201 Belle Street, PO Box 79, Alhambra, IL 62001
Tele: (618) 488-2355 Fax: (618) 488-2361
Testimonials
“How could I have possibly known that an impromptu visit to Hitz Memorial on a Sunday in April, 2014, would turn out to be a marvelous outcome for my brother. At that visit, I was greeted warmly by a sweet aide who took me to the Assistant Director of Nursing’s office, and there, I was invited by her, Lisa, to discuss why I was there and the possibility of my brother becoming a resident. She was through about the facility and willingly gave me a tour and explained the process for the possibility of my brother becoming a resident. Lisa was/is so pleasant and portrayed(s) a caring and confident heart… A genuine compassionate heart for the facility and the residents. My brother was admitted to Hitz, May 20, 2014. When visiting any facility, a person’s senses are on the Alert: Hitz Memorial No Exception. I was (am) pleasantly surprised.
The inside appearance of Htiz portrays a “welcome” atmosphere. The hallways are clean, clear/open, free of clutter and the walls are tastefully decorated giving the residents a “homey” feeling. The resident’s rooms appear to be clean and neat at all times. At any given time, there is no smell or odor in the facility.
The resident’s rooms are open and roomy. The facility allows residents or their families to “personalize”, making their rooms their “home”, a place of familiarity and attachment.
There are several areas in the facility a resident and/or family member can go to be by themselves for privacy. The library is very appealing where lots of reading material is available, as well as the availability of a computer and tv. The spacious, open and cheerful dining room offers a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere at meal times. After the recent “face-lift”, it is even more attractive with newly painted walls and decorations, and, the cheerful/colorful valances at the large windows and the new wall hangings provide a welcome message, and restaurant appeal.
The “activity” area is like a big “family” room where residents can gather to make choices for personal and collective activities that are varied and interesting.
There are areas outside provided where residents can go to enjoy the out-of-doors, plus offering quietness and safety.
Hitz Memorial lives up to its reputation of being a skilled nursing facility, making sure the residents’ personal needs and their healthcare needs are met, whether at the facility, or those needs needing to be met elsewhere.
The Hitz staff in all departments are friendly, compassionate, respectful, personable, encouraging, welcoming, empathetic, and really tries their best to work with the good qualities of the residents, while dealing with the weaknesses and incapacities of the residents.
The staff works hard to make residents comfortable at any given time of the day or night. The staff encourages interaction between the residents and tries to make the atmosphere of the facility “homey” and pleasant.
The staff is kind to family members, and willing to discuss issues regarding their loved one’s problem(s), informing them of concerns, as well as listening to an acting on concerns of family members about their loved one.
It is very noticeable how the staff interacts with each other, how they help each other, how they work together, how they do not yell at each other, and how their attitude is, for the most part, positive. Their smiles and willing attitudes go a long way, even though some tasks aren’t pleasant and sometime difficult.
The staff tries to bring out the best in the residents and encourages them to be as “whole” as they can be with their limited capacities.
With deepest gratitude and appreciation, I want to thank everyone who has touched my brother’s life in so many ways, and who provides excellent care for him, when, no doubt there are moments and times when his attitude and responses many not be the best.
Hitz Memorial has made my brother happy and content. He is a much better person because of its care and nurture. He definitely feels at “home”, feels loved and taken care of.
Thank you to all departments I can think of in the facility, and behind-the-scenes people who contribute in some way to the facility, and to off-sight ministries, volunteers, agencies who contribute to the betterment of the residents at Hitz Memorial.
Thank you to the custodial/housekeeping/laundry staff.
Thank you to the maintenance staff.
Thank you to the dining room, kitchen and cafeteria staff.
Thank you to the Activities staff and those who drive residents to “outings:, which are interesting and varied.
Thank you to the therapy staff.
Thank you to the nursing staff and the aides who help them.
Thank you to the Social Services staff.
Thank you to the Administrative Staff and business office staff.
Thank you to whoever is responsible for preparing “special” day and holiday events, and who gets birthday or get well cards signed for the residents, which is such a personal touch, and so appreciated.
Thank you to care-planning staff and those who make it possible for extra personal care for residents to get hair care, eye care, foot/leg care, nail care or just taking time to sit and talk to residents if they seem sad and need company.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for Hitz Memorial being a spectacular facility.
The numerous positive aspects of Hitz Memorial exceed any nursing care facility I have ever seen.”
Ruth E. Combs,
Sister and POA for my brother, James M. Neeley
"My family cannot begin to express our thankfulness to Hitz Memorial Home for the wonderful, compassionate care our mother, Dorothy Kelly, has received. We highly recommend Hitz to anyone seeking excellent care for their loved one.
After a hospital stay, my Mother's doctors said it was no longer safe for her to return to my home. We started a frantic search to find somewhere that would meet our expectations then quickly started our visitations. When we explained my Mother's condition several facilities would not even accept her. Luckily we all agreed that Hitz would be the perfect choice! Their culture change philosophy embraced everything we were hoping to find.
Mom arrived at Hitz with numerous problems; her doctors said the eye surgery had sent her into full-blown dementia; she was hallucinating, diabetic, obese, legally blind, extremely hard of hearing, unable to stand, heart problems, etc. She not only had Charcot's Arthropathy (a complication of diabetes, where the bones in her feet would break and heal in a deformed manner), but her ankle was actually dislocated and joint fluid would leak out of the side of her ankle. Several specialists said it would never heal and required special packing. On top of this she had contracted MRSA infection in her ankle while she was in the hospital.
The staff immediately made Mom feel welcome and made her part of the family. What they have done has been miraculous. They completely cured the MRSA and were able to heal the wound in her ankle. They can teach the specialists a thing or two! All signs of dementia have disappeared! AND my Mother is happier than she has been in years! Their close monitoring has helped prevent several problems. Shortly after coming to Hitz, Mom needed hospitalization because of kidney problems. Now when any urinary change is noted they are alerted for possible infections and take preventative measures.
In the fall, Mom developed a cough. They discovered that she had a touch of pneumonia and needed hospitalization and IV antibiotics. She was only in the hospital for two days. Mom could not wait to get back "home" as she called Hitz. She said the care at the hospital was excellent. They were in her room as soon as she pushed her call button. However, she said they acted like they were doing a job not like at home where they treat you like family.
Mom was never the most affectionate when we were growing up. Hugs and kisses were just something she did not do with 6 children within 7 years, there were always other priorities. Being at Hitz has changed all that, they demonstrated to her how such a simple things can change your mood for the positive. She has grown to love being hugged and made it clear to us that she expects a hug and kiss when we leave, which we are more than happy to oblige.
One of the first things they asked us at Hitz was to describe my Mother's daily routine, to make her transition as easy as possible. With some facilities, there is a specific nap time and bedtime, mom like to watch the 10:00 news and then get ready for bed and she was able to follow her routine if she chose to do so. Mom had eggs and bacon just about every morning for breakfast. This meant a lot to her. If the meal choice is not something she likes they have other alternatives for her. She enjoyed drinking hot tea throughout the day and they even got her a small teapot to make her feel welcome.
Most importantly, family is welcome to visit anytime! Of course care should be made not to disturb other residents, but it gives you certain peace of mind to know that there are not just specific times to visit. Mom loves sitting outside. We are able to take her outside under the gazebo to watch the birds, swing in the wheelchair accessible swing or have a snack under the pavilion. There are two excellent restaurants within blocks that we are able to push Mom to in her wheelchair for an occasional change of pace.
Another wonderful service that Hitz provides is transportation. I no longer needed to worry about how to get Mom to a doctor's appointment; they provide it for us. If there is a change in medication or doctor's orders I am notified immediately. They have called to tell me that she has bumped her toe and it is a little red so they are watching it. During our scheduled care plan meeting we are able to discuss anything that we feel would be beneficial or any concern anyone may have. They were even able to provide transportation to Mom's favorite restaurant for her birthday celebration.
Having in-house pets are very important for animal lovers. We just needed to fax our pet's shot records to make sure they are up to date and they too are able to visit. I think my dog missed sitting on Mom's lap as much as she missed her. It make them both feel better that they are able to visit. The maintenance staff has helped with everything from repairing her recliner to putting air in the tire of her motorized wheelchair. The beauty shop helps make Mom feel and look great by getting a perm, dying her hair or just getting a great hairstyle. The activity department is so sweet, if a resident is hesitant to participate in some activities they try their best to find some way for them to participate in something they enjoy!
The office is always there to answer our questions. The nursing staff knows each resident personally and keep meticulous records along with taking the extra care to make sure everyone has the attention they need. From social services to the cafeteria to physical therapy, they are there to make sure everything our loved one needs is provided. I cannot begin to say enough wonderful things about the CNA's! They treat the residents with such care and compassion. It is so heartwarming to watch them spend extra time with someone who may be feeling lonely, frightened or just needs a little extra tender loving care.
We have recommended Hitz to several people. They were as happy as we have been with their loved one's care. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions." - Sincerly, Christine Kelly
“Dear Hitz Family,
This is the most difficult thank you letter that we have to write. Everyone at Hitz has meant so much to all of us! Hitz was Mom’s home away from us. She loved it there! We knew that everyone there took care of our Mother like she was family as well. It brought us all such comfort knowing Mom would be so well cared for day in and day out. We cannot begin to thank each and every person enough for everything you have all done for all of us!
Even when Mom was the most challenging, everyone always treated her with the utmost compassion and kindness. Mom told us on numerous occasions how very glad she was that we found such a wonderful place. We truly believe we would have lost Mom years ago if she had been anywhere else. She received the most excellent care possible!
There are so many people there that went out of their way to do the little things that made Mom so happy; from bringing her tomatoes, cheese popcorn, taking her shopping, taking the time to make sure she could go out to lunch, fixing special things, helping do her hair, encouraging her to play Bingo, we could go on and on. There are not words enough to express how grateful we all are for the wonderful care Mom has gotten from each and every person there!
We each had our special days of the week to visit Mom at her Hitz Home. We always felt so welcome there! Everyone always took the extra time to talk to us and help in any way possible. Those are the hardest days for each of us now since we are no longer able to visit our Mom. We all looked forward to our special time there together.
After spending the week with Mom at the ICU we were all exhausted. Mom was the happiest with family around her and we had her funeral exactly as she wanted. We requested Sunset Hills in lieu of flowers memorials should be made to Hitz. Unfortunately, it took a while for them to put it on their webpage. We cannot begin to thank Mom’s Hitz family enough for making our Mother’s final years so pleasant!
We are so grateful for all you have done to help us have so many more wonderful years with our Mother!”
With Our Greatest Appreciation and Gratitude,
The Family of Dorothy Kelly
"A testimonial of my thanks to Hitz Home! : My Mother has been a resident of Hitz Memorial Home since 2005. Before she was a resident, she was a volunteer and she always spoke highly of Hitz. Since she has been a resident, I understood more about Hitz. My mother always said if she had to go to a nursing home, Hitz was where she wanted to go. To all of the management, nursing staff, volunteers, and anybody else associated with running the nursing home, I would like to say thanks. Mother hardly ever complains about the care she is given, her meals or anything else. The cultural change is a great thing for the family as well as it is for the resident because it looks so much nicer, is more cheerful and feels more like home. Thanks again Hitz Memorial for all the care my mother is given." - Allen Schmidt