South Elgin Rehab & Hcc

South Elgin Health Center was probably the cheapest one we've seen, but it was very small and quite old, but they seem to be taking care of the facility. We had kind of a positive feeling about it in spite of the fact that it was pretty old. The one thing is we did ask Alexian Brothers to check with them, and they never answered. I don't know what their problem was. You'd think that if they couldn't take him or maybe his health issues were more severe than they could deal with, they would just say so, but they never answered, and they had put in two requests. I even emailed them twice, and I never got an answer from them either. The rooms were quite small, but they seemed clean and neat. The residents that we saw -- including the ones that were pretty far along in the dementia area -- seemed to be pretty comfortable. But I think they didn't offer as much; maybe that is why they are cheaper. They expected these families to bring in more things like if you want a TV, the family should bring in the TV or that kind of thing. They had several dining areas that looked comfortable and homelike. My daughter and I had kind of a comfortable feeling about it even though it was small and old because it kind of had this comfy feeling, but it didn't work out. They didn't have a secured dementia area. They had an area that was for the dementia patients, but it was not locked away. They couldn't actually get out of the building because they had controls on that, but they didn't have a secured dementia unit.

This is a smaller suburban facility that provides primarily long term care to adults and seniors with chronic mental illness, with some residents also suffering from primary medical problems. The population is weighted towards older residents though with a good number of residents under age sixty. The building is situated on a through street in a mostly residential area of the town. There is somewhat limited outdoor space for the use of residents and families, but the location provides a safe place to walk and the sidewalks are well maintained. The interior of the building is not fancy; it is older and shows signs of wear and tear, and finishes and fixtures are not updated. It is typically clean, and there is a good deal of common area space, primarily in the front parts of the facility, for residents and visitors to sit, relax, and/or engage in activities. The rooms are of average to smaller than average size, with very little space to bring in personal items and with no real storage. Some rooms appear notably dark. The food is average, with some residents enjoying it and others with multiple complaints; it usually looks good, but tastes may vary. Staffing has the predictable rate of turnover, with some staff who have longer tenure and others that turn over frequently. The care provided is compassionate and caring, with many longer term staff clearly devoted to the mission of caring for this population.