The Danish Home has been busy renovating and remodeling to meet the needs of today’s seniors.
As president and CEO of The Danish Home of Chicago, Scott Swanson is enmeshed in Danish culture every day of his life. But this year, for the first time, he visited the country from which so many of his beloved residents and friends hail. Along with his wife Amy and The Danish Home Foundation’s development…
Kirsten Freund knows a thing or two about hygge. Raised in Esbjerg, Denmark, on the North Sea and 100 percent Danish, the faithful friend and volunteer of The Danish Home of Chicago knows what it’s like to cozy up inside a comfy home a good portion of the year. “It got dark at 3:00 in…
Robin Decker answers her office phone with all the pep and energy her job as director of resident life at The Danish Home of Chicago senior living community demands. “Activities!” she sings into the receiver. This is the upbeat spirit with which she and her team plan and implement the many resident activities, outings and…
In a ballroom of over 300 hundred people, Roger Sukhu received a standing ovation for the multi-course meal he and his team prepared for guests of “Lillejuleaften,” The Danish Home of Chicago’s 125th anniversary Christmas celebration in 2017. “That’s when I really understood how much people appreciate what I do,” said The Danish Home’s dining…
The Danish Home Foundation is excited to announce that Linda Steffensen of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, has joined The Danish Home Foundation staff as its new development manager. Linda’s connections to The Danish Home of Chicago and the national Danish-American community run deep. “I remember coming to The Danish Home as a young girl and folk…
Julia Krueger drops into the apartment of a fellow resident of The Danish Home of Chicago to admire her neighbor’s beautifully blooming tulips. They chat amicably as they regard the bright yellow harbingers of spring. From there, Julia strikes up a conversation with Linda Steffensen, development manager of the boutique senior living community’s fundraising vehicle,…
“Joy” is a word Kristie Hansen-Mendez uses generously to describe the unique living experience at The Danish Home of Chicago. “My mother truly loved living here in her last months. The joy of friendship that she experienced in this boutique environment is truly special and was so important to her well-being. It gave her such…
There is no greater testament to the quality of life at The Danish Home of Chicago than a former executive becoming a resident. That’s exactly what happened last October when Leif Nielsen and his wife Diana moved from the house next door (literally) into The Danish Home, where he was administrator for 25 years. “We…
She was the first woman in Chicago to receive a pin for 70 years of service to the Girl Scouts. No one had ever served that long in this city. That was two years ago, and Annette Cameron is still going strong with the organization she joined as a teenager. A resident of The Danish…
“My husband took his very first steps at The Danish Home,” said Esther Sorensen. “Years later, he took his last there, too.” A resident of The Danish Home, the late Jim Sorensen attended The Danish Home’s annual picnics as early as toddlerhood, as did Esther. Born in Denmark and friends from the homeland, Jim and…
