‘Not your grandpa’s and grandma’s nursing home’
Residents, families, and staff rode in the Benedictine Living Community bus during downtown Owatonna’s lighted parade, held December 1. The bus was purchased with funds raised by the facility’s foundation. Contributed photo
Steve Arnold remembers going to visit his grandparents in the nursing home, and it was not a pleasant experience.
“It was so sterile,” said Arnold, who is now Director of Development for Benedictine Living-Owatonna. “I used to hate going to see my grandparents.”
Benedictine, he said, is “a totally different environment. I love giving tours.”
Executive Director Lisa Kern said a culture change happened in nursing homes about 20 years ago, shifting toward smaller living areas. Benedictine is divided into “neighborhoods”. While caregivers float as needed, they are anchored with the group.
Living room areas with television sets are comfortably furnished, and each neighborhood has a spa area with a walk-in, whirlpool tub. There’s a common dining area and long tables where you can usually find a conversation and a cup of coffee.
That’s where Harold Montanye sat one afternoon last week, talking about how he came to Benedictine Living in late November. He had been experiencing vivid “illusion dreams” of people coming into the home he shares with Ardes, his wife of 60 years. In one dream, a couple of men were fixing their vacuum cleaner. In another, their daughter was decorating for Christmas.
They disturbed him to the point where he insisted on going to the emergency room, “and boy, I’m glad I did,” he said.
A check-up revealed low oxygen levels, which have since been remedied. Montanye said he feels much better and is no longer bothered by the dreams.
While at Benedictine Living, his days are filled with therapy and exercises he does in his room. His son also visits to play cards and do puzzles, but he’s focused on working hard to get back home. Ardes has Parkinson’s; she needs his help.
“They’ve been treating me royal,” Montanye said of his care. “Everybody is so helpful.”
That kind of rave review is one of the reasons Benedictine Living Community-Owatonna recently received national recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 “Best Nursing Homes” report, in the short-stay category. The rating is based on multiple measures, but highly personalized care and “compassionate, caring staff” is at the heart of it all, Kern said.
The personalization starts during the admission process when staff asks very detailed questions.
“Personalized care is taking the extra effort to know an individual, what they like and don’t like, and serving those needs,” Kern said. “We’re valuing that everyone is different… It takes time and sharing of information and coordination.”
For example, she said, staff gets to know a person’s tastes in food, when they like to get up, and what goes into a normal day at home.
“They know, don’t bother Bob at one o’clock, because he’s taking a nap,” she said. “Living here cannot be exactly like home, but we try to take the time for people to adjust, so they can live in peace.”
Along with physical, occupational, and speech therapy, Benedictine Living Community offers the services of a social worker. A wellness staff puts a lot of energy into planning activities that put a little fun in every day, and the facility recently added a spiritual care coordinator.
Arnold works with a foundation committee that raises funds for “extras”, like 32 recliners recently purchased for patient rooms. The group was established in 2018, after a partnership with Steele County and Duluth-based Benedictine Health System dissolved.
The community’s roots lie in that partnership, formed in 2010. The current facility on 30th Street NW opened in 2013.
Thus far, the foundation has raised nearly $200,000. Its first project, a bus, was on display during the December 1 lighted parade in downtown Owatonna. Residents have opportunities for trips a few times a month to view holiday lights or go on picnics and to the Steele County Fair in warmer weather.
The cost of the bus was $80,000, Arnold said, and Benedictine officials estimated reaching that goal would take two to three years.
“We started raising funds around fair time in 2018,” he said. “We ordered the bus in January. This community is just unbelievable.”
The foundation committee is looking for new members; if you’re interested, or for more information about Benedictine Living Community-Owatonna, call 507-444-4200.