Senior Lifestyles
Healthcare on the North Shore is in Great Shape
The area surrounding Deerfield, Bannockburn, and Riverwoods is a beautiful one, with lovely homes and graceful old trees, giving an aura of gracious living. This lifestyle further extends to those needing healthcare, as evidenced by the variety and quality of healthcare facilities in the area. This desire for comfort and care is evident in the nursing facilities available for senior citizens, assuring them of a dignified, positive environment in which to handle health issues.
Whitehall of Deerfield
Perhaps at the top of the elegance chart is Whitehall of Deerfield, a facility dedicated to bringing “the good life” to healthcare. The philosophy of Whitehall is that individuals undergoing healthcare and nursing care don’t have to sacrifice anything with regard to their comfort. To that end, the 190-bed, Medicare-certified nursing care facility takes on the demeanor of a fine hotel, including such amenities as concierge service and tasteful, elegant surroundings.
According to Ashley Blankstein-Delaney, Director of Community Relations and Marketing, the goal of Whitehall is to provide outstanding customer service, allowing a patient to recuperate and return home as quickly—and as comfortably—as possible. She commends the new owners of the facility for their dedication to this goal, citing especially the new 60-bed Orthopedic Pavilian, which officially opened March 1, 2009.
Short-term care, including orthopedic rehabilitation, makes up the largest part of Whitehall’s patients, while long-term care residents make up the second tier. Then there is the separate 41-bed secure Alzheimer’s wing, known as the Park Lane Neighborhood, which has been completely redecorated.
In fact, the entire facility recently saw a major facelift, including the back patio, a welcoming spot in warm weather. An additional treat is the mini-breakfast of muffins and bagels available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Adding to the inviting environment, guests can also avail themselves of valet parking and enjoy the many activities offered throughout the day. To assure complete satisfaction of the fine dining offered, a dietician meets with each patient to be sure that any special food requirements, from dietary needs to religious restrictions, are met.
In the 37 years Whitehall has been a part of the North Shore community, it has carved out an important niche for itself. “We are definitely the premiere facility on the North Shore,” says Blankstein-Delaney. “We offer outstanding care and an amazing continuity of staff—some of our nurses have been with us 30 years. We work closely with North Shore University Health System, and the fact that our patients come from all over is an indication of our quality.”
Brentwood North Healthcare Center
When new management took over Brentwood North Healthcare Center this past fall, the patient care took a new direction with a renewed commitment to individualized goals and a desire to exceed patient expectations. According to Director of Clinical Services Lynn Bruch, “The new owners put the money into the bedside…and it shows.”
She should know. Bruch herself holds a Master’s degree in Nursing, and she proudly states that most of the administrative staff are also hands-on medical personnel. For example, Rebecca DeGuzman, who handles HR and Payroll, is a licensed nurse, while social worker Shelley Jones is currently working on her nursing degree. Any of the three can step in and help out during an emergency, or just to lend an extra pair of hands.
Along with trained personnel, Brentwood also boasts some of the longest operating hours for a similar facility. “We have nursing staff bedside 24/7,” says Bruch. On weekends, there is a nursing administrator or supervisor available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and a building administrator or manager on duty as well.
Most facilities like this offer a staff member for every 20 to 24 patients. Brentwood cuts that figure in half, assuring each patient gets the one-on-one care that so often makes a difference in a recovery. Therapists are on-site, and patients receive physical, occupational, or speech therapies as often as seven days a week. In addition, a full-time dietician oversees meals to assure attractive, nutritious offerings.
The facility is set on 16 landscaped acres and is a 240-bed accredited facility that is divided into four wings. The short-term rehabilitation unit consists of 25 private rooms. A larger unit—60 beds—houses longer-term patients who need two or more months of care. A second long-term unit allows couples to reside together, and a secure dementia unit includes room for six to eight daycare patients. Medical Director Dr. Bino Oommen and Dr. Jefferson Schott also provide additional medical care over and above a patient’s primary physician.
And the Brentwood North experience doesn’t end when the patient goes home. The facility offers outpatient therapy services, so that patients may continue treatment unbroken. This is just one of the ways Brentwood North has changed the way rehabilitation facilities work.
CJE SeniorLife
Formerly the Council for Jewish Elderly, CJE SeniorLife is senior healthcare organization driven by Jewish values. CJE improves the lives of 17,000 older adults and their families each year through an exhaustive list of quality programs and services. The organization operates several facilities in the Chicagoland area, including the Weinberg Community for Senior Living in Deerfield. The modern campus, distinguished by beautiful gardens and landscaping, waking paths and serene ponds, houses the Gidwitz Place for Assisted Living and The Friend Center for Alzheimer’s Care.
The Gidwitz Place for Assisted Living serves those in need of additional assistance when it comes to handling various daily tasks, such as housekeeping and basic personal care. The six-story facility features 125 individual one- and two-bedroom apartments, which all feature a private kitchen and bathroom. Residents have access to a number of on-site amenities, including 24-hour staffing, as well as a beauty shop, library, fitness and health club, billiards room, computer lab, creative arts studio and kiln room, home theater and more. Plus, residents are served a kosher breakfast and dinner, restaurant-style, daily, and have access to plenty of regularly scheduled educational, social and cultural programs and events.
The Friend Center adjoins Gidwitz Place and offers 35 private rooms for older adults enduring early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s and related memory impairments. Twenty-four-hour supervision is offered by a professionally trained staff and personal attention is provided to meet the different needs of residents. The facility houses a dining room where three kosher meals are served daily, a lounge, an activity kitchen and a large outdoor garden. The Friend Center also hosts an Adult Day Service – North program, which is available to community members who are not residents but wish to participate in the activities.
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