‘Loving care to the glory of God’

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Dave Rinkenberger, left, thanks residents for attending Bible study at Apostolic Christian Resthaven in Elgin, Ill., on Tuesday, July 5, 2011. | Andrew A. Nelles~For Sun-Times Media |

Open House

Where: Apostolic Christian Resthaven, Highland Avenue and Randall Road, Elgin

When: 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday

What: Visitors can enjoy refreshments and tour the facility, including a new 1,500-square-foot addition used for expanded meal service and additional activity space.

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Updated: July 7, 2011 2:20AM

ELGIN — With its unassuming exterior and peaceful grounds, passers-by might just overlook the brown brick nursing home located along Highland Avenue.

But inside of Apostolic Christian Resthaven, a warm glow of love and healing exists, say the many whose loved ones reside there.

One aspect separating the far-west-side facility from the rest is that the staff treats residents like family, said Apostolic Christian Resthaven administrator Dave Stieglitz.

“It may sound canned or trite, but we truly have a family atmosphere,” Stieglitz said. “We’re small enough that I know all the residents by name, but large enough to have some economies of scale, to be selective in hiring employees who truly care about the residents.”

Apostolic Christian Resthaven — a 50-bed skilled and intermediate nursing care facility located near the northwest corner of Highland Avenue and Randall Road — is offering area residents a tour this Sunday in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

The open house will be held from 2 to 4 p.m., when visitors can enjoy refreshments and tour the facility, including catching a glimpse of the new, 1,500-square-foot addition used for expanded meal service and additional activity space.

The addition, located in the middle of the structure where a courtyard used to be, keeps residents closer to their care nurses.

The large high-ceiling foyer, which serves as the lobby, had hosted most of the vast array of activities until the opening of the addition.

“We’ve have a different population than we did 25 years ago,” Stieglitz said. “Patients require more care now, and their needs are more acute. We weren’t comfortable having the staff so far from the nurse’s station.”

No wait list

For those who know Apostolic Christian Resthaven, they may have heard it’s impossible to get into due its size and popularity.

But those rumors are no longer true, Stieglitz said, since seniors today needing minimum care are able to now remain in their homes.

“There’s been a misconception that there’s a huge waiting list,” he said. “That was true at one time; but now, with a greater availability in home health care in the surrounding area, it’s not the case.”

Another misnomer, Stieglitz said, is that one must be of Apostolic Christian faith to reside there.

“We welcome everyone,” he said, adding that services for other faiths — such as Catholic Mass — are offered on-site.

Of the 50 beds at the facility, four are private and 23 are semi-private rooms. Amenities include an on-site hair salon and laundry service, a gift shop, bird aviary, and an outdoor deck overlooking the gardens.

For spouses wanting to live nearby, the nursing home has 18 independent living apartments attached.

Stieglitz, who has been the administrator of Apostolic Christian Resthaven for 13 years, said he has seen the focus shift over time to more individually-based care. He said that fits more in line with the facility’s Christian basis.

“I’ve seen us move from a medical hospital model to more person-centered care,” he said. “Our motto is ‘Loving care to the glory of God,’ and we try and fulfill that to the highest degree.”