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Post-Surgery Rehabilitation at The Terraces at The Clare Delights Chicago Actor Russ Bruzek

It was an inimitable start to the New Year.  Chicago actor Russ Bruzek woke up at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 2 a.m. on January 1, after triple-bypass surgery.  The active 83-year old had gone to his doctor for a check-up and was ultimately admitted to the hospital for the surgery.  Bruzek chose to do his post-surgery rehabilitation at The Terraces at The Clare and was delighted to progress well enough there, to be discharged in about half the time expected.

Bruzek who lives in a condominium in River North is very active, riding his bike miles daily and studying opera and writing.  Retired from his full-time job as a printing paper salesman, Bruzek continues to work as an actor and freelance model, which he’s done for more than 30 years. His main claims to fame are his movie roles in The Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  Bruzek has performed in more than 50 stage productions and a multitude of television commercials and print media. One of his more notable appearances was in the August 2011 issue of Playboy Magazine in which he was photographed as Socrates.

Prior to his heart surgery Bruzek said that he was aware of The Clare, as a retirement community in a beautiful high-rise on the corner of Rush and Pearson in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast. “I knew of it by its reputation. It’s very high class.  It’s quite highly rated,” he said. Bruzek added that he was surprised and pleased to learn that The Terraces, located within The Clare, provides short-term rehab, in addition to assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing. Furthermore, The Terraces partners with Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and has earned the prestigious five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  “Medicare and my Screen Actors’ (SAG) insurance covered the first 20 days after surgery which turned out to be 11 more days than I even needed,” he said.  “The rehab people were really great.  I am so pleased. Everything went well.”

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Bruzek said that he was pleasantly surprised by the great cuisine at The Terraces, that didn’t seem to be standard retirement community fare.  “One night we had leg of lamb.  I couldn’t believe it,” he said. He was also very pleased with the attentiveness of the dietician who worked closely with him to make sure that his meals were healthy and tasty.

Bruzek said that needing heart surgery was a life changer, and he was pleased to have had the opportunity to recuperate at The Clare.

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The Clare at Rush and Pearson is a Life Care retirement community in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast with incomparable lifestyle, amenities and the financial stability only a debt-free community can offer. 

As a LifeCare community, as future needs arise, there is access to a full continuum of health care on-site. The LifeCare benefit also ensures that monthly fees remain predictable.

The Terraces at The Clare, which partners with Northwestern Memorial Hospital, provides assisted living, memory support, rehabilitation and skilled nursing. The Terraces has earned the 5-star quality rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  The Clare is owned by Chicago Senior Care and managed by Life Care Services.  For more information visit: www.theclare.com or call 312-784-8100.

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