Caledonian House

2015 has been an incredible year for the Illinois Saint Andrew Society. Our supporters have recognized that there is something very special about this organization and they have given passionately and generously to encourage and enable us to accomplish our mission. We are truly grateful for the commitment of our Scottish community. Thank you.

One very special highlight of the year is that construction on our new building is well underway. For many years, we dreamed of enhancing our Scottish Home campus by building a new residence for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. On May 12^th 2015, our dream became a reality. We broke ground and began to build the Caledonian House. Designed as a home rather than an institution, the Caledonian House will offer state-of-the art memory care whilst remaining true to the Scottish Home’s heritage of being a place where friends become family.

We invite you to watch our new video and learn more about the Caledonian House and what makes its thoughtful design and person-centered memory care so important.

Many have already made contributions to help build the Caledonian House. We appreciate the support very much and hope that donors are inspired to offer their continued commitment. We would like to share one example that illustrates the power of philanthropy and the necessity of our bold, innovative response to Alzheimer’s disease.

Last year, Barry and MaryAnn MacLean, longtime members of the Society, chose to support the Caledonian House with a transformational gift of $1 million. Their extraordinary philanthropy enabled us to begin construction. And incredibly, after seeing our recent progress on the building, they have increased their pledge from $1 million to $1.5 million. We are deeply grateful to the MacLeans for their investment and humbly gratified by the confidence it represents.

On behalf of the MacLean family, our Board and all the families – past, present and future – whose lives are enriched by the Scottish Home and soon the Caledonian House, we invite you to join us in our battle against Alzheimer’s disease.

You can join us in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease by making a tax-deductible donation to the Caledonian House or on their website.

If you are looking for care and are interested in learning more about the Scottish Home and the Caledonian House, please contact Becky Drennan at 708-426-7175 or email her.

Celebrate Thanksgiving With The Scottish Home

Turkey, traveling, friends and family…What comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving?  For many of us, the holidays are a great time to share the joy of life with friends and family.  However, the holidays can be a stressful, confusing, and depressing time for senior citizens.

Reducing loneliness in older individuals around the holiday season is essential for their happiness and well being.  Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to create a fun and interactive community for residents of nursing homes.  Take a look at some important points to remember this holiday season with your elders:

Activities and Crafts – Thanksgiving for nursing homes can be a great opportunity to bring traditional decorations and fun new activities.  Having senior citizens create holiday-inspired crafts and using those to decorate their home can make a space feel festive and lively!  Try crafting a fall wreath, leaf artwork, or turkey centerpiece with your residents.

Maintain a Regular Schedule – Thanksgiving can be a highly stressful time with the hustle and bustle of holiday festivities.  To help the older individuals in your life feel a sense of stability, be sure to maintain a regular schedule of sleep and medication.  In addition, monitor the amount of alcohol consumed because it can interfere with medication.

Encourage Family Visits – The easiest way to make the holiday season special for the elderly is by spending time with them.  Talk about old times, inquire about their life and thank them for all they have done.  Taking an hour out of your day means the world to the older individuals in your life. 

At The Scottish Home, we are proud to support and bring joy to our residents during the holiday season.  This Thanksgiving, know that your loved one is in good hands with our dedicated and trained staff.  To learn more about Thanksgiving at The Scottish Home, contact our team or call 708-447-5092.

Craft & Vendor Fair at The Scottish Home

On October 17^th from 9 am to 2 pm, The Scottish Home will be holding a craft and vendor fair for residents and their families!  Everyone is welcome to this fun-filled event and guests are encouraged to purchase a table beforehand.  At The Scottish Home, we had a fun summer with our residents partaking in a number of activities.  We are looking forward to a fun-filled fall with plenty of autumn-inspired events.

The importance of special events throughout the year is important to the happiness of residents in nursing homes.  Helping residents cope with aging into long-term facility care can be challenging for everyone involved including residents, families and even nursing home employees.  A poor adjustment can lead to health problems and a diminishing quality of life.  One way that The Scottish Home helps adjust residents is with social interactions through activities and events.

Activities play an important role in helping residents of all physical abilities live as fully as possible.  They should be designed to fit resident preferences and needs as well as engage the body and mind.  Studies show that a mixture of physical activity, intellectual challenge, socialization and spirituality can help add to a fulfilling life.  At The Scottish Home, we are proud to offer assisted living and nursing care to residents of need.  With all of our residents, we encourage physical activities and social events.

Autumn-inspired crafts are a wonderful way to get seniors involved.  The Craft & Vendor Fair on October 17^th will feature handmade items and crafting tools to connect residents and their families.  This is the perfect opportunity to create something special to decorate your living space this Halloween!

To learn more about the Craft & Vendor Fair, contact The Scottish Home as 708-447-5092 or visit our website.  

Medical Resident Program at The Scottish Home

At The Scottish Home, we strive to foster a sense of belonging within a safe and nurturing environment by providing quality care while respecting our residents.  Serving our community, our primary concern is the health of our residents.  The Scottish Home is partnered with Hinsdale Hospital’s Medical Resident Program.  Because of this partnership, our residents have access to physicians who visit the Scottish Home weekly. 

Imagine first-rate medical care for you or your loved one without ever having to leave your door.  With excellent nursing facilities and superior medical services, Hinsdale Hospital’s Medical Resident Program ensures a professional standard to meeting resident’s medical needs.  On visits, skilled Hinsdale Hospital physicians provide checkups and physical exams including blood pressure monitoring, blood draws, and vitals assessment.  In addition, we can also answer questions and address concerns that you or your family may have.  

If you are unsure about moving to a senior home with assisted living and nursing care, consider the benefits of living in an environment with medical and home care.  The Scottish Home helps make the transition of moving into a senior living facility easier with incredible accommodations and health care.  Our residents benefit from the finest elderly care with our partnership with Hinsdale Hospital’s Medical Resident Program. 

For more than 100 years, The Scottish Home has been providing care to seniors in North Riverside.  We are proud to offer loving care, friendship, peace of mind and a variety of enriching activities.  With assisted living and nursing care, The Scottish Home blends personalized assistance, compassionate care and encouragement so that residents can live as independent as possible.  To learn more about our 24 hour nursing staff and the medical professionals from Hinsdale Hospital’s Medical Resident Program, contact The Scottish Home at 708-447-5092 or on our website.

Aid and Assistance for Veterans

For America’s heroes, life after war is never easy.  Not only do they have to adjust to life back home but they also must worry about financial income.  Many wartime veterans and their spouses are not aware that they may be eligible for financial benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs that may improve their monthly income.

Serving veterans and their families since 2002, the AAWV is a privately held community outreach service educating wartime veterans, surviving spouses and their families on the Aid and Attendance pension under the Improvised Pension Program payable by the Department of Veteran Affairs.  AAVW works in harmony with assisted living and private pay nursing home communities to educate veterans and families on the benefits, qualifications and what is necessary to apply.

If you are a wartime veteran interested in Aid and Attendance Benefits, there are 3 key eligibility requirements that must be met:

• The veteran must have served in active military for 90 or more consecutive days, with at least one day during a period of wartime as defined by the Veterans Administration.
• The veteran must have been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions.
• The veteran must be over the age of 65 or disabled.

With this in mind, the Veteran Affairs defines Aid and Assistance eligibility following four criteria including who is eligible, income, assets and medical requirements.  All of these criteria areas must work together before the Aid and Attendance pension is approved.  This tax-free benefit is paid out monthly to the veteran and/or spouse who are approved.

At Scottish Home, we work with AAWV to educate and assist the veterans in our home.  Providing both assisted living and nursing care, we aim to enrich the lives of our residents in every way possible.  To learn more about what the Scottish Home has to offer, visit our website.  For more information on veteran Aid and Assistance, contact AAWV.

Staying Active – The Life Enrichment Program

As the loved one in your life grows older, it is vital that they stay active in a number of ways.  Promoting physical, mental and social activity is an important way to encourage healthy growth in senior citizens.  Simple activities can help maintain both physical and emotional health and cognitive function in seniors.  To learn more about the importance of staying active for the elderly, read on!

Physical Activities:  Any activity that encourages physical movement will help maintain health, balance and coordination.  Movement as simple as walking in the neighborhood, biking along a path or dancing is a great way to encourage positive physical condition.  By consulting a physician, it is possible to find the perfect physical activity for you or your loved one.

Mental Activities:  Keeping the mind sharp is important for people of all ages.  It is a key component in preventing the onset of forgetfulness and even Alzheimer’s.  One of the best ways to challenge the mind is by reading and writing.  Stimulating the mind through words will help keep thoughts moving.  While you or your loved one’s memory may not be as clear as it once was, you can still find effective ways to improve mental focus. 

Social Activities:  Research has shown that continued social interaction and interpersonal relationships offer the elderly a number of different benefits.  Promote a hobby that encourages social interaction.  Arts and crafts can easily be done in a group setting and will encourage interaction.  When your loved one stays social, they are less likely to feel isolated, sad or depressed.

Life Enrichment Program:  At The Scottish Home, we are proud to offer a variety of life-enriching activities to meet the interests and abilities of our residents.  We know how important it is for our residents to stay physically, mentally and socially active.  Our activity program includes exercise classes, entertainment, games, crafts, music therapy, pet therapy, and spiritual services – just to name a few!  Activities are offered 7 days a week and our calendar is always full of exciting events and activities.

To learn more about what The Scottish Home has to offer you and your loved one, give us a call at 708-447-5092 or visit our website.

Where Friends Become Family

The Scottish Home has been in North Riverside for over one hundred years.  It was started by a group of Scots who wanted to provide service to their fellow country people who came across to the Chicago-area.  The Scottish Home has been able to succeed after many years by the fact that they are a very small, individual-oriented home.  Licensed for only 85 residents, the Scottish Home is one big family that places importance on individual’s wants, needs and preferences.  This is a place where friends truly do become family.

Many people that grow into old age garner a sense of loneliness and depression.  At The Scottish Home, we strive to foster a sense of belonging within a safe and nurturing environment.  We provide quality care while respecting individual routines, interests and abilities.  In addition, we focus on wellness and assisting residents to remain as independent as possible.

As one’s needs become more advanced, so does the level of care and attention we provide.  Residents receive the specialized care they need in a supportive and dignified setting.  The Scottish Home is not just another nursing home.  We provide an atmosphere of nurture, sincere care and real empathy about what’s going on in the lives of our residents. 

For anyone considering bringing a family member or loved one to The Scottish Home, you could not make a better decision!  Your loved one will gain a new family from our maintenance staff all the way up to our home director.  The intimate size allows our staff to develop close bonds with the residents as well as their families.  Most importantly, you will love how much our staff cares.

The Scottish Home is a place with history, culture and an atmosphere that is unmatched.  Although we have roots in Scottish Culture, we are proud to provide a home for seniors of all ethnicities.  To learn more about The Scottish Home, visit us online.

At The Scottish Home, we celebrate life each day!

Healthy Habits for a Healthier You!

From sadness and loneliness to confusion and anger, Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects over 5 million people in the United States.  Alzheimer’s is a type of dementiathat attacks the brain, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior.  Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. 

Despite what some may think, Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging.  It is more common among older people, but individuals of all ages have shown symptoms.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s but there is treatment that can temporarily slow the progress of symptoms.  Thankfully, organizations and scientists around the world are making progress by consistently finding better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.

In an effort to help educate the residents and staff at The Scottish Home, we are proud to welcome the Alzheimer’s Association as they present Healthy Habits for a Healthier You.  Join us to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement.  We will also be using hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging.  At the end of this program, stick around for a Q&A where you can ask the questions important to you and your family.  For centuries, we have known that the health of the brain and the body are connected.  But now, science is able to provide insights on how to optimize our physical and cognitive health as we age! 

Know that if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you are not alone and there are ways to combat symptoms.  Join the Scottish Home on Wednesday, June 3rd from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, to learn about how the habits you make today can affect your body and mind tomorrow!  To register, call 815-744-0804 or visit www.alz.org/Illinois. 

The Scottish Home is located at 2800 Des Plaines Avenue in North Riverside, Illinois.Please visit us online at www.TheScottishHome.org to learn more about what we have to offer residents from assisted living to nursing care.

April is National Volunteer Month!

Many people are not aware that April is National Volunteer Month in America.  And sadly, because volunteering is unpaid, many people miss out on the amazing benefits that come from it.  By helping organizations achieve their goals and execute their purpose, you are positively affecting your surroundings!  Perhaps one of the most rewarding ways you can volunteer is at a nursing home, retirement home, or assisted living home.  There are a number of ways you can volunteer at one of these places and the rewards are virtually endless!

If you think volunteering at an assisted living home may be right for you, take a look at the following benefits and experiences you will gain:

Building Relationships – When you volunteer at an assisted living home, you will make new friends and that’s a fact!  They may be older than you, but you’ll be entranced by the stories they have to tell.  In life, building relationships is crucial.  Who knows, the friend you make at an assisted living home today may help you get a job down the road.

Cultivating Your Future – It may sound crazy to give your time and energy for something you aren’t paid for, but the volunteer work you do today will help benefit your future.  From your resume, to your outlook on life, volunteering will help you in the long run.  You will likely learn new skill sets in addition to learning life lessons from the residents!

Improving Yourself – When you volunteer, you feel a sense of accomplishment.  Not only can volunteering at an assisted living home make you feel better about yourself mentally and emotionally, but it is also a great way to gain new experiences and insight!  This can help make you more confident in your life.

Enhancing the Community – You may not realize it, but volunteering is an enormous help to the community.  Helping elderly people in assisted living homes is a great way to brighten their outlook on life!  By helping make nursing homes more fun for the residents, you are providing an invaluable service to your community.

For over 100 years, The Scottish Home has been providing quality care to seniors in the Illinois community.  There are many ways to volunteer at The Scottish Home, all that enhance the lives of the residents!  Although, residents of The Scottish Home do get a lot of visitors there's always room to have more and we would love the opportunity to interact with you.  If you’re looking to enhance your outlook on life and help elderly residents in the community, visit our website for more information on volunteering!