Letter from Wilma B. to the Attorney General - 8/2011
Dear Attorney General:
I would like to personally thank you for taking the initiative to make sure nursing home patients and their environment are well cared for. Having said that, I would like to share with you the story of my only sibling, Janice, who is 44 years old (ten years younger than myself) and my very best friend in the world.
Janice suffered a cerebral aneurysm in December 2009. The aneurysm almost cost her her life. The injury resulted in the need for a craniotomy due to swelling, the use of a trach collar, g-tube and Foley catheter. The Foley catheter unfortunately can cause multiple infections, which I have learned is not uncommon, thus resulting in a revolving door of emergency room visits.
When this incident occurred, I had absolutely no insight into nursing home facilities other than the bad reports most everyone hears. I became frantic at this point and had to make a decision. I was told of a rating system on the website Medicare.gov, where one could search, compare and rate nursing homes and hospitals in Illinois. This is where I discovered Lakeshore Nursing and Rehab. I decided I would rather have my sister farther away receiving proper care, than being closer to my residence and having a cycle of continuous illnesses.
Lake Shore, under the direction of Administrator Nathan Davis, and Nursing Director Carol Javens, helped save my sister?s life. The nursing staff is simply exceptional and the environment is very clean. Needless to say, my previous experiences caused me to suffer paranoia and become overprotective. Yet the nursing staff was always consistently professional, courteous and responsive.
I would like to commend Lake Shore because I have found it to be exemplary. It gives me great pleasure to present Lake Shore as a facility that I believe has to rank among the finest in the Chicago land area. They have helped tremendously in my sister?s recovery and have brought much comfort to me and my family. Janice no longer needs the supportive apparatus and is eating on her own. She needs ongoing therapy, but we talk to her on the phone throughout the day and she is on the road to recovery.
You probably receive many negative reports - I just wanted to share with you one that is positive. Thanks for all you do for the Citizens of Illinois.
Very truly yours,
Wilma B.
more