Nonprofit Spotlight: Catholic Eldercare
Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 3:55AMArticle by Becky Fillinger, photos provided
Diane LucasNovember is a month for showing gratitude. I’m grateful for the wealth of nonprofit organizations that serve our community. I spoke to Diane Lucas, Director Marketing and Communications of Catholic Eldercare – an exemplary example of a local organization doing good works for decades.
Q: Please tell us the history and mission of Catholic Eldercare in NE Minneapolis.
A: For nearly a century, the Little Sisters of the Poor provided loving care for the elderly of Minneapolis at St. Joseph’s Home, located at the corner of 2nd Street NE and Broadway.
In 1976 when the building was found to be inadequate for nursing home care, the Sisters chose to rebuild in St. Paul. About this same time, the closing of St. Anthony High School had left a school building at St. Anthony of Padua parish underutilized. This location, a mere two blocks from the old St. Joseph Home, suggested the possibility for its use as a replacement nursing home for Minneapolis.
At the request of then-Minneapolis Mayor Al Hofstede, Archbishop John Roach appealed to the religious communities serving the Archdiocese for help with this project. Sister Ruth Roland, O.P., responded with an offer to help with initial planning and began work with a small group of interested people in August of 1979 – those individuals are the founders of Catholic Eldercare – Albert J. Hofstede, Sister Ruth Roland, O.P., Minneapolis businessmen, Thomas F. Glodek, and Robert W. Hannah. Construction of the 150-bed skilled care center was officially begun on July 14, 1982, with the projected completion date set for one year later. The first residents moved in August 24, 1983.
Founder Portraits
Our mission – providing the care, housing and services needed by older adults to continue living fully with dignity in an intentionally created caring community – remains our focus today. Our full continuum of living choice offers independent living communities, assisted living and memory care communities, a skilled nursing facility, transitional care for rehabilitation services and an adult day program.
Albert J. Hofstede Campus
Q: How many seniors have you served since the organization’s inception?
A: My gosh, that is a good question, today we serve over 500; the number would be in the thousands upon thousands for sure. Perhaps the best way to get an understanding of how many we have served would be to look at the campuses themselves.
This is our main campus at the corner of 2nd Street NE and 8th Avenue NE. It consists of a 150-bed skilled care building, a 24-bed transitional care building, MainStreet Lodge assisted living with 51 apartments and the operation of our Adult Day Program which is licensed to serve 36 participants daily. This is connected to the St. Anthony of Padua Chapel, and the property is adjacent to Wyndris, a beautiful amenity rich independent living apartment building on 2nd Street NE and Broadway. There are 69 apartments in that building.
Wyndris Apartments
RiverVillage East/North Campus
This campus is located off Randolph Street NE, just 2½ miles north of the main campus. It is comprised of RiverVillage East assisted living and memory care which is a 71-unit apartment complex attached to RiverVillage North, a subsidized independent living apartment building with 35 apartments.
Catholic Eldercare has evolved and grown through the years with MainStreet Lodge welcoming first tenants in 1995 and the RiverVillage East/North buildings in 2004. The Transitional Care and Wyndris buildings are the most recent additions to the Catholic Eldercare footprint in Northeast Minneapolis, opening in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
Q: What’s on the horizon for 2022?
A: We’re on the verge of celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2023. With that milestone in mind, our Board of Directors and leadership team began a strategic planning initiative focused on what our desired future will be. We know that healthcare regulations will continue to change, technology will improve, and the desires of future customers will be different. Integration of technology, new models for providing care, and workforce strategies are key considerations as we plan. However, we remain committed to our mission of providing care, housing, and services needed by older adults to continue living fully. This is an exciting new chapter in Catholic Eldercare’s rich history, one that we embrace and look forward to.
Q: What volunteer opportunities are available?
A: There are many volunteer positions available, such as program aides, visitors, meal hosts, escorts, clerical aides, gardeners, monthly shoppers and more. Catholic Eldercare’s volunteer program is quite flexible – striving to match the volunteer’s availability and interests as much as possible. A volunteer compliments and supports our staff, and by doing this we hope those we serve have the best possible experience. You can learn more by contacting me at dlucas@catholiceldercare.org.
Q: How may we follow your news?
A: You can follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Or visit our website and blog to see latest news and events https://catholiceldercare.org/newsevents/.
