When we first meet families who are looking to a find a community for their loved one, we know that first impressions matter. Whether it’s how pretty a chandelier in a lobby looks, how well landscaped the grounds are or how friendly the staff are it all makes an impact. Eventually, most families realize that what they are actually looking for is love – something that is much harder to see at first glance. When I look at our historic building the Scottish Home I see a long and rich history of providing love, care and memories for generations of families – sometimes serving generations within the same family. I see a community where kids have grown up dancing at our picnics or working in our dining room and where residents, their families and staff have all found a home. I see residents who teach us every day that you’re never too old to make new friendship and the team members that care for residents as if they are their own family. I notice the housekeeper that always makes sure a resident’s cell phone is charging by her bed every time she cleans her room, the CNA that spends time untangling all of a resident’s necklaces so she can keep wearing her jewelry. I see the box of favorite ice cream sandwiches that the dining team keeps in the freezer for one particular resident for when she’s having a hard day. I see all of this and more every single day at the MacLean House and the Scottish Home.
We know that when some people come to the Scottish Home for the first time they only see that it is looking a little tired and because we want people to be able to see the Scottish Home for all of its warmth and beauty, we are beginning the journey of giving the Scottish Home some care of its own.
We are thrilled and grateful to be able to make some important enhancements to the Scottish Home that are 100% funded by the generous support of our donors. Some of these enhancements will refresh the cosmetic look of parts of the building and others help strengthen our technology and connectivity.
Our work began this summer with a new roof over most of the Scottish Home. Shortly after the roof was complete we began our next project – to strengthen our Wi-Fi to better handle the increased need for chats, streaming of movies and television shows and supporting our own internal systems. This winter we also installed a new nurse call system with enhanced features and installed a new fire safety system.
We have now completed our long-awaited refresh of our McMillan Nursing Care wing and part of our Sheltered Care area (similar to Assisted Living). This part of the building was vacated prior to the pandemic in anticipation of this work but in March last year those plans were quickly put on hold and these wings became our quarantine wing for new and returning residents and our dedicated isolation wing. Now that staff and residents are all fully vaccinated we feel comfortable reopening these parts of our campus and making these rooms and apartments available for new residents – in fact most of the Scottish Home is fully occupied and we know there are more families out there who could benefit from the care we provide. The cosmetic refresh of these areas included new carpet, ceilings, lighting, trim and signage and our Sheltered Care wing will have a new spa. Families who are interested in reserving a residence should reach out to our marketing team to begin the application process. Once we have final approval from the Illinois Department of Public Health we will be able to begin to utilize these areas.
It is our plan to be able to continue to refresh other hallways and make other enhancements to the Scottish Home in the future when we have raised the funds to do so.
We can’t wait for you to see the new carpet, fresh paint and little touches that will make the Scottish Home sparkle and celebrating the spirit and charm of the Scottish Home – but while you’re here I encourage you to look for the love. Look for how our incredible team of heroes care for residents and the relationships they have. Look for the little ways they show love every single day. That’s the heart of the Scottish Home and we it’s still what matters most.