Jim's Blog- 12/15/11 Springfield says we're still OK
Created on 12/15/2011 1:40:00 PM
Springfield says we’re still OK, but we look to our customers’ views. The Illinois Department of Public Health is charged with administering and enforcing the state law authorizing assisted living. We’ve had a few differences with Springfield over the years on interpretation of regulations, but overall we are blessed with a good law and reasonable regulators whose mission is protecting the public health.
Nonetheless, I tell our residents, their families, and people considering us that they shouldn’t count on the government alone to assure them of quality care. Our annual ‘surveys’ from the reviewing state nurses offer only a brief snapshot of what happens here. The real surveys and reviews are from our paying customers and their families. Sure we have complaints from time to time. (I heard one yesterday from a nice old man complaining that he couldn’t have ice cream. We reminded him that his doctor suggested avoiding dairy products. I’ve never tried the soy or coconut oil based products, but we will get some and see what he thinks.) But overall we receive praise and complements. People vote with their feet and their dollars when selecting services like ours, and we’re proud to say that we are winners in the ‘court of opinion.’
