'Pine View' new name for Hillcrest special care unit

McCOOK, Neb. – Pine View is the new name for the special care unit at Hillcrest.

The unit is a special area for residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia. It was chosen by a committee at Hillcrest from dozens of names dropped in a nomination box.

Seven names were chosen at final contenders and from that, residents and staff voted on their favorite name.

The name change is part of an overall, gradual departure from institutional-sounding names, said Brad Cheek, Hillcrest administrator. It’s a nationwide trend, he said, where facilities are getting away from disease-identifying names and moving toward more positive, generic sounding names.

It will also help in changing the mindset of the community about Hillcrest, he said, to one more reflective of what they do every day in “love, care and understanding.”

It will also help residents feel good about where they live.

“It’s all about making people here feel comfortable. This is their home now...it’s our job every day to get them up to highest level possible,” and positive-sounding names can’t hurt.

Name changes are scheduled in the future for the hallways as well, he said. Instead of numbers, the hallways will be changed to more affirmative names, like Apple Lane.