November 6, 2023

Make the Connection, a resource for veterans and their families...
"Connect Through Shared Experience
     On MakeTheConnection.net, hundreds of Veterans describe their mental health challenges and the care that helped them. These Veterans share stories and experiences that fellow Veterans and their supporters can relate to — in the hopes that you can make a connection.
     Watch, read and listen to their stories — in their own words — through video interviews, articles and podcast episodes. You can filter content by symptoms, conditions, life events and combat experience, service era, and more to find encouraging stories you may relate to.
     A resource developed and operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Make the Connection aims to reduce barriers and stigma associated with mental health challenges that may prevent Veterans from seeking mental health care. Talking openly about mental health and the challenges that many Veterans face can help encourage Veterans and their families to get the support they need."


March 22, 2022

       Free and low cost addiction help ("Free Rehab Centers") is now linked from our Other Resources page.

December 21, 2021

       How to close (over 230) online accounts and services when someone dies.

December 21, 2021

       We've added a link to a Social Media Addiction and Cyber Bullying Guide.

November 24, 2020

Please send family and friends directly to normandean.com!

It has come to our attention that there are now companies (Echovita and Legacy.com, for example) that “aggregate” online obituaries from around the Internet and if your family or friends search for “your-loved-one’s-name obituary”, they very well could end up on the web site of one of these such companies rather than on normandean.com.

Why it matters...

We have found that some of these web sites encourage you to “Light a Candle” in memory of a loved one, and charge you for that “service”, while the family of the departed will never see the candle or be notified that it has been posted. They even charge a higher fee to display the candle longer than a week! They might also encourage you to buy flowers, “plant a tree” or make other purchases.

At normandean.com there is never any charge for posting a candle, and candles will remain on our web site indefinitely! If the family has provided us with an e-mail address, we will also notify them of any candles that have been posted.

Further, while we provide links to local florists or other gift options as a service to our families who might choose to buy these things, we are not “encouraging” anyone to buy flowers or other items and we receive no money from any such purchases. (If you do choose to buy flowers or other gifts, we can say that generally speaking, those who deal with the local shops we link to have been very happy with the service they receive. There is great incentive for these shops to provide good service, as we would be inclined to remove links to any business if we became aware of repeated customer satisfaction issues.)

Please advise your family and friends to come directly to normandean.com where they can easily find your loved one’s obituary by entering their name in the search box on our home page. You can know that you are on our web site if the URL begins with https://normandean.com. You will also see the Norman Dean banner at the top of every page.

August 12, 2020

We've added another Bereavement Gift option to our Florists page (memorial art)...

January 17, 2020

A "Denville Life" article lends insight into what drives Norman Dean Home for Services.

January 14, 2020

Medicaid Applications Got Easier for Morris County Residents on January 1st
(Read original article here on TAPintoDenville)
By: TAPINTO STAFF
December 28, 2019 at 10:03 PM
Credits: Morris County Government

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - The Morris County Board of Freeholders announced that the New Jersey Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services has implemented new changes to its online portal. The purpose of these system improvements are to enable residents to more easily apply for all Medicaid programs.

As of Jan. 1, 2020, any Morris County resident who requires Medicaid assistance can access the portal and apply directly via the New Jersey Family Care website.  

This new portal will allow participants to complete their Medicaid application online and upload required documents via smartphone, tablet or PC. Participants can easily check on the status of their Medicaid application online as well as receive electronic notifications.

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To utilize this portal, participants must be able to provide an email address at the time of application. It is estimated that the application can be completed in 10 minutes.

“The goal is to provide easier access to the Medicaid system, allowing county residents to apply from home computers or smart phones,’’ said Morris County Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo. “It is another tool, like the county’s Navigating Hope mobile social services van, to make it easier for residents-in-need to be able to get the help they require.’’  

Morris County government offices will remain open in Morris Township or Dover to complete Medicaid applications in person. However, residents are encouraged to utilize the new portal which should provide quicker processing of applications and cases.

Medicaid provides health coverage to many county residents, including eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities. The program is funded jointly by states and the federal government.

September 4, 2019

Recovery Zone Solutions--"We provide a unique year-long medically assisted treatment (MAT) program that delivers long-term recovery from opioid and alcohol addiction, at success rates well beyond those of the current industry." "Implant blocks opioid receptors & satiates cravings." "Implant makes opioid, suboxone & alcohol use ineffectual."

April 16, 2019

American Addiction Centers (AAC) is, in their words... "The largest collection of online resource for those suffering from substance use and mental health disorders. Our goal is to guide as many people to help as soon as possible before more lives are lost to drug overdoses. We offer a wide range of information on our sites – from facility reviews to forums – to help millions of families make more informed decisions about treatment."

These types of resources can now be found by visiting the "Other Resources" page of our GRIEF SUPPORT section.

October 22, 2018

While we have no relationship with Advanced Recovery Systems and cannot attest to their services, we are including a link to their site as there is an obvious, growing need for resources in this area. At Norman Dean Home for Services, we are personally all too often impacted by the results of drug or alcohol addiction or overdose through the families we serve. There appears to be a wealth of helpful information on their site, even if you don't require their services.

From their web site:
"DrugRehab.com is a web resource provided and funded by Advanced Recovery Systems. Since 2015, the website has provided researched, fact-based resources for free. Readers can learn about risks of various substances, the latest approaches to treatment and real stories of recovery on DrugRehab.com."

and

"We provide information, resources, and treatment for people battling addiction and related conditions.
At DrugRehab.com, our mission is to equip patients and families with the best information, resources and tools to overcome addiction and pursue lifelong recovery."

Unrelated, The Recovery Village is another resource in this area we have linked to under the Grief Support/Other Grief Resources section of our web site.

March 15, 2018

Peace Aging Care Experts, LLC is an Aging Life Care firm that aids the elderly and those with mental illness or developmental disabilities with navigating crisis situations, planning ahead for future care needs, and getting more out of life every day. They provide guidance through the confusing and often overwhelming world of senior care. Covering central and northern New Jersey, they assess clients on an ongoing basis, meeting individuals in their homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

You can learn more about them on their website or call Trish Colucci Barbosa for a complimentary phone consultation at (973) 459-9966.

"On behalf of myself and the entire staff at Norman Dean, I'd like to thank EVERYONE near and far for your flowers, equipment, labor, generosity, love and prayers during these past few days.  Mallory Rose had a beautiful service. Heartfelt thanks to our AmAziNg community. Love, Rebecca Romanowsky"
See photos here.

May 1, 2017

We now have another resource to offer those going through the grieving process. 365 Daily E-mails (Living Again) is a series of short daily e-mails that guide you through the grieving process one day at a time. They can help you to understand the feelings you are going through and help give you a sense of control over your situation.

The daily e-mails are not too long and can very easily be discontinued at any time. Please try them out... some people have found this format of support to be very helpful. In addition to within this headline, the link to sign up can also be found under our GRIEF SUPPORT link at the top-right of every page.

Are you faced with helping an aging parent move or with closing a deceased parent's home?

As a service to our families, we would like to introduce you to Caring Transitions, a senior relocation and downsizing company with a local office right next door in Rockaway, NJ.

"Caring Transitions is North America's largest professional resource for household liquidation and relocation services. Caring Transitions offers a range of services including right-sizing, downsizing, document organization, estate sales, online auctions, total household liquidations and senior relocation and resettling. A majority of our clients are seniors and their families, but Caring Transitions also serves empty nesters and individuals facing a major transition in their lives, such as death, divorce or job relocation."

For more information please visit their web site at www.CaringTransitionsRockawayNJ.com or call them at (973) 525-7099. 179 Route 46 West, Suite 15 Rockaway, NJ 07866

September 22, 2016

VERY IMPORTANT--Do you know, legally, who has the right to control your funeral?

Do not let control of your funeral to chance. Outside the law, there is no guarantee your funeral will be controlled by the person of your choosing. Complete details about the precedence of wills, surviving spouses or domestic partners, and estranged or disagreeing family members, and the handling of details for active duty military members can be viewed here or, for the letter of the law... N.J.S.A. 45:27-22 Right to Control. This is a very important issue in which you can protect yourself and guarantee your wishes are followed!

July 28, 2016

See if you have unclaimed money or assets by searching MissingMoney.com.

Easily search MissingMoney.com to see if you have any unclaimed money or assets. MissingMoney.com claims that one in ten people do! Simply enter your name and state to search. If you have a less common last name, leave the "First Name" field blank to search for your entire family. (Though if your last name is common this may produce too many results.) Businesses can search as well.

From their website:
"MissingMoney.com is a database of governmental unclaimed property records." and "Searches and claiming are always FREE. Information goes securely and directly to the state/provincial unclaimed property office."

"Common types of unclaimed property include:
    Bank accounts and safe deposit box contents
    Stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and dividends
    Uncashed checks and wages
    Insurance policies, CD's, trust funds
    Utility deposits, escrow accounts"

July 19, 2016

We have a new "Wall of Honor", created to honor our Veterans!

Please visit our new "Veterans' Wall of Honor" created to honor our Veterans, in appreciation of their service and sacrifice! It can currently be found by using our UPCOMING SERVICES, OBITUARIES link above. While we can't add service information for all prior families, we have added information for our Veterans who have passed beginning with 2016. We hope to improve the listed order in the future to make searching easier.

June 2016

Beware of New Social Security Number Scam

Scammers are reportedly gathering information from funeral home websites or obituaries, finding names of recently deceased individuals and then contacting surviving family members by telephone posing as funeral home staff or funeral directors. The callers claim that the funeral home is in need of the surviving family member’s Social Security Number(s) in order to complete necessary paperwork. Thinking they are speaking with a funeral home representative, families may unknowingly be providing sensitive information to the scammers.

Criminals often try to use public information found on a company website, in an obituary or on a social media posting to launch these types of identity theft scams. They can be very convincing and often dupe families into providing personal information.

The Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) will electronically provide the deceased’s Social Security Number to the Social Security Administration. In addition, the collection of survivors’ information is limited and usually does not include Social Security Numbers.

If you are suspicious or do not recognize the telephone number or the person you are speaking with, please end the call and call us back on our main line at (973) 627-1880. This is not an inconvenience to us and we would rather your information remain safe.