Briarwood Healthcare Center at Friendship Village in Schaumburg is beginning its 38th year having unveiled major renovations. The project features not only a visual facelift, but also structural changes to encourage optimal delivery of care.

Briarwood Healthcare is part of Friendship Village's complete continuum of care, which includes independent living, memory support, assisted living, rehabilitation and skilled nursing. Areas renovated include resident rooms, dining rooms, hallways and lounges. "Our strategic vision with the project was to complement our neighborhood model, emphasizing a warm, welcoming and homelike environment," said Patricia Mash, vice president of planning and marketing. "We have minimized the clinical aspect of Briarwood. Traditional nurses stations were replaced with lounge-like areas and space was created to encourage families to visit outside of the residents' rooms."

The renovations also complement operational changes. "The four individual sections of Briarwood now each have individual unit managers. Their teams are highly focused on smaller groups of residents within the unit," said Ben Gilchrist, vice president of operations. "The teams are dedicated to delivering a personalized care model within their immediate unit."

Additionally, the renovations support Briarwood's use of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) project which was introduced last year.

The renovations have earned enthusiastic reviews from residents, visitors and associates.

Friendship Village is a leading Chicago continuing care retirement community offering a complete continuum of care including independent living garden homes and apartment homes, as well as assisted living, memory support, skilled care, and short- and long-term rehabilitation services. For more than 35 years, Friendship Village has been providing Chicago area seniors with exceptional retirement living options. For additional information visit www.FriendshipVillage.org or call 847-490-6271.