Our Family’s Experience with Nursing Homes in Northwest Indiana

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For many people what comes to mind when you say “Nursing Home, Skilled Care Facility, or Assisted Living Center”. The images and thoughts are very depressing and disturbing. The fight or flight senses kick into high gear. We all have heard horror stories about nursing home incidents. Some of those being, lack of care, no one cares, they just stack them in a room and close the door are some of the most frequent.
Welcoming common area at Life Care Center at the Willows skilled Nursing Facility and physical therapy in Valparaiso
At some point many families find themselves having to make a decision on what to do with Mom, Dad or Grandpa. As they do not have the ability to take care of themselves and you don’t have the strength, the time or the patience to do it yourself. My wife has unfortunately had a good number of medical problems develop and has gotten to the point several times where she did have to go to a facility for therapy to recover enough to return home and hopefully resume her normal life. Luckily she has had success and returned home but in some cases not to her full strength and she has to continue to work on it.
Casa of Hobart: A Difficult Stay
She recently had a hip revision surgery to repair her hip and the surgery went ok with a few complications. She did have to go to a facility here in Northwest Indiana for physical therapy. The facility she went to first was Casa of Hobart. The first night there she asked a staff member if she could have something like a sprite. She was told she had to give the person a dollar before she would get it. Then her roommate controlled the heat in the room and the temp reading was 95 degrees constantly. It was literally a sauna with smells. We also found that they probably hadn’t read her discharge notes from the hospital when it came to her care and within days she was back in a new hospital with hemoglobin at like 4.5. That’s very close to death. I could go on but nut nothing more needs to be said about that facility. Not sure you could even call it a “facility.”
Life Care Center at the Willows: Hitting the Jackpot
After recovering and getting in a good state at St Mary’s in Hobart a Powers Health Facility a fantastic place she was sent to The Life Care Center at the Willows in Valparaiso for continued care and physical therapy.
  • OMG we hit the jackpot. The staff was caring and they did know what they were doing.
  • Yes the room was small but it was comfortable. The nurse’s aides who you rely on for a lot of your care were young but didn’t match the attitude of today’s younger generation. They had a great work ethic and went above and beyond.
  • For a Skilled Care Facility they were “Skilled” and they did “Care.”
  • The physical therapists were well advanced in their skills and accomplished with my wife during her therapies.
Again here I could go on and on but in a much better direction. Would I recommend this facility God Hell Yes!
This is a great site online at Medicare to get more details about facilities: Medicare Care Tool 

Delane Was A Shining Star

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Delane was a shining star

A Shining Star

  Delane was a daughter of the country of Belize. (Where the Blue Hole is located) She and her daughter immigrated here a few years ago. Delane began working at our front desk. Two of her uncles had worked for us in the past and were great and she followed in their footsteps.

She seemed to be a version of my granddaughters. Her cell phone would never leave her hand it was probably super glued to her hand. Every day she would arrive about 15 minutes early for work and she would come to my office where she would set up for her photo shoot! She apparently, had followers that were wanting to see her lips pursed in a barage of photos.

Every day she would have a different book to read. Mostly they were motivational books like The Four Hour Work Week or Norman Vincent Peal’s Think & Grow Rich. Then she started to read books, on marketing which was more in my wheelhouse. I enjoyed sharing my knowledge with her and she did begin marketing herself online more and more.

One day I was making a dinner run for the staff and  I was focused on Chicago’s finest hot dogs. I have heard people ask for ketchup before and I would give them a hard time but many mothers give their kids ketchup to cover their food to get them to eat something different. In all my years of being a hot dog connoisseur though I had never heard anyone ask for mayonnaise for their hot dog! I just couldn’t do it. I would not do it. I gave her two packs of mayonnaise but I could not watch I would have gagged. For the health of our friendship, I had to stay away from hot dogs in the future.

Then today I got the call. This twinkling star from Belize light’s went dark. From what I understand it was less than two weeks and she was gone. A rare aggressive form of cancer. I will never again hear her calling “Mister Earl” from the stairway on her visit to our studio where she was definitely, the star.

I Drank Over Twelve Thousand Gallons of Coca Cola

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I know I shouldn’t be proud of this but I have consumed 12,187.50 gallons of Coca Cola in my life. But you have to give me props for that amazing feat.  I have spoken about this addiction before here on my blog. You can use my search box to find the other posts.

Having a recent scare with my glucose test results going through the roof, and a few other factors have caused me to go cold turkey on my obsession with my favorite beverage. I have gone for 90 days without that sweet nectar. I have lost 30 total pounds during this time frame. Yes, you might see me tip-toeing around now that I’m a bit lighter. But I still have quite a few more pounds to go.

As many people say, “it’s hell to get old.” My body may have gotten out of hand but my mind is still young and probably still in the gutter. I can’t keep up the pace as I use to and yardwork is getting tougher to keep up with the neighbors. Thank god for my riding tractor it does save me a lot of time.

I did try the weight loss weekly shots and they do help but the cost is out of this world. You also have to wonder what will the long-term side effects will be. My doctor did give me some steroids recently for my spine and I really felt “Strong like Bull.” But you can’t stay on those long.

So I’m taking it one day at a time, a bit more walking, and my morning special drink. Maybe I should finally use some of the exercise equipment holding up all those boxes in the garage. I hate to do that as they do such a great job with those boxes and clothing hanging on them.

More importantly, I still get my stress release yelling at all the incompetent drivers out there on the highway.

Oh, I think my dealer for my addiction McDonald’s, their stock has gone down a bit since I have gone through recovery.

She Was A Great Operator!

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For at least fifteen years she was a crossing guard for the Cook County Sherrifs Department. Every morning she was at her spot on Greenwood and Linneman in Glenview, Il. I believe she was there for about and hour and a half and helped thousands of children over the years cross the street on thier way to Henking Elementary School. In the winter she would keep her car running and run back and forth from crossing kids then back to her car for a few minutes of warming up. I don’t think she ever missed a day. Then she would do it all over again in the afternoon to get the kids home.

Other than being a crossing guard she really didn’t have what most businesses would call skills for the workplace. Except for talking on the phone. She seemed to excel in that. So with the assistance of a friend, I got her an interview for a position at a new hotel, The Embassy Suites in Glenview. She was really nervous but I knew she could be the best phone operator for them. She got the job and she did fantastic despite her fear of computers and dealing with people that were pretty tall compared to her school; kids. She met people from all over the world and enjoyed speaking with them and learning new things. I believe she worked there for at least twenty years. She ended up being the most senior employee and survived numerous ownership changes. I was so proud of her.

She was my mother, and she lost her husband my father when I was in high school. He had been sick with MS for a good number of years. Yet despite all that, she raised me and my three sisters by herself. Being a babyboomer and growing up in the sixtys it was so different than now. I could be gone all day riding my bike and be miles and miles away and she wouldn’t be worried about me. Some of those times I was out climbing a seventy five foot high tree and swinging on branches. I was swimming in the pond at what is now “The Grove” where famed horticulturist & educator, Dr. John Kennicott resided. I knew when dinner time was and that was really our only rule, we had to be home by then. She seemed to trust us that we knew right from wrong and that we knew our way home.

She was Ninety Four last night when she passed and most of the family was with her. I pray now that she is with dad, her mother and father. I think she was a smooth operator.

Northwest Indiana’s Proposed Convention Center May Lead to Tax Payers Having to Foot the Bill

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I finally decided to write what I definitely know about. I’m concerned about The South Shores Convention and Visitors Bureau / Lake County Indiana’s Convention Bureau proposed plans….

Convention centers have become a go-to project for many communities, with the hopes of turning them into a hub of economic activity. However, many of these efforts have fallen short of expectations. While some cities have managed to create a thriving convention center business, others have struggled to draw in visitors, leaving them financially burdened, draining resources, and ultimately failing. Here are the top five reasons why communities are not successful with convention centers.

The Location Factor

Perhaps the most critical factor for success is the location of the convention center. If it’s situated in a remote location or outside the city center, it’s already at a disadvantage. Convention centers require good accessibility, transportation, and nearby amenities to succeed. This includes easy access to public transport, hotels, restaurants, and attractions. If visitors are having trouble getting to the center or find little to do within walking distance, it’s unlikely they will return.

Limited space

The size of a convention center determines its ability to accommodate visitors and events. Often communities are not successful with convention centers because they do not offer enough space or have limitations due to size. This restricts the community’s ability to attract large events, conferences, or trade shows that need more space. In these cases, event organizers will often look to bigger cities with larger venues to accommodate the event’s requirements.

Poor Management

Many convention centers that fail, do so because of poor management. The center may have started with a promising vision, but the management team fails to execute a well-thought-out and comprehensive plan. This can happen for several reasons; inadequate staffing, underfunding, or mismanagement of resources are a few examples. When convention centers are not managed correctly, this can lead to corruption, inefficiencies, and ultimately, financial failure.

Competition

Competition from other convention centers can also cause communities to fail in their efforts. Numerous cities have convention centers, and it’s easy for them to attract visitors to their events, especially if they have a well-established reputation. Cities must distinguish themselves if they intend to attract visitors and events. Doing so requires smart marketing, partnering with local businesses, and utilizing innovative technologies to differentiate themselves from competitors. Communities cannot count on visitors coming to them if they are not putting in the work to stand out from the crowd.

Overestimated Economic Benefits

Communities must be careful not to overestimate the economic benefits of a convention center. When this happens, it creates unrealistic expectations, leading to disappointment when the center fails to meet these expectations. Many communities tend to focus solely on the economic benefits of a convention center, such as job creation and increased tourism, while neglecting the necessary long-term planning essential to success. The center needs to be well-aligned with the community’s business and tourism objectives and must be managed effectively to turn revenue into economic benefits.

In conclusion, communities must continue to weigh the pros and cons of building convention centers before committing resources to these projects. Those who potentially undertake the endeavor must consider carefully critical factors like location, space, management capability, and competition, and not overestimate the potential benefits. With the necessary focus and strategic planning, communities can create successful convention centers that deliver lasting success. At its best, a convention center can act as a hub for driving economic prosperity and serving as a catalyst for positive community growth.

Here is a list of similar communities to Northwest Indiana that have failed with their efforts to produce a thriving convention center due to unrealistic forecasts of revenue and now the local taxpayers have to pay for it.

Branson, Missouri

Fargo, North Dakota

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Asheville, North Carolina

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Riverside, California

Hagerstown, Maryland

Peoria, Illinois

Rockford, Illinois