Applewood names new executive director/administrator

Keith Grady, LNHA, has been named executive director/administrator of Applewood, CentraState Healthcare System’s active, continuing care retirement community.

Grady, with more than 30 years of management and operational development experience, is responsible for the administration of the day-to-day operations of all three levels of care that Applewood provides, along with developing quality initiatives to improve the residents’ quality of life and operational processes.

Previously, Grady was the vice president of operations at Winchester Gardens, a continuing care retirement community in Maplewood, NJ. He earned a bachelor’s degree in HealthCare Management from the American Intercontinental University in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and is currently pursuing a master’s of science degree in Gerontology from the University of Massachusetts (UMASS), Boston.

In addition, Applewood recently received the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Advanced Standing distinction for assisted living facilities. The Advanced Standing program is a voluntary program open to all licensed assisted living facilities and comprehensive personal care homes in New Jersey. Applewood received this distinction by demonstrating compliance with all local, state and federal regulations and submitting quality data that reached benchmarks set by its peers.

Quality standards that assisted living facilities must demonstrate to receive this distinction include ongoing employee training and high resident and family satisfaction scores.  Only those facilities that meet these qualifications are eligible for the certification. This designation recognizes that Applewood is genuinely interested in continuous quality improvement, and confirmation that it ranks among the best assisted living facilities in New Jersey.

Applewood is a non-profit, continuing care retirement community on 40 acres offering 13 different apartment styles and 5 cottage styles for active, independent seniors and assisted living services and skilled nursing care, if ever needed. For more information about Applewood, call (732) 303-8600 or visit www.applewood.com.

CentraState Healthcare System is a nonprofit community health organization consisting of an acute-care hospital, a health and wellness campus, three senior living communities, a Family Medicine Residency Program, and a charitable foundation. CentraState’s teaching program is sponsored by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.