“This has been a tough year for all of us working in health care and we are thankful for our clinical team to be recognized as one of quality,” said Jackie Prestel, administrator for Thrive of Lake County. “Our team doesn’t rest when it comes to finding ways to improve and enhance the guest/resident care experience.”

Based on criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, AHCA/NCAL’s National Quality Award Program challenges member providers to achieve performance excellence. The first step, the Bronze level, requires long term care centers to develop an organizational profile with essential performance elements such as vision, mission statement, and key strengths and challenges, and show their ability to implement a performance improvement system.

“The AHCA/NACL Bronze award is only the beginning for the team at Thrive of Lake County,” said Michelle Stuercke, chief clinical officer for Transitional Care Management, Thrive of Lake County’s management organization. “We will continue to hold ourselves to even higher quality care standards as we apply next year for the Silver achievement in quality award.”

The National Quality Award Program has additional award levels including the Silver achievement in quality award and the Gold excellence in quality award. Trained experts within the IHCAA/NACL spend more than 100 hours each year determining winners of the awards.

Located at 2850 Ogden Avenue, Thrive of Lisle, a skilled nursing care center specializing in post-acute personalized medical rehabilitation, has earned its first Five-Star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for quality care. The rating plays a helpful role in assisting patients and their families in identifying providers for post-acute care.

Centers with five stars are considered to have a level of quality that is much above average. The overall Five-Star rating is based on health inspections, staffing models and quality measure ratings. Thrive of Lisle’s Five-Star rating will also be displayed on CMS’s Care Compare website.

“This rating eases the process for families in choosing a provider for short-term rehab and now we can further show why Thrive is the best choice,” said Brad Haber, principal and owner of Innovative Health, Thrive’s operating company.

Operating since July of 2020, the center boasts unique features including 52,000 square feet of space, a state-of-the-art therapy gym, and 60 private suites featuring custom beds, personal safes and refrigerators. Thrive of Lisle’s expert teams of RNs, LPNs and CNAs accommodate a wide range of clinical complexity and in-house therapy teams consisting of PT, PTA, OT, OTA, and SLP certifications with ACP^® training.

“Opening a new building has its own challenges let alone in the midst of a global pandemic,” says Michelle Stuercke, Chief Clinical Officer for Thrive. “Our Five-Star rating is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of the Thrive of Lisle staff this past year.”

Thrive of Lisle has an average length of stay between two to three weeks with the goal of providing an efficient length of stay that helps guests return home. Within 48 hours of admission, guests also receive established discharged dates.

Thrive is one of 21 JCAHO-certified, dedicated memory care facilities in the U.S., out of the nearly 9,000 listed memory communities, and it is only one of a handful that specialize in long- and short-term care for both dementia and Alzheimer’s residents. Thrive’s memory care program is considered the gold-standard in memory care, having earned both accreditation and certification.

Getting to Know You

What makes Thrive unique is its resident-centered approach to helping residents maintain cognition for as long as possible.

Every resident undergoes a series of cognitive assessments upon admission, given by  Thrive therapists to determine where they are in the disease process and to evaluate balance and mobility for safety. “While all memory care residents have some degree of dementia, Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent form,” explains Memory Care Director Vicki Rogers, CDP.

“Therapist-led evaluations upon admission for all residents are unique to Thrive,” adds Rogers. “Because of reimbursement issues most places don’t have therapists perform evaluations. We see establishing a good functional baseline when residents move in as critical, otherwise we may miss early declines. We frequently receive comments from family members of residents who transfer in from other facilities, ‘We had more communication with you in the first week than we did with staff from the other facility during the entire stay.’ ”

In addition to cognitive and physical assessments, Thrive representatives conduct in-depth family interviews and collect family photos. They gather as much information about residents as possible to create a special LifeBio, which gives staff members information to help them relate to their residents’ pasts since many residents do not function in the present.

“The residents aren’t in a position to learn new skills, so we have to adjust our environment to match their abilities. A lot of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities that do not specialize in memory don’t understand this perspective. They expect residents to adapt to their environment.” — Debbie Kayler, OTR/L, Director of Therapy

An interdisciplinary team comprised of therapists, nurses, the unit director, and events coordinator, determine a personalized care plan based on assessment results as well as family interviews. Everything, including  the residents’ usual wake up times, and favorite foods are taken into consideration.

“The whole point of dementia care is to figure out where a resident is functioning,” says Director of Therapy Debbie Kayler, OTR/L.  “The residents aren’t in a position to learn new skills, so we have to adjust our environment to match their abilities.

“A lot of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities that do not specialize in memory don’t understand this perspective. They expect residents to adapt to their environment.”

“Our skill set is being able to identify what residents can still do and enable them to do it for as long as they can,” adds Rogers. “And, once we know where they are at cognitively, we can place them in group activities with others who are at the same level.”

Form Meets Function

Thrive Memory Care is designed physically and functionally to promote safety and minimize overstimulation and confusion, while maintaining a relaxed, peaceful ambiance. The biometrically secure facility is built in a square, so there are no dead ends for residents who tend to wander. The soothing interior features natural lighting, neutral colors and reduced background noise. Cognitive and visual cues on the doors and walls help residents find their way and identify their individual rooms. Residents’ deluxe shared suites feel more like residential bedrooms, with larger beds, flat-screen televisions and en-suite bathrooms.

One very special visual cue on residents’ doors is a memory box to help them identify where they live and give staff information to converse. “Our activities staff members work with residents and their families to help them design and fill their memory boxes,” says Kayler. “Each box is unique and contains items representing things from past travels, hobbies and events, to help residents identify their rooms.”

Giving Families Peace of Mind

Thrive’s commitment to patient care is on full display through its multi-faceted, patient-centered memory care program. The main components of Thrive’s program include:

• Continuity of care. Staff members are Thrive employees, not contractors, with an average tenure of eight years working together.
• A learning culture. All Memory staff, including cleaning and maintenance crews are required to take a minimum of 12-hours of dementia training annually. Training helps staff connect with residents based on their needs and abilities.
• Engagement. Residents receive recreational and occupational therapy, sensory stimulation and meaningful activities matched to their abilities, enabling them to enjoy purpose and success each day.
• Hugs not drugs. Emphasis on nonpharmacological interventions by determining root cause of behavioral changes is first and foremost. Many facilities use psychotropic medication to manage unwanted behavior. “We try to understand and address the cause of the behavior changes,” says  Kayler.
• Family time. Family-style dining with extra meals* available for visiting families, family tea times (On-hold due to COVID), and support groups are just a few of the many programs offered pre-COVID. The team looks forward to safely engaging with residents in these activities as COVID restrictions begin to ease.

“Everything we do is to help focus on possibilities, not on disabilities,” says Kayler. “Our goal is to improve quality of life for both patients and families.”

Thrive of Lake County is located at 850 US Highway 45, Mundelein, Illinois 60060.  You can reach out to the office of Thrive of Lake County via phone at (847) 377-7200.

*These activities and services are on hiatus due to the pandemic.

With on-site hemodialysis, Thrive of Fox Valley guests will have the option of receiving specialty oversight by an in-house nephrologist. The nephrologist will oversee the guest’s care, in conjunction with an internal medicine physician, throughout their stay and communicate any changes in condition with the guest’s nephrologist in the community.

“For those needing dialysis during a rehab stay, there are very few on-site options,” says Lynn Blackburn, administrator for Thrive of Fox Valley. “We can now provide a new choice for recovery where our guests can feel comfortable and avoid having to travel to outpatient dialysis center.”

Thrive of Fox Valley has expert teams of RNs, LPNs and CNAs to accommodate a wide range of clinical complexity. The short-term center uses Point of Care technology, which allows for bed-side comprehensive care using the most forefront technology.

“We are looking to increase our capabilities wherever we can and that’s why we felt offering hemo-dialysis for our guests makes complete sense,” said Brad Haber, principal and owner of Innovative Health, Thrive’s operating company. “We will only continue to add to our clinical expertise as we grow the at Thrive brand throughout the Chicagoland market.”

Thrive has an average length of stay between two to three weeks with the goal of providing an efficient length of stay that helps guests return home. Within 48 hours of admission, guests also receive established discharged dates.

Additional provider specialties at Thrive of Fox Valley include infectious disease, physiatry, wound care, cardiology, psychiatry and podiatry. Thrive’s in-house therapy teams include PT, PTA, OT, OTA, and SLP certifications with ACP® training to create accelerated outcomes.

For Immediate Release: 

October 29, 2020

Lake County Residents Receive New Options for Long Term, Short Term and Memory Care

Mundelein, IL –  Alongside the GLMV Chamber of Commerce, Thrive Personalized Medical Rehabilitation has opened a new medical center for those seeking memory, long term or short term care in Lake County. 

“Lake County residents deserve the best treatments available and this center promises that level of care,” said Jackie Prestel, Administrator of Thrive of Lake County. “As longtime residents of the area, we are excited to help out our fellow community members and keep our friends and family safe and healthy.” 

Thrive of Lake County brings together multiple specialties into one center. It boasts 59 long term care, 50 memory care and 60 private suites. For short-term care, Thrive has an average length of stay between 2-3 weeks with the goal of providing an efficient length of stay that helps guests return home. Within 48 hours of admission, guests receive established discharged dates.

At Thrive, hospitality meets medicine. Through the CuisneCare concept, guests are offered extended hours at each meal to accommodate preferences and meals presented by culinary servers instead of the clinical team. 

The center has expert teams of RN, LPN and CNA’s to accommodate a wide range of clinical complexity. Using Point of Care technology, comprehensive care happens at the bedside using the most forefront technology. 

Specialties at Thrive of Lake County include internal medicine, infectious disease, physiatry, wound care, psychiatry, psychology and podiatry. Therapy teams include PT, PTA, OT, OTA, and SLP certifications, plus kinesio-taping expertise, and ACP® trained therapists to create accelerated outcomes. 

Thrive Ahead uses advanced healthcare methods featuring “personalized care teams” combined with welcoming hospitality that separates them and makes its care the better, smarter choice. Alongside Thrive’s other locations in Fox Valley (Aurora) and Lisle, that are changing the industry, guests can expect significantly less time recuperating and more time being themselves. 

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Thrive Media Contact:

Heidi Reich-Agular

Heidi@thriveahead.com

(224) 406-7585

About Thrive

Thrive is a beautiful promise that marries personalized health care and hospitality. It’s a place where guests can feel positive, heal faster and get home sooner. Thrive has three locations in Illinois: Lisle, Mundelein, and soon-to-be Aurora across from Fox Valley Mall. For more information, visit www.ThriveAhead.com.