Submitted by Heritage Health
Heritage Health: Therapy & Senior Care has been part of the fabric of the Bloomington-Normal community for 55 years and counting. Today, the biggest growth in population is with people aged 65 and older. People are living longer, healthier lives thanks to advancements in medical care and technology. Heritage has evolved and changed with these trends and continues to be a leader in senior therapy services, skilled nursing care, and multiple levels of residential living options throughout the state of Illinois.
Two Locations to Serve Our Community
Heritage Health in Bloomington
This facility, located on Walnut Street, is the original flagship location of the Heritage family. The facility has been renovated and expanded over the years and continues to provide cutting-edge care, service, and technologies. In addition to long and short-term nursing services, the RESTORE Therapy program provides individualized care plans to return patients to their highest level of independence. RESTORE is exclusively available at Heritage Health locations. At Heritage Health in Bloomington, patients are rehabilitated in a 2,500-square-foot therapy department with state-of-the-art equipment specially selected to promote successful rehab outcomes. The equipment is specifically designed for the senior population to improve therapy outcomes.
Heritage Health Campus in Normal
Heritage Health in Normal is located on Gregory Street, next to the Illinois State University’s Weibring Golf Club. Like its Bloomington sister facility, it also provides skilled nursing care and senior therapy services through RESTORE. What sets Heritage in Normal apart is that it is located on a campus that offers a continuum of healthcare and residential services. In other words, Heritage offers health care services for the different stages needed by its residents. Independent living (Adelaide Apartments), assisted living (Evergreen Place) and specialized Alzheimer’s care services (Legacy Care) are conveniently available on this campus.
Therapy & Senior Care
RESTORE Therapy & Private Suites
Professional therapists provide physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapy through the RESTORE Therapy program. Each patient is different, so individualized therapy care plans are developed depending on that person’s goals and needs.
Licensed therapists are trained to help with improving a patient’s balance, gait, and mobility functions through physical and occupational therapies. Speech therapists treat swallowing disorders (dysphagia) and improve speech and mobility functions in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Occupational therapy provides a Living Skills Retraining Studio that allows patients to practice skills in a real-world environment so they re-learn or improve skills needed to live on their own. Everyday tasks like emptying the dishwasher, getting in and out of bed, or doing the laundry are skills that may have to be restored following an injury or serious illness.
Our respiratory therapists are available to treat both acute and chronic respiratory disorders including asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, and COPD. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive approach for the care of our patients. Respiratory therapy helps maintain healthier patients with fewer uninterrupted therapy stays, and also shows a reduction in hospital readmissions: a key factor in today’s healthcare environment.
For patients receiving short-term therapy services, private Medicare suites provide a level of hospitality more often associated with a hotel. In-room dining, a private dining room, flat-screen televisions, and access to all activities are services and featured amenities.
Skilled Nursing & Post-Acute Care
Heritage Health defies the traditional notion of a nursing home. The term skilled nursing facility (SNF) is more accurate, and even more appropriate is a post-acute care facility. SNFs offer patients the next level of care when they still need skilled medical attention after a hospital stay.
A physician, called an SNFist, directs the care of the patient admitted to Heritage Health (the post-acute care facility) and sees them on a weekly basis for the duration of the patient’s stay. An advanced practice nurse (APN) and/or a physician assistant (PA), depending on the hospital network, see patients as needed Monday through Friday. In addition, the SNFist, in conjunction with the APN and PA, are on call 24/7. This hands-on approach to care is a key difference in the delivery of care to these patients.
Patients and patient families can be very confident that complicated medical cases can be easily managed at an SNF, and caregivers are available if something happens, just like at the hospital. Heritage provides an interdisciplinary method of care, meaning various departments collaborate and create a care plan for each individual patient. Nursing, therapy, dietary, pharmacy, social services, and activity departments all work together to provide the most comprehensive care possible.
Why Heritage Is a Leader in Senior Care
An Expert Team
Heritage Health is supported by the Heritage Operations Group (HOG) located in downtown Bloomington. Founded in 1963, HOG is still family-owned and boasts a broad network of expertise that spans nursing care, therapy, nutrition, pharmacy, and social services. This interdisciplinary team of experts provides thorough processes, procedures and care plans that focus on comprehensive wellness for each resident.
ACO Affiliations
Heritage Health in both Bloomington and Normal hold the distinction as being the only two skilled nursing facilities in our community that are preferred providers with both of our local hospitals: Advocate BroMenn Medical Center and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center.
As preferred providers for the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), this means our hospital systems trust Heritage to provide excellent care and a seamless transition for their patients who may need additional care after their acute hospital stay.
Heritage continues to work within the ACO system and with ACO physicians to provide clear, proactive communication from the beginning of a patient’s process and are on the same page regarding transfers and transitions. Good communication, especially through electronic medical records (EMR), enables all providers involved in a patient’s care to be up-to-date on the patient’s current condition and care needs.
Data has shown that SNFs like Heritage Health are able to decrease readmission rates to the hospital and follow-up visits to the Emergency Department, decrease hospital lengths of stay, keep better track of patient progress, and provide better overall results. Care at an SNF also allows for cost savings. Patients can be re-admitted directly back to an SNF from home if necessary, thus avoiding an often expensive and unnecessary hospital stay.
Why is this ACO network of care important? Essentially because specific standards are now in place that focus on patient outcomes. As both Heritage Health in Bloomington and Normal are the only ACO preferred providers for both hospitals in our community, Heritage serves as an example of excellence in our community. We are part of a highly skilled network of medical care providers who focus on the patient’s well being from one level of care to the next. This is what the mission of Heritage has been about since its start in 1963.
Excellent Case Management Service
At the corporate level, HOG provides the Heritage Health buildings with the most accurate and up-to date information on insurance, and manage Medicaid and Medicare through the Case Management Department. This team of professionals is always available to assist working with insurance companies. Case management services is able to provide insurance authorizations and reauthorizations as quickly as possible which helps move patients to the next level of care with ease.
Heritage Resources — Learn More
If you have questions about any of the services provided by Heritage Health or its affiliated services in Bloomington or Normal, please call Alison Skelton, Community Relations Coordinator, at (309) 825-1409. She would be happy to provide information that will enable you to make the best decision for you and your family before you have an urgent need.
You can also visit our website at www.HeritageOfCare.com for further information.