Assisted Living and Memory Care Help for Plainfield Families

How do Plainfield families find the right senior living?

Assisted living or memory care?

Assisted living may fit when:

• help is needed every day, not just for errands
• medicines or meals are slipping
• falls, or fear of falling, keep your parent home
• family is stretched thin

Memory care may fit when:

• getting lost on familiar drives or walks
• evening restlessness and trying to leave
• medicines or meals forgotten even with reminders
• a caregiver spouse who's exhausted and not sleeping

If a parent in Plainfield can't safely live alone, start with the level of care they need now, then decide which direction the family can drive each week. Plainfield sits where several suburbs meet, so families often weigh options toward Naperville, Joliet or the Fox Valley. A short list of two or three good fits is the goal.

Plainfield is a village of 44,762 people (2020 Census), and about 10% of residents are 65 or older. Downtown Plainfield centers on Lockport Street near Route 59. Much of Plainfield is in Will County, and the county's senior services center is in Joliet.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Brad Esposito / Senior Source works one-on-one with your family from St. Charles.

Which hospital is your parent leaving?

Plainfield has the Edward Emergency Center on 127th Street, a 24-hour stand-alone emergency center. Nearby hospitals include Edward Hospital in Naperville and Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. Wherever your parent is, ask the case manager what care is expected next and get the discharge plan in writing.

Confusion often rises during a hospital stay. Ask the team whether what you're seeing is new, what care they recommend next and the planned discharge date.

Hospital and rehab discharge help →

What local help is there for Plainfield seniors?

• Plainfield Township runs active adult programs, a shuttle service (815-436-1112) and a medical loan closet from its Community Center at 15014 S. Des Plaines Street, two blocks west of Route 59; call (815) 436-2029.
• The county Senior Services Center, 251 N. Center Street in Joliet, offers information and assistance, in-home care assessment and the long-term care ombudsman; call (815) 723-9713.

Before you tour, check each assisted living option in the Illinois Consumer Choice tool, and nursing homes or rehab in Medicare Care Compare.

What questions should Plainfield families ask?

Ask which hospital and which doctors a community works with, since Plainfield families often have care in more than one county.

Assisted living

Assisted living: ask what happens if your parent needs two-person help or more frequent checks.

Assisted living placement →

Memory care

Memory care: ask how staff support a new resident during the first two weeks.

Memory care placement →

Ask every community for a written monthly total at your parent's assessed level, plus what's extra and what's due at move-in. Quotes from Plainfield, Naperville and Joliet won't line up until you do. Supportive Living, Medicaid and VA benefits can play a role for some families; talk with an elder law attorney or the agency before counting on them.

Senior living costs and payment options →

Working with Brad from Plainfield

1. Start with a call. You describe your parent's health, memory and daily routine, plus where each family member lives.
2. Pick a direction. Plainfield families can look toward Naperville, Joliet or the Fox Valley, so Brad helps you choose the direction that suits your family.
3. Shortlist. Two or three places are chosen because they can meet your parent's needs, not because they are closest.
4. Tour together. Brad helps you schedule visits and compare staffing, care plans and what each community includes.
5. Make the move. He stays with you through the assessment, paperwork and the first days after the move.

What do Plainfield families ask?

Do you help families in Plainfield?

Yes. Call (630) 835-0355 and Brad will talk through what has changed and what level of care fits. Many Plainfield families look at options in more than one direction, so he helps you narrow the map to places that can meet your parent's needs and that the main visitor can reach.

Which hospitals do Plainfield families use?

Plainfield has the Edward Emergency Center on 127th Street, open 24 hours. For hospital stays, nearby options include Edward Hospital in Naperville and Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. If a discharge is coming and home isn't safe, call early so there's time to compare places that can take your parent.

Can the township help with rides to appointments?

Plainfield Township offers a shuttle service for older residents; call (815) 436-1112 for rules and scheduling. The township Community Center on Des Plaines Street, two blocks west of Route 59, also runs active adult programs and a medical loan closet. Call (815) 436-2029 for details.

Who can help if we have concerns about care in a nursing home or assisted living?

The county Senior Services Center in Joliet runs the long-term care ombudsman program for the area; call (815) 723-9713. An ombudsman advocates for residents and can help you raise concerns about care. You can also look up communities in the state's Consumer Choice tool.

What is assisted living?

Senior housing with daily help included, such as medicines, meals, bathing and dressing, plus activities and staff on site around the clock.

What is memory care?

Senior living for people with Alzheimer's or another dementia, with secured spaces, dementia-trained staff and a steady routine.

Can a hospital stay make dementia look worse?

Yes, often for a few days. Ask what is new before settling on a long-term plan.

Looking at nearby towns? See our Oswego senior living advisor page.