Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) · Chicago Senior Advisor
Patricia Nowak is a Certified Dementia Practitioner who guides Chicago families through memory care decisions across the region. She helps caregivers understand how Illinois delivers memory care — inside a licensed assisted living or shared housing establishment under the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (210 ILCS 9) and 77 Ill. Adm. Code 295, administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), rather than under a separate memory-care license — along with the written Alzheimer's special care unit disclosure, secured-unit requirements, and how to plan ahead as Alzheimer's or vascular dementia progresses. She has particular expertise in reading IDPH inspection records and the Illinois Nursing Home Report Card for red flags before a family commits.
Patricia Nowak contributes practical, Illinois-specific guidance to the Chicago Senior Advisor blog. Our advice is free to families and grounded in current IDPH licensing data and Illinois Medicaid rules.
Free, no-pressure call. We work for families, not facilities.