Innovative Adult Day Care Center In Brick Takes You Back In Time

BRICK, NJ — Town Square at the Jersey Shore is setting a new standard for adult day care. The facility, modeled after a 1950s American town, offers 13 unique activity rooms intended to give members a sense of nostalgia and familiarity.

Upon entering Town Square, visitors are greeted with a view that hits close to home: a colorful mural of the Atlantic City pier. Next to that, an impressive display of 1950s-style storefronts — and a beautifully restored vintage 1955 Chrysler Oldsmobile — is guaranteed to transport anyone back in time.

Each activity room is carefully curated to meet the interests, hobbies, and needs of Town Square’s members. The goal is to create a stimulating and rewarding experience for everyone.

Activities include arts and crafts, exercise classes, classic film showings, and more. The music room features a functional record player, percussion instruments, and will soon have a piano. Members can use the room to dance, sing, and jam to their favorite songs. Next door, the recreation room features a billiards table and an authentic blackjack table.

The center’s cinema, The Starlite Theater, offers showings of classic films, nostalgic commercials, and interactive games for members. Rosie’s Diner, the center’s dining hall, is modeled after a retro diner and even features a functional jukebox. Members are offered continental breakfast and catered lunch.

The center even has a salon with an in-house hairdresser for members who want to get a trim.

“We just hired a hairdresser; she’ll be starting soon,” said Faithe M. Bland, the center's director. “Members can come here and get their hair done.”

The facility’s ode to 1950s culture is for much more than aesthetics. Members who experience Alzheimer’s and dementia benefit from the reminiscence that this environment provides, as it reminds them of their formative years.

“You know how you listen to a song and it takes you back to a specific time? That’s how it is for our members, so we try to re-create that here," said Kevin Herman, president of Town Square.

Town Square guarantees an immersive and comforting experience for all of its members. Each staff member specializes in dementia and Alzheimer’s care.

Bland said some members have been reluctant at first to take part in the activities.

“We had a gentleman come in who really did not want to be here,” she said. “At the end of the day, he went home to his daughter and told her, ‘This was the best day ever, I can’t wait to go back!’”

Town Square has capacity for about 200 members at a time, and new members can enroll now.

“We’ve accomplished so much in just six weeks,” Herman said. “We’re hoping by next year, every room will have an ongoing activity at any given time.”