ADMISSION GUIDELINES
The following guidelines are offered to help make admission to Sunny Hill Nursing Home of Will County as easy as possible for both you and your loved one:
- Phone contact should be made with the Admissions Office (815-727-8715) for information. It is strongly recommended to set up an appointment time to meet with our Admissions Director for information and a tour of the facility.
There is a vast amount of information to be obtained at this time, so if possible, you should allow at least one hour for meeting with the Admissions Director and to tour Sunny Hill.
2. At the time of the appointment and tour, our Admissions Director will be happy to answer your questions and provide the following information:
Availability of rooms
Costs involved (including daily room and board, etc.)
Financial assistance information
Medicare guidelines
Ancillary services Sunny Hill provides
Resident clothing guidelines
Review of what to expect for your loved one when admitted to Sunny Hill.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
During the facility tour we will highlight:
Typical resident bedroom
Interaction between residents and staff
The daily routine of the respective units and facility departments
The therapy departments
The activities offered
Dietary menu
Beauty shop, common areas, etc.
When you have made your decision to place your loved one at Sunny Hill Nursing Home, you will need to:
1. Contact the Will County Senior Services Agency at (815) 740-4225 and request a “Nursing Home Pre Screen”. This is an assessment required by long-term health regulations to be conducted for every person prior to placement at any long-term care facility. The assessment is completed by a Senior Services case manager at your loved ones’ home or at the hospital. The assessment addresses their current functioning level, health information and financial status. This assessment is usually done within a 2-10 day period after Senior Services has been contacted. It is strongly recommended that a family member be present for this assessment. Once the pre-screen is completed, it is good for 90 days.
2. Schedule an appointment with the family members’ primary physician for a physical exam. Our Admissions Office will provide the necessary forms that the physician needs to complete prior to admission to Sunny Hill. This paperwork must be filled out by the physician and returned to the Admissions Office after your doctors’ appointment. It can be hand-delivered or faxed from the physician’s office.
3. The physician will also need to provide a chest x-ray not older than 90 days from the time of the expected admit and routine lab work. If either of the above is not currently available, the doctor may include those tests during your office visit or he can order them to be done upon admission to Sunny Hill.
4. Your family member will need to be admitted to Sunny Hill within 5 days of seeing the physician.
5. If your loved one’s primary physician does not or chooses not to visit Sunny Hill, you will need to choose another physician from our list of physician’s who do visit Sunny Hill. Every resident must be visited by their physician at least once every 30 days for the first 3 months; thereafter, physician-resident visits must be done once every ninety days.
6. Prior to the actual admission day, you will need to provide to the Admissions Office the following so that the information can be copied and placed in the residents file:
Medicare card
Social Security card
Insurance information
Prescription card (if available)
Other information that will be needed prior to the persons’ actual arrival includes:
Completed Application for Admission
Names and addresses of family members (including all emergency phone numbers)
Information about religious preferences/ name of church if applicable
Previous occupation
Birth place
Hospital preference
Veterans status
Funeral home preference
7. Advanced Directives are strongly encouraged prior to admission. Advanced directives refer to
a. any Power of Attorney for Health Care forms that designates the person who is to make decisions in the event the resident is unable to make those health-care decisions
b. Advanced directives regarding a “ Do Not Resuscitate” or an order to prolong life is also strongly encouraged prior to admission.
If these plans have not been implemented prior to admission, our Admissions department or the Social Services staff can assist you with the information and preparation of those forms. Sunny Hill does not assist with any forms that would include financial designation for the resident. We suggest seeing your attorney for those matters.
On Admission Day…..
1. An arrival time will be set up for the family members and our new resident.
2. The Admissions Director will be directly involved in introducing you to the immediate nursing staff who will be providing care for your loved one.
3. Plan to stay a few minutes with the resident and be available to relay important information to the nurse about health needs, habits, daily routine, and personality traits.
4. Once your loved one is settled in, you will need to meet with the Admissions Director to complete the admissions paperwork. This process will take approximately 15-30 minutes. You will be given more information regarding our daily routine, monthly activities, and contact numbers for nursing staff who will be responsible for caring for your family member.
Please remember that admitting your loved one to a nursing facility can be a very stressful and frustrating experience for both your loved one and family members. We understand what a difficult decision you are making and we are here to help allay your fears, address your concerns and questions and provide the help and support that your loved one and your family need.