HUNTLEY – Joe King was at the height of a productive advertising and marketing career in 2008 when he noticed the pain and swelling in his legs. At first, he assumed it was a temporary thing, and would recede. But it got worse, and he eventually consulted doctors. As his legs become abnormally large and painful, he was eventually diagnosed with a disease called lower extremity lymph edema, a condition involving infections in his legs.
He was 57 years old. “I had been healthy all my life to that point, but I spent the early part of this time in denial,” he said. “Then I fought back with antibiotics and exercise prescribed by doctors, but the condition seemed to stay ahead of treatments. I had to stop working to deal with it. My mobility virtually disappeared. My medical expenses soared out of control. I ate through my savings, investments, and medical insurance. I was in a wheelchair almost all of the time. I couldn’t afford to live independently.”
He had solid emotional support and care from his family but not enough financial support. Finally, earlier this year, a friend told him about a place in Huntley called Deerpath Assisted Lifestyle Community. It was a place, he was told, for adults like him who had run out of financial resources while dealing with a serious, crippling disease.
“He told me this place recently opened in Huntley and was accepting applications from low-income, financially needy persons like me, so I applied,” King said. “I came here last March, and this place has become the first step in turning my life around.”
So King joined about 90 other adults with physical disabilities in a facility located at Sun City’s doorstep. Deerpath is located at the end of Regency Square Parkway, about 100 yards from Sun City’s eastern edge. It sits next to Heritage Woods, an assisted living facility for seniors. Both of these facilities are managed by BMA Management Ltd., the largest provider of assisted living in Illinois.
In fact, Illinois, BMA, and the Chicago area are national leaders in the unique industry of affordable support care for physically disabled adults from ages 22 to 64.
“Deerpath is the only affordable, assisted living community for adults with physical disabilities in the northwest suburban Chicago area, and one of the few in Illinois,” according to Gail Williams, Deerpath’s director of marketing. “Illinois is one of the leading states in the development of places like ours.”
It provides residential apartment home living, along with personal assistance, help with medications, and a variety of convenience and support services. It serves low-income adults, many of whom have lost most or all of their financial resources in their battles with their disabilities. Some of the residents are on Medicaid government support.
Deerpath currently has 128 private studio and one-bedroom apartments, each with a kitchenette, full bathroom, and shower. Other amenities include a dining room, private dining area, a cafe, pub and billiards room, library, theater, laundry facilities, an outdoor patio, and outdoor walking and wheelchair paths.
“The operative words that describe us are affordable and physical disabilities,” said Williiams. “Ever since we opened in August of 2013, and the word went out about our location, we have received a steady stream of applications and inquiries. We have 25 pending applications now. It takes 7-8 weeks to process an application. We vet applications rigorously and carefully to make sure we are maintaining our standard of serving low-income, needy adults who need a place to live and enjoy activities while they deal with disabilities. Some will likely be long-term residents here, while others may recover and move on to active lives.”
There is no single financial standard that defines a resident, she said. “We have investors that provide us with the revenue that supports our services and amenities, and permits us to provide financial assistance to the residents. We are not a rehabilitation facility, although we provide rehab-style services for residents whose doctors recommend them. We are not a nursing home or hospital, although we have several registered and licensed practical nurses on our staff who monitor resident medications and medical needs. We also have a couple of physicians who come here twice a week to see residents that request them.”
Williams said there are several post-stroke residents on site now, a few amputees, a few with Parkinson’s disease.
“We have an ex-biology teacher, a couple of ex-journalists (including King), a former counselor with a master’s degree, and a few computer geeks. Some of the residents are pursuing these activities while they are here, offering their skills to other residents.
“We review each application on its merits, but our residents typically come here with social security or social security disability income that ranges from about $700 a month to sometimes as much as $2,000 a month. Residents may pursue employment while they are here, but any income they receive is applied to their room and board and is not given to them as personal income.”
King himself now looks forward to a significant recovery. “I’ve got the disease under control, and I look forward to regaining normal activities in about a year,” he said. He helps produce a periodic newsletter at Deerpath, called ‘Deerpath News.’ “I’m one of the lucky ones here, and we are all benefiting from the very good care and leadership displayed by our staff. They listen to us, and they hold regular meetings to get our input and provide us with information.”
Williams also addressed one issue that has been raised by Village of Huntley officials and some area residents – the safety of Deerpath residents that ride wheelchairs and motorized carts on roadways near the facility.
“We are aware that there has been some concern expressed by motorists who have seen our residents driving carts on Regency Square Parkway and crossing Route 47 to get to Wal-Mart and other destinations. We have talked to our residents about safety and staying alert and have advised them to put flags on their vehicles and wear bright colored clothing. We have also talked to the police, and we were gratified recently to see that white lines have been painted on Regency Parkway to define where our residents can travel. We are gratified for all that the village and police have done.”
