Loyola Medicine Home Care and Hospice moves offices to Oak Brook

Loyola Medicine Home Care and Hospice is expanding its services farther into the Western suburbs following a recent move from Melrose Park to Oak Brook.

Offices for the two programs moved last week to 2301 W. 22nd St.

"We're really looking forward to working with Oak Brook and the surrounding communities to meet the needs of the families out there," Home Care and Hospice Executive Director Paul Crockett said.

The move is part of Loyola's efforts to move away from a hospital-centric system and to care for patients more at home, Crockett said. It also will help Loyola meet the growing needs of Baby Boomers throughout a larger part of the Chicago area.

Crockett said the new location is primarily office space for people running the two programs, but families who are interested in signing up for hospice or home care, or who need bereavement services, will now come to Oak Brook to meet with social workers and staff.

Home care services - such as cardiac education, physical and occupational therapy, speech and language pathology and other rehabilitation and skilled nursing services - are provided solely by trained health care professionals.

However, Crockett said at least 5 percent of Loyola's hospice services, which include end-of-life care and supportive services, must be provided by volunteers.

New hospice volunteers are needed both in the office and in the field, as some volunteers in the Melrose Park area weren't able to follow Loyola to Oak Brook, Crockett said.

Office volunteers help with filing and sorting paperwork and reaching out to patients and families interested in hospice.

Volunteers who work in the field are assigned a patient who they visit at home to offer companionship and give caregivers some relief.

"It's really the day-in and day-out things that they are there to help with, while the family members are just trying to grieve with their loved one," Crockett said.

Anyone interested in volunteering can call the Oak Brook office at (630) 861-5200 or email volunteer coordinator Heather Hronek at Heather.Hronek@luhs.org.