the standard of what advanced senior care will look like in New Jersey going forward,” Roberto Muñiz, president and CEO of Parker, said in a prepared statement released Feb. 10. “It offers a complete spectrum of aging services, as well as access to an entire health care network through our established partnerships with top medical and healthcare providers, all under one roof.”
The development is a 78,000-square-foot expansion of Parker’s aging services community. Construction will now begin on the full renovation of the original 50,000-square foot building, which Parker acquired in 2016.
The campus features a state-of-the-art Post-Acute Rehabilitation Center, as well as a “small home” model of skilled nursing care, where residents live in a neighborhood-like setting. A new adult day center and a child care center offering intergenerational programming will also open later this year.
A view of the main lobby at Parker at Somerset, with the Cypress Cafe and outdoor terrace shown on the right. – PARKER HEALTH GROUP
Parker at Somerset, which is certified in Medicaid and Medicare insurance programs, is designed in response to the needs of seniors post-pandemic, Muñiz said. The building incorporates the latest in infection control technologies including touchless access points and surfaces that are treated to prevent microbial proliferation, as well as bipolar ionization to inactivate pathogens in the air. The visitor areas have been designed to support socialization safely, even under lockdown conditions.
Hospital-grade negative air pressure systems ventilate rooms to ensure that air is not recirculated into other areas of the community. Care givers also use wearable technology that alerts them when their hands need sanitizing.
“Parker at Somerset has been constructed in a way that it can be easily reconfigured and retrofitted as infection control technologies evolve,” Beth Sparling, Parker’s chief operating officer, said in the statement. “One of the greatest features of this building is the way it can adapt and evolve based on need. It’s a remarkable forward-thinking achievement, and we’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
Twenty years ago, Parker launched the Evergreen Way small home model in its Piscataway location. The model was refined for Parker at Monroe in 2015, and now at Parker at Somerset. Parker also has a nursing care community in New Brunswick as well as an assisted living campus in Highland Park.
