Compassionate, comprehensive care for seniors

Enrollment begins with an initial phone screening with potential member and care partner to determine if the program is a good fit for the applicant. Next, the team meets with the potential member to gather information about skills, talents and interests of so they can be incorporated into the activity program.

EXPRESSIONS is held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Activities include:

• Socializing
• Discussing current events and topic discussions
• Creative Choices: Activities with a focus on creative expression which can include art appreciation, pursuing hobbies, improv, storytelling, creative art, etc.
• Exercise and movement
• Lunch
• Brain fitness and educational activities: memory compensation exercises, wellness distribution, speakers, coping strategies, reminiscing, discussions about changing roles/relationships, future planning, etc.

EXPRESSIONS helps members work on:

• Self-esteem and self-confidence
• Using talents and skills
• Community engagement
• Compensatory skills with disease progression
• Becoming more informed about dementia
• Camaraderie
• Positivity
• Mind and body exercises

Supper Club:

• Monthly club for EXPRESSIONS participants, their caregivers and staff
• Caregivers grouped together to allow sharing and support
• Goal is to provide support and resources to members and family

Call Gwynne Chovanec at 847-824-5143 for information on EXPRESSIONS activities, all held at 9375 Church St. in Des Plaines.

Details of the program include:

• Quality meals at reasonable prices of $6 per meal
• Nutrition-focused and able to meet any dietary restrictions (e.g., renal, low-sodium, mechanical, gluten and sugar-free)
• Delivery Monday through Friday between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to Park Ridge, unincorporated Des Plaines, Glenview and Niles.
• Choice between hot or cold meals
• Monthly billing with the exception first two weeks advance payment
• Cancellations required 24 hours in advance of meal delivery during normal business: 847-296-0485

Call us at 847-296-0737 to learn more about home-delivered meals.

• Counseling is offered by master-level Older Adult Service counselors. A therapeutic one-hour session includes:
• Improving or restoring social and psychological functioning
• Developing coping skills
• Effecting change in behavior, attitudes, and feelings in the social environment
• Improving communication skills within the family

Call 847-296-0737 for information regarding counseling sessions.

• Insurance/financial counseling: A Senior Advocate counselor can provide assistance with processing all of your medical paperwork. We are also available to answer your questions about benefits and help you review your options regarding Medicare and supplemental insurances to allow you to make choices that are best for you.
• Discounted fitness center membership: All seniors (age 65 and older) are eligible to receive a discounted membership to the Advocate Lutheran General Fitness Center.

We are conveniently located in the Patient Resource Center (Dempster Plaza Shopping Center) across the street from Advocate Lutheran General, 8820 Dempster Street, Niles.

Call 847-723-7277 for more information regarding benefits to this free program.

Call 847-296-0737 for more information.

Additional senior programs

Senior Lecture Series Breakfast is held the third Friday of every month from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. hosting more than 60 seniors with topics covering senior interests and health concerns.
Call 847-723-7277 for more information.

• Lifeline Personal Response is an easy-to-use service that makes you feel safer and more comfortable at home with 24-hour access to emergency response system in just the touch of a button.
  
• Free monthly blood pressure screenings are available the first Wednesday of every month from 10 a.m. to noon. No appointment is necessary.
  
• Information assistance is a free service that connects you with trained staff who can provide you with information on a wide variety of services and programs, for example:

• Connecting you with services, community-based or even out of state
• Answers regarding aging concerns
• Helping you find community awareness and educational programs

Call 847-296-0737 for more information on this program

Unit therapies include:

• Occupational therapy
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
• Music therapy

A partial hospital program is also available for patients who do return home and require extra help after hospitalization. Most often these patients are in the early stages of dementia.

• Sharing a hobby, e.g., woodworking or art activities
• Delivering meals to isolated elderly in our communities

Apply through the Volunteer Office at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

Interns

Internships provide optimal growth experiences through working closely with social work, counseling and nursing staff who provide an. Many of our interns who are working toward their Master in Art Therapy intern in our Expressions programs for the early-stage Alzheimer's participants. Social worker interns, as well as counselors and medical students, find Expressions a cutting-edge program.

• Supervised programs for college-level and graduate-level students in the fields of social work, counseling, art therapy and recreation therapy
• Graduate nursing programs affiliated with our programs as a training site
• Arrangement with the applicant’s college or university for academic credit
• Academic year-long program, with supervision supplied by our social work or counseling staff
• Exposure to clients in the community as well as the participants in the Adult Day Service program
• Activities involving individual sessions for supportive counseling with elderly or disabled individuals
• Group facilitation within the Adult Day Service program
• Phone triage in the Information and Resources office
• Work with our Home Delivered Meals and Emergency Response programs, with general exposure to our community-based assistance programs