Residents’ Stories

“After Dad passed away, our Mom, then age 78, decided she needed to move from her home in Brattleboro, VT to be near to two of her three sons who live in Hackensack, NJ. For a variety of logistical reasons, she had to rely on her sons to visit and scout senior living communities in the area. We embarked on web research and personal visits to a number of local affordable independent apartments communities/assisted living facilities. In the end, we easily came to the conclusion that Hazel Street Senior Towers would work well for mom.

How did we go about doing this ‘facility review’ for her? When visiting, we made sure to hear not only from management (who we found very accommodating) but also from a variety of residents and building staff. We asked things like, ‘What do you most like about living/working here?’, ‘What would you like to change?’, ‘What kinds of activities do you get involved in?’, ‘How did you make the decision to move here?’ The responses from residents and staff in different apartment communities were quite varied, with those from Hazel Towers clearly most enthusiastic. We also chatted with family members of current residents to get their views on how their parent(s) were doing at Hazel. Lastly, we took time to just sit and observe interactions between staff and residents.

When an opening in a unit that appeared to accommodate mom’s wishes came up in late 2014, we urged her to ‘grab it now’. She moved in a little over two years ago. Since our first visit (and throughout our regular visits with her), we have been impressed with the attentiveness, the caring, the friendliness and respectful attitude of staff, at all levels, and the independent and active life she is able to enjoy in the community”.

– Tom Scaglione, son of a Hazel Towers Resident

man with dog

“I had no place to go that I could afford or that I could take my dog with me. I am so blessed and grateful that I got into the Paterson Senior Towers. The building is kept immaculate, the library and movie library always fully stocked and the buildings management staff are so warm and truly caring of me and all my new friends, I feel like I have been given a new beginning”. 

Elizabeth Byrne, Paterson Senior Towers