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Posted 05.13.08 Crestwood Part 3: Move to new nursing home brings relief Daily Record -- March 2007 By Vidya Padmanabhan Originally published in the Daily Record, March 23, 2007 HANOVER -- After nearly two years at the Crestwood Nursing Home, Pauline Olivieri gathered her medical records, her clothes and her rosary beads and made the move to King James Nursing Home in Chatham on Thursday. The moving party -- 94-year-old Olivieri, daughters Mary Ann Olivieri and Janice Olear, a niece and a grandson -- fit themselves into three cars and hit the road. They had decided not to hire an ambulance because they didn't want to alarm Pauline, who has dementia, Mary Ann Olivieri said. The women took turns keeping Pauline Olivieri company through the day at her new home, where the many windows kept making her think she could step outside, Mary Ann Olivieri said. The primary feeling in the family on Thursday was relief. "Everybody's very nice here,"Mary Ann said of King James. "I'm sure she'll be happy here." End to anxiety The relief comes after an anxious two weeks in which the family, and the families of all the Crestwood residents, had been thrust into a search for new homes for their loved ones. Care One, a company that owns 25 other assisted-living facilities in New Jersey, recently bought Crestwood, and initially gave families 30 days to find another home before the facility closed for approximately 18 months for renovation and expansion. On Tuesday, the company mailed out correction letters to families, amending its notice period to 60 days, in keeping with a New Jersey law that has been in effect since Oct. 31. Residents now have until May 8, according to the letter, though Care One has said that families could take as long as necessary to find suitable placement. The extra time may come in handy to some families, but members of Olivieri's family had swung into action as soon as they heard the news on March 9. While many residents are on waiting lists at other facilities, Pauline managed to get the only Medicaid bed available at King James at the time. Upon arriving at Crestwood at the scheduled time on Thursday, Olivieri's family waited for her to wake up from a nap so she could be moved. Borne like a baby When they wheeled her out, Jeremy Olear, Olivieri's grandson and a nurse at Morristown Memorial Hospital, was pressed into action. "He had to pick her up like a baby," Mary Ann Olivieri said. That was the part that physically distressed Pauline the most, she said. "I guess her bones hurt when she was lifted." They chose the only sedan among them because the SUV and minivan would have been too high for Olivieri to step into. Settling into King James was fairly simple because they just packed light. They would bring Pauline's TV from Crestwood later, Mary Ann said. Pauline's new roommate, Donna, had her TV on, but Pauline was too distracted. "Nothing really holds her interest any more," Mary Ann Olivieri said. "She's confused now," she said. "She'll be confused for a day or two. It'll take her a day or two to adapt herself to things here." |
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