Interview Committee at Sunny Hill Empowers Residents

We love hearing about new and creative ways in which our customers provide exceptional care to their residents. We thought you'd enjoy learning how Sunny Hill Nursing Home in Will County, Illinois has taken steps to empower the people who call their facility home.

In the past two years, the Resident Interview Committee at Sunny Hill has approved all 63 of the facility's new hires. The committee consists of six or seven residents and ensures that residents have a voice in determining who cares for them. The Resident Interview Committee was featured in the February 19 edition of Members Only, a publication of the Health Care Council of Illinois.

According to Becky Haldorson, Sunny Hill's assistant administrator, the Resident Interview Committee is an extension of the facility's dedication to resident-centered care. Residents are nominated to the committee by Haldorson or current committee members.

During the hiring process, department heads select candidates from a pool of applicants. The Resident Interview Committee then meets with the candidates to approve or reject the hiring. The committee's decision is final. If they reject a candidate, the hiring process starts over.

Haldorson said that residents find involvement with hiring decisions to be a rewarding experience.

"They are very involved and wholeheartedly committed," she was quoted as saying. "They all understand the impact of what they are doing and know their voice is heard, valued and appreciated."