MOnday, nOveMber 16, 2015 | albertleatribune.cOM | Section B
SeniOr living You’ll Love the New Thorne Crest! H Independent Living H Assisted Living & Memory Care H Newly Designed & Remodeled Health Center & TCU!
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The independent living building of St. John’s on Fountain Lake is slated to be completed in April. The assisted living building is slated to open in March. Sarah Stultz/albert lea tribune
2 of new buildings at St. John’s on Fountain Lake slated to open in spring By Sarah Stultz
sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com
Work is ongoing at the new St. John’s Lutheran Community on Fountain Lake with the possibility of the first building on campus opening in March. That building, for assisted living, features 16 memory care apartments on the first level with 16 assisted living units on the upper floor. Apartments range in size from 425 square feet to 545 square feet, said Diane Wichmann with St. John’s Lutheran Community. The Tribune toured the assisted living and independent living buildings with Wichmann this week to view the progress. “When I saw the buildings they were more magnificent than I thought they would be,” Wichmann said. “We’re super delighted with everything that’s come about.” She said while construction crews are finishing drywall in the assisted living building and are starting on siding, she and others with St. John’s are busy looking at window treatments, blinds and other furniture for the common areas for the new building. Wichmann said in addition to the apartments for the residents, there will be areas where everyone can go such as a living room and dining area. Each apartment in the assisted living building will feature the resident’s own furniture. The memory care area, which is on the main level of the building, is a secure unit that features a walking link that is one continuous circle for residents to walk. The memory care apartments feature a kitchenette without a stove. On the upper floor is the assisted living apartments, which have the same layout as the memory care level. Many of the apartments have
“When I saw the buildings they were more magnificent than I thought they would be. We’re super delighted with everything that’s come about.” — Diane Wichmann with St. john’s Lutheran community views of Fountain Lake’s Edgewater Bay, and all have one bedroom and one bathroom. The independent living building is slated to be done a month after the assisted living building. Electrical work is presently being installed throughout the building, and sheetrock has not yet begun. See St. joHn’S, Page B3
Utility work has begun in the independent living building of the new St. John’s on Fountain Lake. PrOvided
The assisted living building in the St. John’s on Fountain Lake complex will feature a courtyard in the middle of the building. Sarah Stultz/
The eagle’s nest on the St. John’s property remains, and the tree where the nest is has been blocked off to allow as little disruption as possible.
albert lea tribune
PrOvided
PAge B2 | Senior Living | Monday, noveMber 16, 2015
It’s A hIstory of nursIng for 1 womAn By sarah stultz
sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com
Albert Lea resident Connie Benson always wanted to be a nurse. Coming from a family of seven daughters in a home near the Freeborn and Mower county line, Benson, now 93, said she was the first daughter to choose nursing. Two others later followed in her footsteps. Benson entered the nursing program at The Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester in 1942, after
taking teachers training at Austin Teachers College and teaching for a year in a country school. She said she had already been in nursing school for one year when the U.S. government established the Cadet Nurses Corps to provide nursing for the troops. Under this, the government funded nursing school training. “We were all so anxious,” Benson said. “We were the first war-time class.” During her training she worked at three hospitals:
Connie Benson signed up to be in the Navy during World War II once she completed nurses training, but the war ended a month before her graduation. Sarah StuLtz/aLbert Lea tribune
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Warrall, Kahler and Colonial. The Warrall hospital specialized in ear, nose and throat and urinary care. The Kahler Hotel’s top three floors were a hospital complex, and Colonial Hospital had medical and surgical units, but no pediatrics ward. Eventually these three hospitals were consolidated into one large hospital — Rochester Methodist Hospital. People from all over the United States attended nurses training there. “It was a wonderful experience when I think about it,” she said.
Benson said, though she had planned to go into the Navy as a junior officer, she did not end up doing so because a month before she graduated in June 1945, the war ended. Enlistments were closed. She worked at Colonial Hospital in surgery before she married her husband, Clifford, in December 1945 and moved to Albert Lea. The couple had six boys. She started working at Naeve Hospital starting in 1946. Today, Benson lives at Thorne Crest Senior Living Community in an independent living unit.
She said in her spare time she enjoys playing bridge and attending
church and weekly Bible studies through Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church.
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with helping hands built-in This advertisement from 1942 advertised the need for nurses in World War II. Provided
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MOnday, nOveMber 16, 2015 | SeniOr Living | Page b3
A celebration of Veterans Day
Construction crews work on what will eventually be the new town center at St. John’s on Fountain Lake. PrOvided
St. John’S Continued from Front Page
Wichmann said the independent living apartments are one or two bedrooms each and range in size from 660 square feet to 1,055 square feet. there are 40 in total. Each unit in this building has large windows and a patio or a balcony, and there are several areas throughout the building for people to congregate and meet with each other or to invite
family who don’t live there to a party or other gathering. Each apartment has a washer and dryer, a stainless steel kitchen, a dishwasher and other appliances. While each independent apartment has its own kitchen, a resident can eat in a dining room if he or she chooses not to cook. “there are lots of services that can come with independent living if they want,” she said. outside the assisted
living and independent living apartments, work has also begun on the town center, which connects the two buildings, along with the skilled nursing building, which is slated to open in March 2017. Crews are working on putting in the footings for this building. Wichmann said the town center is crucial to all three buildings as it will give residents a place to meet together and to enjoy activities. St. John’s is fundraising for the town center.
It will include a chapel, a wellness center, a learning center and a store, among other amenities. the roads and parking lots around the campus have also been paved. the St. John’s on Fountain Lake senior living community has been in the works for six years. Wichmann said though the project has been a lot of work, she is excited to see it come to fruition. “I think senior living can be a new way of life for people,” she said.
Carla Reichel of St. John’s Lutheran Community honors veterans with a roll call of their branches during a Veterans Day service, presenting each veteran with a picture of this year’s National Veteran poster for 2015. Guest speaker was Ron Reule from the Freeborn County Veterans Service Office, followed by patriotic music. A breakfast was also served. PrOvided
Raising money for the Angel Tree
St. John’s Lutheran Community residents hosted a bake sale Oct. 23. All proceeds benefited the Salvation Army Angel Tree. This provides Christmas gifts for children in the area. Baked goods were made by residents, staff, volunteers and families. St. John’s residents will go shopping in December St. John’s Lutheran Community has one more bake sale to choose gifts for children in the area. Residents are anx- planned for Friday in the St. John’s chapel from noon to ious to go shopping. 4 p.m.
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“During my rehab stay at St. John’s, my care has been outstanding. The staff from every department has given me the confidence and encouragement that I will need to return home. St. John’s has met all my needs just as they met the needs of my parents 19 years ago.” — Judy Menssen
Page b4 | Senior Living | Monday, noveMber 16, 2015
Good Sam residents host pancake meal
Residents at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea hosted their annual Denny Brue pancake breakfast and fall pie sale on Nov. 8. Provided
Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea is taking part in initiatives the organization said are helping improve the lives of residents. Stacy Johnson is the director of quality at Good Samaritan Society. SaM WiLMeS/aLbert Lea tribune
Good Sam aims to improve quality of life for its residents through yearlong project by Sam Wilmes
sam.wilmes@albertleatribune.com
Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea staff are taking part in initiatives the organization hopes will improve the lives of residents. According to Director of Quality Stacy Johnson, the organization is participating in the quality improvement incentive program, a yearlong project in which the organization chooses an area of care to improve on. Good Samaritan Society is looking to reduce the number of unnecessary antipsychotic medications used at the facility. Johnson said there is a nationwide push to ensure seniors are on the least amount of medications necessary, as well as the lowest effective dose. “I am happy to say we have been very successful in making sure people are not on unnecessary medications,” she said. She said individualized care is
critical to the organization’s effort. “I hope each person feels that this is their home,” Johnson said. “I hope they feel loved and wanted
“I hope each person feels that this is their home. I hope they feel loved and wanted here.” — Stacy Johnson, director of quality at good Samaritan Society of albert Lea here. I hope each person feels as though their needs matter and they are being met.” Good Samaritan Society also has a quality assurance performance improvement department that Johnson said combines quality assurance and performance improvement. She said
the department meets monthly and focuses on improving systems and processes to ensure the organization is providing the highest quality of care to those they serve. Johnson said the organization also looks at resident and family engagement surveys to measure the quality of care in their long-term care center. She said she participates in care conferences so she can find out how each resident feels about each aspect of his or her care. As the director of quality, Johnson uses data to monitor and prioritize to ensure standards and regulations are being met at the facility. She said Good Samaritan Society has earned a five-star rating based on health inspection surveys, staffing levels and quality measures. Good Samaritan Society is on the north side of Albert Lea and provides senior living apartments, assisted living services, rehabilitation, longterm care and homecare services.
An afternoon of Halloween fun Senior Resources 1659 W Main St • Skyline Plaza • Albert Lea, MN • 507-377-7433 SR provides opportunities that promote health and well-being to the aging population and others.
Residents and staff enjoy fun at the annual Halloween celebration at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea. Provided
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The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society provides housing and services to qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, disability, familial status, national origin or other protected statuses according to applicable federal, state or local laws. Some services may be provided by a third party. All faiths or beliefs are welcome. © 2015 The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society. All rights reserved.