Custom Care for Custom Needs
By Alexander Germanis
Many clothing items carry tags that reveal a well-known fallacy: one size fits all. Not only does this statement prove incorrect with clothing, it fails to apply to most aspects of life. Different people require different amounts of space, different levels of attention, different dietary needs, and so on. People are not made in an assembly line; our needs do not fit a pre-determined ideal. We are, in a sense, custom-made individuals therefore our needs require custom-level attention.
To fill custom needs, there are places like Liberty Village of Pekin—a retirement and senior living community as diverse as the people who live there.
Dedication Care
Administrator for the Liberty Village of Pekin is Nick Bilotta, LNHA. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Nick earned his degree in Community Health from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Focusing on healthcare planning and administration, his eye has always been on increasing the quality of care in nursing facilities.
After working at a skilled nursing facility in Champaign in various roles of administration, Nick moved to Peoria in 2019 and became the administrator for Liberty Village where he joined a “dedicated staff that puts their residents before themselves,” as he says. “That is what we are most proud of. We have an extremely strong team that is willing to put their best foot forward for each of their residents.”
The Pekin Villas and The Pekin Estates
No town is made up of carbon copy homes filled with carbon copy people and Liberty Village is no exception to this. A town within a town, residents of Liberty Village choose between living in Pekin Villas or at Pekin Estates.
“The Pekin Villas present a completely personalized experience,” Nick explains. “As a potential owner, you are able to create your villa from the ground up. Every aspect of your villa can be customized to how you want it, which makes it very home-like. The Pekin Villas are a small community that acts as a family. Everybody knows each other and this makes for a truly special environment.”
For those who prefer apartment living, The Pekin Estates provide an independent-living opportunity for them. Offering studio, one-, and two-bedroom options with kitchens in every unit, Pekin Estates residents are also provided two meals a day.
With a coffee shop, beauty shop, and on-site library, there are also numerous free entertainment experiences on a monthly basis. “All of these options and amenities combined with the home-like atmosphere create an excellent location for those who want an elegant retirement community,” Nick adds.
Custom Changes to Custom Living
The overarching goal in retirement living is to help make every resident as independent as they can possibly be. Recent remodeling to Pekin Manor skilled nursing at Liberty Village has helped carry out this goal, with a focus on rehabilitating residents back to their prior level of function so they can return to their own homes.
Management has also been remodeled in a way in the last nine months. “We take a very personalized approach to every resident in our building, and our management staff must be the leaders in that approach,” Nick points out. “By creating a team that is very personable and willing to put the resident first, we have created a skilled nursing facility that provides excellent care and will go above and beyond for satisfaction.”
“All the changes we have put into place are for our residents,” he continues. “Every decision that is made is centered around providing high-quality care with a high-quality team. By creating a more home-like environment with our remodeling, we are providing modern-style living, which allows our residents to be the best they can be. We strive to keep our residents as independent as possible for as long as possible. The physical changes and staff changes have been able to do just that.”
Bounce Back
Helping residents return to their lives after an illness or major trauma is what the Bounce Back Program is all about. And like the homes in Pekin Villas, Bounce Back is custom-made to accommodate the myriad needs and cares of each individual resident and get them to “Bounce Back to home.” In use at other Liberty Village campuses since 2006, Bounce Back brings that same high level of customized care to Pekin residents.
“No two patients have the exact same reactions or response to a particular condition or diagnosis,” Nick iterates. “The Bounce Back Program provides residents with the opportunity to receive skilled nursing care and continued therapies to alleviate pain, restore function, and improve mobility until they are ready to go home.”
The Bounce Back Program is about finding out exactly what a resident can or cannot do for him or herself. A treatment plan is then designed around that resident’s specific and realistic goals. Rehabilitation therapies—be they physical, occupational, and/or speech—are implemented with state-of-the-art equipment and evidence-based care.
This personalized touch is the reason why Bounce Back has made such an impact with the residents, Nick explains. “From the moment a resident enters our doors, we provide a personable experience that allows them to be their best self. With case management to maximize the resident’s benefits, we are allowing the resident to achieve their maximum potential.”
Bounce Back Program team members each carry out specific pieces in the overall plan for each resident’s care. Whether it be therapy, nursing, dietary, housekeeping, or more, each role is vital in its own right. “When you add all of those pieces together,” Nick says, “it makes for a successful patient outcome. Our Bounce Back Program has proven to be successful time and time again as we continually get residents to achieve their goals and go home safely. It takes a very strong Village to make that happen.”
“The Bounce Back Program is significantly different than your normal rehabilitation program because it ensures that the resident is put first, above everything else,” he continues. “The Bounce Back Team believes successful rehabilitation must be a partnership. Together, we can get you started on the road to recovery.”
Personalized Touch
The personalized touch is what sets Liberty Village of Pekin apart from other senior living facilities—a personalized care brought about by the people who dedicate their lives to serving others.
From skilled nursing and therapy at Pekin Manor to the independent living apartments in Pekin Estates to owning a custom home in Pekin Villas, Liberty Village of Pekin is truly a unique community made up of unique individuals. The opportunities provided in such an environment are as limitless and varied as the people who call it home.
For more information or to schedule a tour, please call us at 309-353-1099
