Valley Hi plans new memory wing as it wraps up current renovations

As Valley Hi Nursing Home in Woodstock finishes up a series of renovations dating back to last year, the county-run facility is looking ahead to plans for a memory care wing that could expand the services it offers.

Both county officials and those who work with area seniors said they hope the additions help address the needs of an aging population in McHenry County.

The current renovations, totaling about $1.2 million, included expanding its therapy room to include a bedroom, a washer and dryer and a kitchen. The idea is to help those rehabilitating get used to working in those rooms within their own homes, Valley Hi Administrator Tom Annarella said.

“We’ve doubled the space,” he said.

The facility’s four community shower rooms were also renovated to make them more “modern and spa-like,” Annarella said. New carpet and cosmetic work, such as paint, also were completed in various parts of the facility, he said.

With the work expected to conclude in the next month or so, both the county and facility are focusing on creating a memory care wing at Valley Hi.

The plans still are preliminary, but if the project is approved by the County Board, it’s expected a pair of hallways on the first floor will be renovated and connected, Annarella said. A new hallway to connect the areas will create a courtyard too, he said.

The goal is to have plans squared away this year, with construction taking place in 2023 and opening in 2024, Annarella said.

The move for a memory care wing is a necessity for McHenry County, said Jennifer Prell, the president of the nonprofit Elderwerks, which helps individuals and families find elder care. Such an addition would enhance the facility and help address a large need in the area, she said.

“Valley Hi has great long-term care,” she said. “This would just be another add-on that would provide a quality of care in McHenry County.”

The new wing will be paid for through the remainder of a $15 million rebate dating back to 2019 that saw residents paid back a portion of the facility’s surplus, said County Board member Paula Yensen, D-Lake in the Hills. The remaining funds total more than $5 million.

“We knew there was a need for a memory care unit in our county,” Yensen said. “It’s taken a while to get here.”

To help that effort, the County Board opted to create a separate committee for Valley Hi to oversee its operations, which Yensen chairs. The separate committee also spawned from the ever-growing complexities within long-term care, Yensen and Annarella said.

“We don’t have the time needed in order to explain everything that’s happened [in this industry],” Annarella said. “The challenges that long-term care faces now, ... it is a very complex world that long-term care is turning into.”

With 120 total beds currently, Valley Hi is operating at a reduced capacity and filling 70 beds right now, Annarella said. The remainder is reserved for COVID-19 patients, but also are the result of staffing shortages, Annarella said. The waiting list to get into Valley Hi is in the dozens, he said.

Moving forward with new plans, Yensen called the potential for a memory care wing “historic” for both the county and Valley Hi, saying it continues to expand on the uniqueness of what’s offered.

“We are committed to expanding the long-term care services at Valley Hi,” she said.

Valley Hi predominantly offers long-term care, but also offers skilled, intermediate, hospice and respite care, Annarella said. While run by the county, the facility is not publicly funded, he said.

The average long-term care patient can expect to pay about $7,000 per month to stay at the facility, which is funded either privately, through insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, Annarella said.

While Prell gave high praise to Valley Hi for its quality of care, she said the need for long-term care is “great” in McHenry County. She said the County Board needs to make an effort to continue bringing in more supportive living facilities, particularly with memory care.

“We do not have enough,” she said. “Valley Hi runs full. That’s the issue. It’s one of the best facilities around.”