Willow Falls

Is Willow Falls licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health?

It is. The Illinois Department of Public Health shows license 5108839 as active for Willow Falls at 1681 Willow Circle Drive, Crest Hill, held by WILLOW FALLS AL OPERATIONS, LLC. The current license period runs April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

Source: IDPH Licensing & Certification System public lookup. Last verified: October 2026.

What care is Willow Falls licensed to provide in Crest Hill?

IDPH licenses Willow Falls for 113 assisted living units: 82 regular assisted living units, 31 Alzheimer's/dementia special care units. About 27% of the licensed units are dedicated to Alzheimer's care, so dementia support is a meaningful part of its program.

Illinois licenses assisted living by living unit rather than by bed. An Alzheimer unit belongs to a special care program for people with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, which the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (210 ILCS 9) and 77 Ill. Adm. Code 295 hold to added staffing, training and environment requirements.

Who operates Willow Falls, and has ownership changed?

The licensee of record for Willow Falls is WILLOW FALLS AL OPERATIONS, LLC. IDPH shows 4 license period(s) for this establishment in its online system, the earliest beginning April 1, 2024, and no change-of-ownership record at this address.

IDPH's online system only reaches back to its 2023 migration, so a community can be licensed far longer than the earliest period shown; ask the community when it first opened.

Does Willow Falls have IDPH inspections or enforcement actions on record?

None are posted. As of October 23, 2026, the IDPH public lookup lists no survey reports, violations or enforcement actions for Willow Falls. That reflects what IDPH publishes online, not a guarantee that no survey has taken place.

Ask the administrator for the most recent IDPH survey and any plan of correction — establishments receive them and can share them. To raise a concern, call IDPH's Central Complaint Registry at 1-800-252-4343, or reach the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program through the Illinois Department on Aging Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966.

Where is Willow Falls, and what else is licensed nearby in Crest Hill?

Willow Falls is the only IDPH-licensed assisted living establishment listed in Crest Hill, Will County. Across Will County, IDPH lists 25 active establishments, 16 with Alzheimer units.

Hospitals families near Crest Hill commonly use include Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet — worth knowing for emergency transfers and specialist follow-ups.

For benefits counseling, caregiver programs and in-home services, the local agency is the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging, which serves DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.

How does Willow Falls compare with other licensed communities in Will County?

By licensed size, Willow Falls is one of the largest assisted living establishments in Will County: its 113 assisted living units rank #3 of 25 establishments with published unit counts, against a county median of 62. Metro-wide it ranks #25 of 228.

64% of Will County establishments list Alzheimer units, 524 in total; Willow Falls's 31 make up 6% of the county's licensed dementia capacity. Size isn't quality — a smaller building can mean more consistent staff — but it shapes the feel of daily life, the range of activities, and how likely an opening is when you need one.

What does Willow Falls's IDPH license history show?

IDPH's online system shows 4 license periods for Willow Falls, beginning April 1, 2024. Illinois assisted living licenses run for one year and are renewed annually, so an unbroken chain of periods is what a well-run renewal history looks like. The licensed unit mix has stayed the same across these periods.

• April 1, 2024 – April 1, 2025: Active
• April 1, 2024 – August 1, 2024: Probationary
• April 1, 2025 – April 1, 2026: Active
• April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027: Active

What Illinois rules apply to Willow Falls?

Willow Falls operates under the same state rulebook as every assisted living establishment in Illinois: the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (210 ILCS 9) and IDPH's rules at 77 Ill. Adm. Code 295. Those rules require a residency contract, a service plan for each resident, awake staff at all hours, and an annual unannounced IDPH inspection.

They also set the ceiling on care. Residents who need round-the-clock skilled nursing, or total help with two or more daily activities, generally have to move to a nursing home unless an exception such as hospice applies — so the move-out criteria in the contract matter as much as the move-in tour.

Because the license lists Alzheimer units, the dementia program must also meet the Act's special care unit requirements and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Special Care Disclosure Act, which requires a written description of the program's philosophy, staffing, training and activities. Ask for that disclosure document.

How do families pay for Willow Falls?

Most families pay privately — savings, pension and Social Security income, or proceeds from selling a home. Long-term care insurance usually reimburses licensed assisted living once a policy's benefit trigger is met, so check the elimination period. Wartime veterans and surviving spouses may qualify for VA Aid and Attendance, a pension supplement that can be applied to rent.

For Medicaid, Illinois uses the Supportive Living Program rather than paying assisted living rent directly, and SLP communities are certified separately by HFS — confirm with Willow Falls whether it participates before counting on it. For free benefits counseling, contact the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging.

How much does memory care at a community like Willow Falls cost?

Willow Falls doesn't publish its rates to IDPH, so we don't list a price for it. For context, memory care across the Chicago metro typically runs $5,500–$8,000 a month in 2026, with regular assisted living lower at $4,500–$6,500 a month.

Ask for an all-in monthly figure in writing for your parent's actual care level, what triggers a level-of-care increase, and the annual increase history. Illinois' Medicaid alternative to assisted living, the Supportive Living Program (SLP) run by HFS, is separately certified — ask Willow Falls directly whether it participates.

How should families evaluate Willow Falls?

The most useful thing about Willow Falls's public record is how precisely it lets you ask questions. Bring the license number, unit counts and licensee name to the tour and ask staff to explain how each applies to your parent.

For a dementia placement, ask to see the Alzheimer unit itself: how it is secured, the staff-to-resident ratio inside it, the dementia training staff completed, and the written criteria for moving a resident from regular assisted living into the special care unit.

What should you ask on a tour of Willow Falls?

Bring questions that test what the brochure can't. These are tailored to Willow Falls's license:

• Can you show me license 5108839 and your most recent IDPH survey?
• What is the overnight caregiver-to-resident ratio?
• Which care needs would require a move to a nursing home?
• How are medications managed, and who administers them?
• What is included in the base rate, and what costs extra?
• How many of your 31 Alzheimer units are open right now, and is there a wait list?
• What dementia training do staff in the special care unit complete, and how often?
• Do you participate in the Supportive Living Program, or accept VA Aid & Attendance toward rent?
• How do you handle a fall or medical emergency at 2 a.m.?

Can Chicago Senior Advisor help compare Willow Falls with other Will County options?

Yes, at no cost to families. We pull the same IDPH record shown here for each community on your shortlist, compare Willow Falls with other licensed options in Crest Hill and Will County on care level, availability and price, and stay in touch through the move. Call (877) 203-5053 or use the chat on this page.