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Old Glory Wing Opens At Menlo Park By Joseph Brandspiegel, CEO; photos by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, NJDMAVA/PA On Apr. 5, the Old Glory Wing at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park began accepting residents. It began at 7 a.m. with the nursing staff receiving their first assignment of the unit. An hour and a half later, the first resident arrived and was escorted into his clean, freshly decorated room. “This is a great moment for our state’s veterans and it’s a step in the right direction towards better serving our state’s 650,000 veterans,” stated Joseph Brandspiegel, CEO of the Menlo Park Home. “This high quality care center is exactly what veterans have earned by virtue of their patriotic service. We are extremely proud and honored to provide these additional services to the veterans who so bravely served us.”
This unit will take special need residents into consideration and the unit will serve Alzheimer’s and dementia related residents. Old Glory is a secure unit that provides a safe environment for residents who are at risk for wandering. A new Menlo Park Veterans Home facility was completed several years ago to replace the previous, antiquated, 100 year-old “Old Soldier’s Home”. However, the “Old Glory” wing was not opened due primarily to a shortage of qualified nurses that created a situation in which the facility could not meet Department of Health mandated staff-resident ratios. The newly opened wing will provide 40 beds to veterans suffering from Alzheimer’s. Veterans must apply for admission on a ‘first come’ basis and will be placed on a waiting list when maximum capacity is reached. On Apr. 30, Governor McGreevey officially dedicated the Old Glory Wing; several hundred guests were in attendance. The “Grand Opening” Ceremony began at 11 a.m. in the Town Square area of the facility and was followed with an official ribbon cutting at the entrance of the unit. After the ceremony, guests had the opportunity to tour the unit in small groups led by the Veterans Home staff. "We look forward to the Old Glory Grand Opening and providing the continued service to our country’s Veterans," concluded Joseph Brandspiegel. |
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