AA Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

Given the choice, most of us want to stay in our homes. Sometimes, people need help to remain at home. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.

Personal Care Consultation

×
TESTIMONIALS

“Such an amazing company with employees who truly care about their business and those they take care of. Caretakers are top notch and customer service is great and they are available whenever you need them.”

Josie J.
×
TESTIMONIALS

“I can’t begin to tell to you how pleased I am with Always Best Care. Not only have they placed the perfect caregiver with my mother they also take care of the billing and when I need to speak to a receptionist they are always available. Thank you!!”

Pamgoldberg
×
TESTIMONIALS

“I cannot thank Always Best Care enough for helping us find an ideal Assisted Living Facility for my mother. We moved to the city a month ago and had little idea about the local senior living communities. I’d like to thank the highly experienced and knowledgeable caregivers of Always Best Care for helping our family during the difficult time.”

Theodore S.
×
TESTIMONIALS

“Your manager is always nice and flexible, and the caregivers are sweet and wonderful”

Leta J.
×
TESTIMONIALS

“We are very happy with Always Best Care. They do 24hr care, and the caregiver is excellent. I would recommend them.”

Carla500226
×
TESTIMONIALS

“We have hired Always Best Care. We have them for 5 to 6 weeks now. My mother practically does everything herself, but sometimes they might fix her her lunch, there might be a little bit of shopping, and they take her to her appointment. My mother is fine. The hours are fine. She got the hours that she requested. I know she is being billed on her credit card. They have been very helpful and very cooperative. The women always call back.”

Judy367738
×
TESTIMONIALS

“We hired Always Best Care two weeks ago for my mom. The woman comes in three days a week to assist my mother with doing the wash, keeping the house picked up, and just talking to her. She’s wonderful. We interviewed several people, and there was just something about the way they were organized in their presentation and their follow up. that impressed us. They were a level above the other ones that we spoke to. They really listen to you about your needs and work very hard to match the caregiver up with what you’re looking for. We were very impressed with them.”

Nancy176801
 In-Home Care Seaside Heights, NJ

How does In-home Senior Care in Seaside Heights, NJ work?

Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it's especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.

The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.

At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one ages, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.

Request More Informationright-arrow-light
 Senior Care Seaside Heights, NJ

Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors

While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit.

In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a unfamiliar assisted living community, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.

Here are just a few of the reasons why older men and women prefer to age at home:

Comfort
Comfort

How much does a senior's home truly mean to them? A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old. With the help of elderly care in Seaside Heights, NJ, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.

Healthy Living
Healthy Living

Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors. Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.

Independence
Independence

For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like an assisted living community. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.

Cost and Convenience
Cost and Convenience

More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, can be less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.

With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care in Seaside Heights, NJ gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.

Empowers Seniors

Affordable Care Plans

In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.

Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.

At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.

In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:

Veteran's Benefits
Veteran's Benefits

Aid and Attendance benefits through military service can cover a portion of the costs associated with in-home care for veterans and their spouses.

Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance

Many senior care services like in-home care are included in long-term care insurance options. Research different long-term care solutions to find a plan that provides coverage for senior care.

Private Insurance
Private Insurance

Home care can be included as part of a senior's private insurance plan. Read over your loved one's insurance policy carefully or speak with their insurance provider to determine if in-home care is covered.

Life Insurance
Life Insurance

Depending on the life insurance plan, you may be able to apply your policy toward long-term care. You may be able to use long-term-care coverage to help pay for in-home elderly care.


Respite Care Seaside Heights, NJ

During your Care Plan consultation with Always Best Care, your Care Coordinator will speak with you about in-home care costs and what options there may be to help meet your budget needs.

Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers

When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.

Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.

At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Seaside Heights,NJ understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.

Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.

Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.

 Caregivers Seaside Heights, NJ

Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:

An assessment of your senior loved one

01

An in-depth discussion of the needs of your senior loved one to remain in their own home

02

Reviewing a detailed Care Plan that will meet your senior loved one's needs

03

Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.

If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.

When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.

Latest News in Seaside Heights, NJ

NJ beach weather and waves: Jersey Shore Report for Tue 9/26

AdvisoriesHIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don`t swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.At the ShoreCurrent conditions and forecast as of Tue morningRip Current RiskHighWaves5 - 11 ...

Advisories

HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don`t swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.

At the Shore

Current conditions and forecast as of Tue morning

Rip Current RiskHigh
Waves5 - 11 feet
WindsFrom the Northeast22 - 35 mph (Gust 45 mph)19 - 30 knots (Gust 39 knots)
Ocean Temperature66° - 69°(Normal 67° - 72°)
Air Temperature61° - 66°
Sunrise/Sunset6:47am - 6:51pm
UV Index1 (Low)

Tide Times

SANDY HOOKSandy Hook BayHighTue 5:37aLowTue 11:53aHighTue 6:02pLowWed 12:32a
LONG BRANCHAtlantic OceanHighTue 5:11aLowTue 11:17aHighTue 5:36pLowTue 11:56p
MANASQUAN INLETAtlantic OceanHighTue 5:25aLowTue 11:29aHighTue 5:50pLowWed 12:08a
SEASIDE HEIGHTSAtlantic OceanHighTue 5:07aLowTue 11:21aHighTue 5:32pLowWed 12:00a
SEASIDE PARKBarnegat BayHighTue 9:17aLowTue 3:58pHighTue 9:42pLowWed 4:37a
BARNEGAT INLETBarnegat BayHighTue 5:29aLowTue 11:44aHighTue 5:52pLowWed 12:30a
MANAHAWKIN BRIDGEManahawkin BayHighTue 8:24aLowTue 3:32pHighTue 8:49pLowWed 4:11a
LITTLE EGG INLETGreat BayHighTue 6:25aLowTue 12:15pHighTue 6:50pLowWed 1:06a
ATLANTIC CITYAtlantic OceanHighTue 5:19aLowTue 11:18aHighTue 5:42pLowWed 12:07a
OCEAN DRIVE BRIDGETownsends InletHighTue 5:41aLowTue 11:37aHighTue 6:16pLowWed 12:31a
WILDWOOD CRESTAtlantic OceanHighTue 5:28aLowTue 11:24aHighTue 5:53pLowWed 12:16a
CAPE MAYDelaware BayHighTue 6:21aLowTue 12:15pHighTue 6:49pLowWed 1:04a

Marine Forecast

From the National Weather Service, Mt. Holly

TUE: NE winds 25 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 11 ft. E swell 5 to 10 ft at 7 seconds. Light rain likely.

TUE NIGHT: NE winds 20 to 25 kt, diminishing to 15 to 20 kt after midnight. Seas 8 to 10 ft, subsiding to 6 to 9 ft after midnight. E swell 6 to 10 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of light rain in the evening.

WED: NE winds 15 to 20 kt, diminishing to 10 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Seas 5 to 8 ft. E swell 4 to 7 ft at 8 seconds.

WED NIGHT: E winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 6 ft. E swell 4 to 6 ft at 8 seconds.

THU: NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. E swell 4 to 6 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of showers in the afternoon.

THU NIGHT: E winds around 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 5 ft in the evening. E swell 4 to 5 ft at 8 seconds in the evening. A chance of showers.

FRI: NE winds around 15 kt. A chance of showers.

SAT: NE winds 10 to 15 kt. A chance of showers in the morning.

Plan Your Trip

Data on this page amalgamated from several sources, including the National Weather Service (weather), National Ocean Service (tides), U.S. Naval Observatory (sun), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (UV index).

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. The Shore Report is generated semi-automatically daily at 5 a.m. from mid-May to late September. Follow Dan's weather blog, Facebook page, and Twitter feed for your latest forecast and realtime weather updates.

See ya night clubs and motels. Seaside Heights asks residents to create its new identity.

The night clubs that gave Seaside Heights its reputation as a party town are long closed, and now the Jersey Shore borough is pushing further to remove the stigma through redevelopment.Several projects are already underway and even more are in the works, including for the former Karma, Bamboo and Merge night club sites. Most will bring housing and businesses to ou...

The night clubs that gave Seaside Heights its reputation as a party town are long closed, and now the Jersey Shore borough is pushing further to remove the stigma through redevelopment.

Several projects are already underway and even more are in the works, including for the former Karma, Bamboo and Merge night club sites. Most will bring housing and businesses to outdated, shuttered and underused properties.

Now the borough is asking residents and business owners to help shape Seaside Heights’ new identity. It will hold a Community Visioning Workshop Monday night at 6 p.m. at the George E. Tompkins Municipal Complex. Officials want to engage the community in a consensus on what it should look like in 20 years, where it’s headed and what has been done to achieve the vision.

Mayor Anthony Vaz declined to comment, saying he’d rather wait for public comments before expressing his views.

He and other town officials have been steadily steering the town to less dense development since Hurricane Sandy, according to Mike Loundy, owner of Seaside Realty who also works for the city as director of Community Improvements.

“We have been very, very hot here with new development,” Loundy said, adding that in the last two to three years, at least 70 new single family homes were built in the 16-block town. They were all sold and are occupied as second homes, primary homes and rentals.

At least 14 motels have been torn down and developed into single family homes and condos, he said. And more projects like those are in the works, according to Loundy:

“There’s a lot happening here,” Loundy said. “Seaside Heights has been a well kept secret for years. It has a new, beautiful boardwalk. The pier rides are almost all new. The family that runs the amusements spends a lot of money keeping everything fresh and new. And we’re usually ranked one of the top 10 beaches in New Jersey. We’re one hour from New York City, Philadelphia and Atlantic City. And we have a beautiful bayfront most people don’t know about until they come here where you can rent boats, crab, or sit on the beach.”

Home values in Seaside Heights, like the most of the rest of New Jersey, are on the rise.

The median sales price of a single family is up about 12% from $730,000 to $820,000 in the past year, according to data from New Jersey Realtors.

Are you an agent, buyer or seller who is active in this changing market? Do you have tips about New Jersey’s real estate market? Unusual listings? Let us know.

More real estate coverage:

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Seaside Heights carousel slated to return this summer

You'll have to wait just a bit longer to take a ride on Seaside Heights' iconic carousel.Most of the historic merry-go-round is in Ohio, where it's being restored by Carousels & Carvings, a company that specializes in building and repairing carousels.Its new home, the carousel building on the north end of the boardwalk between Sampson and Carteret avenues, is ready to house the 1910 Dentzel-Looff merry-go-round when it returns, which Mayor Anthony Vaz said is likely to be in mid-June."We are rooti...

You'll have to wait just a bit longer to take a ride on Seaside Heights' iconic carousel.

Most of the historic merry-go-round is in Ohio, where it's being restored by Carousels & Carvings, a company that specializes in building and repairing carousels.

Its new home, the carousel building on the north end of the boardwalk between Sampson and Carteret avenues, is ready to house the 1910 Dentzel-Looff merry-go-round when it returns, which Mayor Anthony Vaz said is likely to be in mid-June.

"We are rooting for July 25, which would be Carousel Day," Vaz said of a possible grand-opening date for the ride. "If that doesn't pan out, we're rooting for the beginning of August."

The carousel building will also include a museum of Seaside Heights history.

The carousel will be shipped back to Seaside and reassembled in its new home. It's expected to take three weeks to reassemble, and the ride will have to be inspected by the state before visitors can once again climb aboard.

More:15 food and drink festivals coming to the Shore, from food trucks to a restaurant tour

There are more than 50 wooden horses on the iconic ride, as well as two chariots, two camels, one lion and one tiger.

The horses, other animals and chariots have been stored — and repaired and repainted — in a Bay Boulevard building.

The carousel, built in 1910, was originally located at Burlington Island Park near the Delaware River. A 1928 fire destroyed most of that amusement park but only damaged the carousel. It was fixed, disassembled and moved to Seaside Heights during the Great Depression.

More:Breakwater Beach Pavilion opens in Keansburg with boardwalk bites and beach delivery

In 2014, Casino Pier's owners, the Storino family, announced that they planned to sell the merry-go-round, as ridership had declined and maintenance costs were high. Seaside Heights acquired it in 2017 after agreeing to swap 1.36 acres of beach with Casino Pier, allowing the rebuilding of the pier on the sand after it was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

The ride shut down in April 2019.

The carousel is named after Ortley Beach resident Dr. Floyd L. Moreland, who oversaw the restoration of the badly deteriorated carousel in the 1980s. His friends and family members spent countless weekends inside the then-unheated carousel building in the off-season, painstakingly repairing the historic structure.

Seaside Heights also acquired the parking lot next to the boardwalk in the deal, and that's where the carousel will now reside.

It won't be much longer before it's spinning once again.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 38 years. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, [email protected].

Nightclubs are out and Seaside Heights is slowly changing. Here’s what’s happening.

Seaside Heights is making moves to rid itself of the party town reputation it cemented when Snooki and the gang spent time there.The borough planning board last week voted to approve a site plan to build 11 single family homes on two side streets and a mixed use building on the Boulevard that would have two businesses on the ground floor and four apartments on top.Now this week the planning board will consider whether to designate two more parcels — the site of the former ...

Seaside Heights is making moves to rid itself of the party town reputation it cemented when Snooki and the gang spent time there.

The borough planning board last week voted to approve a site plan to build 11 single family homes on two side streets and a mixed use building on the Boulevard that would have two businesses on the ground floor and four apartments on top.

Now this week the planning board will consider whether to designate two more parcels — the site of the former Karma nightclub and another property on Franklin Avenue — as areas in need of redevelopment.

The owner of the former Karma site wants to build a five story mixed use building with condos on the upper floors and businesses on the ground level. The town currently owns the Franklin Avenue property, which had a dilapidated multi-family dwelling that was frequently given housing code violations. That property does not yet have a developer, officials said.

By designating the properties as areas in need of development, it streamlines the process for them to be repurposed.

“It provides a different tool box for redevelopers and towns,” said Christopher Vaz, administrator for Seaside Heights. “The developers can apply for PILOTS (tax break agreements) and it also opens different ways for them to have their redevelopment plans approved.”

Seaside Heights declared the entire town as an area in need of rehabilitation in April 2011. Officials have reworked their master plan and pursued properties that are in violation of its codes.

Also on the Boulevard, there was a steel structure built but nothing was moving forward. “The owner wasn’t doing anything to have the property redeveloped in the near term, so we acquired the property,” Vaz said.

The idea is to create a secondary draw for residents and visitors besides the boardwalk and beach.

“Seaside has been very quietly getting better each year since Hurricane Sandy,” said Mike Loundy of Seaside Realty, who is also part of the Business Improvement District. “Nightclubs are just not the thing anymore. Seaside wanted to get away from that. So it created a vision plan to create some real commercial space with retail shopping — all sorts of uses.”

There have been about 60 new homes added to Seaside Heights in the past two years, Loundy said, that are selling for $750,000 to $1 million and fetching weekly rents of $5,000 to $7,000. “There’s a need for another commercial district for those people to go,” he said.

But Seaside Heights might still have a ways to go before it shakes its party town reputation.

“I still think Seaside Heights is looked at more speculatively despite the improvements,” said Matthew Schlosser, vice president of Schlosser Real Estate in Lavallette. The boardwalk and nightlife is always going to differentiate it from the towns north of it that are more family-oriented. But I think everyone sees the progress and we all think it’s positive for the shore and for property values.”

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Seaside Heights bay beach closed due to fecal bacteria levels

New Jersey environmental officials closed the bay beach at Hancock Avenue in Seaside Heights to swimming on Wednesday, Aug. 9, after rounds of water testing showed high levels of a bacteria commonly found in the feces.Concentrations of enterococcus exceeded the state's safe swimming standards during both Monday and Tuesday's rounds of testing, according to the New Jersey Depar...

New Jersey environmental officials closed the bay beach at Hancock Avenue in Seaside Heights to swimming on Wednesday, Aug. 9, after rounds of water testing showed high levels of a bacteria commonly found in the feces.

Concentrations of enterococcus exceeded the state's safe swimming standards during both Monday and Tuesday's rounds of testing, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Enterococcus — which is common in the intestines of humans and animals — is used as an indicator species to signal that other illness-causing bacteria, viruses and protozoa could be present in water.

While environmental officials closed the Hancock Avenue beach, they lifted water quality advisories at 15 other beaches along the Jersey Shore, where advisories for high bacteria counts were issued earlier this week.

Atlantic County

In Atlantic City, seven ocean beaches — at Michigan Avenue, Arkansas Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, Kentucky Avenue, South Carolina Avenue, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and New York Avenue — are now considered safe for swimming, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

Monmouth County

Bacteria counts had dropped to levels considered safe for swimming at the bay beach at the Highlands Recreation Center, Miller Beach in Highlands, the Roosevelt Avenue beach in Deal, the Elberon Bathing Club and the Ocean Beach Club in Long Branch, the ocean beach at Broadway in Neptune, and the New York Avenue beach in Sea Girt, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Ocean County

A water quality advisory was lifted Wednesday at the river beach at River Avenue in Point Pleasant.

Levels of enterococcus often rise in rivers and bays after rain and storms, when pet and wildlife droppings are washed into local waterways. Leaky sewers, septic systems and livestock can also contaminate lakes and rivers.

Swimming in feces-contaminated water can cause serious illness, particularly in young children, elderly adults and people with compromised immune systems. Some of the most common illnesses from exposure include gastrointestinal distress and infections of the eyes, ears, skin and lungs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Monmouth U. work could lead to better water alerts

On Wednesday, Monmouth University researchers announced they were studying the enterococcus levels after rain and developed a new model for predicting bacteria spikes at Jersey Shore beaches.

Environmental officials test beaches on Mondays, and only retest in the same week if Monday's tests show high bacteria counts. But Monmouth University researches said they found ways to predict bacteria spikes at beaches when accounting for rain, location of stormwater discharges and water temperature.

"If it happens to rain on the weekend or early Monday, you’re going to get a lot of exceedances when you measure on Monday," Monmouth University Endowed Professor of Marine Science Jason Adolf said in a news release.

"But if it rains on Tuesday through Saturday, the beaches we studied are likely to exceed enterococcus levels within 24 hours and will probably be clear by the following Monday (but have no water quality alerts issued)," he added. "We recognize the logistical challenges to daily sampling, but our research suggests you can supplement weekly monitoring with modeling that predicts the water’s safety based on environmental parameters which are already being measured all the time."

The researchers said their new model could be used to supplement the state's water quality alert system, despite limitations to the weekly water quality tests.

Earlier this week:16 Jersey Shore beaches have high bacteria counts

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 15 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, [email protected] or 732-557-5701.

Disclaimer:

This website publishes news articles that contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The non-commercial use of these news articles for the purposes of local news reporting constitutes "Fair Use" of the copyrighted materials as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law.