Buckingham Pavillion Nursing Home

From HistoryWiki

Buckingham Pavillion Nursing Home Soundex Code N625

2625 W. Touhy Avenue

http://buckinghampavilion.com

After World War II, Maurice Stern and Margaret Stern's famous restaurant in Prague served as a landmark communal resource to thousands of Eastern European Refugees. In 1950 they left their Native Czechoslovakia for freedom in America. Two years after arriving in Chicago, the couple recognized the need for a home which would provide care with dignity to an aging community. Both worked hard by day and attended school at night.

Margaret studied and soon became a nurse. With the help of many of their new friends, they were able to put a down payment on a fashionable mansion just off Lincoln Park. It was a proud day when the young family moved into the third floor of what was to become Stern's Convalescent Home, a 20-bed nursing home complete with gardens and children playing in the parlor. On the following day the phone company came to install their very first telephone, the number was Buckingham 1-9803. No sooner had the Stern's opened their doors that their reputation for personal care and European cooking had the telephone ringing.

Over the years, they had become renowned for their devotion in protecting and caring for the elderly. In 1957 they received commendations for installing the first sprinkler system in a nursing home-years before the government made them state requirements. Between 1952 and 1974 some of the most prominent names in commerce, politics, and healthcare entrusted the care of family members to Stern's Convalescent Home. The grand old mansion had served them well, but the time had come to build for the next generation.

Built by the Stern family to meet future needs of its residents, Buckingham Pavilion's original design was so far in advance of its day that it exceeded city, state, and federal nursing home standards not contemplated for years to come. Since its opening in December 1974, Buckingham Pavilions reputation has become legendary as being among the state's finest geriatric facilities.

Designed as an intimate and comfortable nursing care residence, it is located adjacent to the North Shore of Chicago in the quaint West Ridge neighborhood. Carrying on the tradition of its predecessor, Buckingham Pavilion has become the preferred home for many physicians, healthcare professionals, senior advocates, and community officials.

Since its inception, Buckingham has qualified for every quality incentive program offered by the State of Illinois. These above average standards range from Nursing Care to Physical and Occupational Rehabilitation, as well as Alzheimer's and Dementia Care. They have been among the pioneers in innovative resident programming such as validation therapy, reality orientation, pet therapy, and intergenerational integration. They established a Continuing Education Program with Truman College, one of the first of its kind in the country. With an average age of 82, the first graduating class had over one third of their residents receiving their diplomas.