After rating more than 15,000 skilled nursing facilities nationally, U.S. News & World Report named Hillcrest Country Estates Cottages as one of the “Best Nursing Homes for 2018-2019.”

“Our Cottages at Hillcrest Country Estates are an innovative model for skilled nursing care,” said Sharyl Ronan, CEO of Hillcrest Health Services. “As a national leader, we introduced ‘culture change’ to the nursing home environment, so it feels like home in every way. We’re honored to have been chosen for this recognition.”

Take a tour of any one of the eight long-term care cottages, and you’ll notice there are no long hallways and nursing stations like “traditional” nursing homes. Instead, Hillcrest Country Estates features 14,000-square foot, freestanding cottages that look and feel like home.

Often mistaken for assisted living, the cottages have private suites, a bath spa, hair salon, library, family-style dining and a wide-open floor plan. Each cottage is home to just 13 “elders” (residents) who are treated like family by the compassionate doctors, nurses, elder assistants and cottage guides who care for them.

At the Cottages, forget the rigid schedule of traditional nursing homes. Here, elders are welcome to enjoy the schedule they have always known. Whether an elder enjoys waking early or late, a cottage homemaker is prepared to custom-make his/her favorite breakfast. What’s on the menu? Anything the elder wants since the kitchen is stocked with all of the elders’ favorite foods, while a registered dietitian ensures proper nutrition based on each elder’s care plan. Lunch, dinner, snacks and scrumptious baked goods are all prepared right in the cottage by the homemakers (who are also trained nursing assistants), and big meals are served family style, with Hillcrest’s team members joining their elders at the dining table.

“We often say this is ‘their home,’ not ‘the home,’” explained Jim Janicki, a Hillcrest Vice President. “No one else in the Omaha region offers cottage-style skilled nursing care. We are proud of what we’ve created in this unique setting, which respects the dignity and lifestyle preferences of those who require 24-hour care.”

To learn how your loved one can experience the difference of cottage life at one of the nation’s top-ranked communities, call (402) 885-7000.