Mercy Circle (11/25/13)

I went to look at Mercy Circle as a possible place to take an elderly friend of mine. When I entered, the receptionist was on the phone with one of the residents. She made no attempt to acknowledge me and never stopped to say "Can you hold on for a minute?" to the person on the call, so she could see what I needed. I stood there for at least 5 minutes, waiting patiently for the call to end. Occasionally, she would side-eye me, hoping I'd get tired and go away. Finally, she turned, still chit-chatting on the phone, and pushed a post-it note across the desk asking me what I wanted. I wrote back that I had come to take a tour. She texted someone on her phone to tell them that I wanted a tour, and went back to ignoring me. I must have stood at her desk for almost a full ten minutes, and she never left or paused the call during that time. When a second woman came out to meet with me, she gestured for me to come sit in the little parlor they had at the entrance. I started to explain why I was there, and the illness my loved one was experiencing, and she just stared at me and let me talk. There was another woman sitting there waiting for someone, watching us talk and taking in all the private details of my loved one's illness and medical history, so I finally stopped my explanation and asked, "Do you have an office we can speak in?" The woman immediately exclaimed, "There's no room. We have no room for you!" I was shocked. I started again, trying to confirm she understood the level of care I was looking for (as the facility has both assisted living and more of a nursing care side), and she just interrupted me, repeating herself loudly and emphatically. "We have no room!" So I thanked her for her time and got up and left. I couldn't believe this was the treatment I received, when I was there during a sensitive time to ask about care for a loved one who was suffering. If they legitimately had no space, no problem! But there's a way to say this with kindness. Trying to first ignore that I even existed when I was at the front desk, and then later basically telling me, "There's no room at the inn, move along!" was appalling. Especially from a Catholic establishment. And especially during the month of January, when we have just celebrated Christmas. They should not be in healthcare if this is the way they behave. They should be ashamed of themselves.

The best skilled nursing facility and senior living community in the Chicagoland area. A faith based commmunity led by great management and nursing leaderships team. Keep up the great work mercy miracle 👏 🙌 👍 🥰

Meagan, residential services director, provided me exceptional information - with warmth and care - when I called to learn about Mercy Circle. She embodies the mission of this faith-based organization. I was fortunate to speak with her and the residents are fortunate to have a dedicated professional serving them.

Mercy Circle is an incredible place. They took great care of my father while he was recovering. The staff is incredibly kind and knowledgeable. They were always there to help and answer any questions my family and I had. Big shoutouts to the physical therapy department!! They work miracles every single day. I cannot recommend Mercy Circle enough. Knowing it's in the community makes me feel so much better.

Mercy Circle is a small neighborhood family community of caretakers who build strong relationships with their patients and their patients’ families. The care is excellent and personal. They truly care for your loved one like their own family. The grounds and facilities are extremely well-kept. We take our mom to sit in the beautiful gardens when weather permits. The interior is also warm, welcoming and elegant On good days, my mom has complimented the food! The residents have meals choices and standards like burgers and hot dogs and grilled cheese if they don’t like the choices. The caretakers are excellent. I cannot praise the CNAs and nurses enough. All of the support and executive staff know each resident. They know the families and the relationships. This results in even greater care. While dealing with insurance is never easy, they truly go above and beyond to ensure the comfort and care of your loved one.