Overview

This is the site to determine whether Blair House is the correct form of housing for you or your loved ones. This page is set up as an information guide to organize the basics of what you need to know about the house and its various assets. Here you can determine whether you would enjoy the dining experience, make good use of its services and amenities, or learn about the fun activities here at this place. You should be able to have a decent idea of the many services and protocols within the facility by the time you leave this site.  

General Information

The Blair house is retirement housing that offers assisted living and senior community. The Blair house accepts veteran’s benefits and the cost of living starts at $1,990 a month. It is located 1 mile for a hospital that is highly rated which Advocate Bromenn Medical center and there is another hospital located 2 mile away which is St. Joseph’s Medical center. The crime rate around the Blair house is an average rate. Holiday retirement which is the company running the Blair house has 300 location in the United States and Canada with over 40 years of experience. Holiday Retirement was founded by William E. Colson.

Blair House front entrance

Location

The Blair house is centrally located between St. Louis and Chicago. There is many different activities that are close and easy to travel to. 1200 E College Avenue Normal, Illinois 61761

Dining Experience at Blair House
There is a system and general protocol when it comes to having meals served.

Blair Bucks

Blair Bucks are a form of ''in house'' currency that residents can receive for participating in activities and crafts. They can be used for auctions held at the house for items that residents would find enjoyable or useful. Blair Bucks are meant to serve as an incentive to get seniors to socialize and participate with others in the many programs available to them. Blair Bucks are not given for participation in television based activities or religious services.

Activities Available at Blair House

There is always something for the residents to do while staying at Blair House. These activities are meant to provide a fun way for seniors to keep their mental faculties in constant use and be active in the community. There are many programs that they can participate in at little to no cost. For example some of these are Blair House iterations of the Price is Right, which is game show for the residents to play. Various items such as kleenix, juice, cookies, etc. are shown to the players and they much try to guess the price of the items. The one who guess correct or is closest to the actual value gets to keep the item. It is a fun way to give away items that residents would actually use. The Adventure Travel Club is a program where an information DVD or movie is shown about specific or exotic locations around the world. Afterwards the participants are treated to Trivia about what they've learned and food based on that location is provided. There is a different location visited about every month. If it is local history that you want to learn about then there is theMcLean County Museum. They have speakers come from the historical society in McLean County to talk to the residents. Sometimes they bring various artifacts and photographs to help stimulate the seniors memories in order to help them share their stories. Their hope is that this socializing will add to a shared history amongst the community. When done reminiscing, there is Let's Talk Seniors. Let's Talk Seniors is a program in which doctors come to talk about a variety of topics concerning seniors. Topic would include things like medical treatment/care, contemporary topics, or end of life planning. They also discuss fun subjects as well.

Blair House Bottom Floor

Seasonal Activities
There are also seasonal activities that really allow the residents and staff to get into the spirit of the holidays.

• Christmas bus trip- A bus is taken throughout town to see the variety of lights and extravagant decorations. 

• Halloween Safe House- The house encourages children to do trick or treating at Blair House, which is a safe environment. There is food and games for everyone, and it allows residents to join in the spirit of Halloween by wearing their own costumes.

Outings

It is important to know that the residents of Blair House are not strictly confined to the facility in terms of entertainment or meals. From Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-1:00 PM, the shuttle bus is here to allow residents to do shopping, go to appointments, etc. Occasionally there are  some times times that have the residents take the bus to locations that are giving tours or having an event. These can be places like Ropp Cheese Farm which holds free cheese tastings and hand dipped ice-cream. There are also lunch outings every month that go to different restaurants in the area. This is optional for those who want to get out every now and then. While the residents always have the option of eating out on their own accord, this outing provides the chance for most of them to have the chance to all go out  together. 

Outreach

The amount of outreach from the staff, community, and local police and fire department. A Chili Cook-Off is one such example of outreach from the faculty to its residents. The chili is provided and prepared by all staff involved. Afterwards the residents are invited to attend a blind taste test of all the different types of chili. The residents then get to vote on which chili they enjoyed the most. It is not revealed until the end whose chili belongs to who in order to prevent favoritism. There are times when the police department is scheduled to come over and talk about how to identify fraud and scams that residents may come across as well as how to deal with them. They also assist in the safe disposal of an medication. They also bring the Normal Canine Unit which is usually a very popular appearance at Blair House. This is generally scheduled twice a year when the police department comes over to establish how they work together with the dogs assigned in their unit. They demonstrate various situations such as how the dog would attack the leather sleeve as though it were an intruder and the way it would carry out orders. This event usually has good turn out and is a great way to learn about the Normal police unit. The local fire department comes to discuss the safety issues and emergency procedures at Blair House. Everyone is prepared in the event of potential incidents. To show appreciation, the chef and anybody willing make baked goods to send to the Fire Department and all those organizations that have helped Blair House in some way. It is just a way to give back to them to show how much the residents and staff acknowledge the time the they've taken to spend with them. Occasionally students from ISU come to Blair House to spend time with the residents. They participate in the activities in a sort of community outreach program. One such activity is soup around the campfire. People gather around the bonfire in the backyard and share soup outside under the stars. There are also community Bingo games that often yield prizes to those that win. Sometimes ISU students become involved on certain days. A combination of staff and/or residents help in supporting Reader's Theater. A resident and volunteer usually lead this program every week on Thursday. They read aloud classic literature such as My Fair Lady or Gone with the Wind to those who attend. They usually read about one chapter a week and afterwards, they discuss what has happened in the story. That is just the tip of the amount of support Blair House receives from the community.

Medical Conveniences
Although Blair House is an independent living facility, additional assistance can be hired to help residents if they require more complex care. However, Blair House does not provide them within the facility. That being said, there are some programs to help provide exclusive medical services to residents such as:

• Free Wellness Checks- Free blood pressure monitoring and balance screenings from visiting doctors.

• Medications delivered from pharmacies like Jewel Osco, Walgreens, and Hyvee.

• Chiropractor- gives free mini massages for those who attend.

• Midstate Podiatry- Every 10-11 weeks a doctor from Midstate Podiatry comes to trim their toenails for the seniors. It can be difficult for some members to do this themselves, so this service is to helps them get it done safely and comfortably.

• Flu Shots- Flu shots ans Shingles shots are brought to Blair House.

Management Comments

The managing staff here at Blair House are always here to listen to your concerns. That is why they hold open conversations that residents are free to attend if there is something they want to get off their mind.

• Chef's corner every month- Open conversation about how residents feel about the food they are served for meals. They are free to voice their comments/criticisms about what they like and what could be improved.

• Manager Meeting- Similar open conversation but with the managing staff. 

Services and Amenities Available to Residents
There are various activities and services available to residents of the house such as the movie night, live entertainment, and more.

Floor Plans

Ratings

Works Cited