Finding a Nursing Home in Chicago

August 7, 2023 10:56 AM

My dad needs to move into long-term care after a partial hip replacement. I am looking for good options in the Chicago area, or for resources that will help me find a good place.

I used the medicare search website to find a number of options, but have been stymied by a few obstacles:

1. Even some of those that claim to accept medicaid, sort of don't. My dad will self-pay initially for a few years but then he'll need medicaid. Some places I've contacted have only a few medicaid beds. We need medicaid payment to be an option.

2. Some of the places that I've visited that do accept medicaid have not been very nice. I'd love metafilter recommendations of places that feel homey but have a well-cared for facility, a functional and friendly staff, and a sense that residents aren't just in their rooms all the time.

3. The number of potential facilities is overwhelming and lots of places are pretty bad about getting back to me. This process is burning me out and I'd love some help.

My dad can walk, but currently needs supervision in doing so. He has Parkinson's which will continue to progress. He has a mild cognitive impairment but is still lucid and social. He's 78 so this place will hopefully be his home for some years.

Please point me to good places to live for long-term care, or good resources for navigating the search process.

posted by mai to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

I can't answer the Medicaid question, but we've had some relatives in Casa Scalabrini in Northlake and felt it was a good place. I've visited family there, and it was clean and seemed nice. But they don't seem to have anything about payment on the website.
posted by FencingGal at 11:20 AM on August 7, 2023

I can't give you a specific recommendation, but "eldercare advisors" are a thing, and hiring one absolutely paid off a million times over when my mother-in-law was nearing the end of her life. You want one who charges a fee -- meaning, they're not just gonna place him wherever they get the best referral fee. Our advisor knew *everything* about our specific location -- the nursing homes, the Medicare situation, how to maximize my m-i-l's benefits, in-home assistance...just everything. We did pay an advising fee but we saved tens of thousands of dollars more than that over the last few years of my m-i-l's life.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:34 AM on August 7, 2023 [7 favorites]

Brookdale in the Buffalo Grove or Deerfield area (not sure which) did a good job for my family.
posted by JimN2TAW at 11:56 AM on August 7, 2023

I sent you a pm.

You will need a DON screening ( determination of need) also called a PASSR request. They can be done in the community but generally take a bunch longer than a hospital request. The are good for 90 days at a time. The nursing facility can request it too but getting it sooner than later is ideal so you are good to go. In general many people get them during hospital admissions.

In general higher rated facilities are in the suburbs, so you'll want to think about how are you are willing to travel to visit depending on your location.

You can also directly ask admissions what they do incase of a conversion to medicaid, some places will convert and others won't. Don't asssume we don't take medicaid means that they don't take patients who will convert later you will need to ask directly. So you will need be clear with admissions, my father has enough funds to pay your rate for x number of time and then will need medicaid how would that work at your facility?

Honestly it is a bit of a mess and touring and preparing in advance is the best. Facilities will allow you to tour, but figuring out the financials is best.

You might want to concider how much home services you can afford instead of custodial placement if you are planning to pay down anyway. But that is entirely up to you and what is possible based on your family situation and living situation.

Good luck!
posted by AlexiaSky at 12:44 PM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

I second BlahLaLa. Its overwhelming trying to find a place for a loved one.

I used an elderly placement service just a few weeks ago. I had a phone consultation to discuss need, the advisor found 4 places in our geographic area that had openings, we visited all 4. After an independent medical eval the place I picked accepted my mom. We will be paying full cost for 18 months before Medicaid kicks in.
posted by Arctostaphylos at 5:32 PM on August 7, 2023

Seconding paying an eldercare advisor. And be aware of the 5-year "Medicaid look-back" hazards.
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:37 PM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I have been asking places directly about Medicaid. My aunt is a social worker so she also advised us about “look back” periods. If anyone has an elder-care advisor to recommend that is something I will look into.
posted by mai at 6:25 PM on August 7, 2023

I recommend using the services from A Place for Mom.
posted by SyraCarol at 1:10 PM on August 8, 2023

I used and highly recommend Care Patrol, which has many local instances around the country. Here's the one that popped up in a Chicago google search. You call them up, or fill out a web form, and you let them know Medicaid and a bunch of other criteria like preferred zip code, preferred amenities, etc. They tell you about places that match your criteria. Typically the people working there have either worked in/for some of these places, are social workers, and/or are otherwise veterans of the eldercare industry. It's free for you to use. If you choose a place that pays them a commission, that's how they get paid. Here's why I recommend them over A Place for Mom: 1) I found Care Patrol to be way less sales-y than A Place for Mom, 2) Care Patrol will tell you about places that aren't paying them a commission, while at least where I live, A Place for Mom would not.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 5:35 AM on August 9, 2023