First floor demo has begun. (Provided)
On May 5, Catholic Eldercare staff, company President and CEO Greg Baumberger, contractors and supporters met in the 817 Main Street lobby to kick off a renovation which will result in many more single rooms for residents.
Bistro rendering. (Provided)
After an opening prayer, Baumberger said that Catholic Eldercare briefly considered building another wing to expand the space for the project, with staff spending “many hours” considering that option before designing the project using the existing square footage.
Lions Club supporters and sisters-in-law Haley and Kayle Stone. (Mark Peterson)
Eldercare Foundation Director Tom Glass said, “We are embarking on a transformation of our care center and our adult day program with a goal of enhancing the quality of life for our residents and participants.”
The new Adult Day Program will have a larger space to allow for more participants and expanded programming. The design includes three separate “neighborhoods” in the care center — each with their own living room, dining room, kitchen and three-season porches, a grab-and-go café and access to the chapel, atrium and outside gardens.
The care center currently has 172 rooms, 88 of which will become private suites. Glass noted that moving more people to the first floor “will just be so much easier — getting to Mass, getting to the outdoors and going out for appointments. Over 70% of our residents and seniors receive some form of financial support, and this is our commitment to our mission of care for every senior in need of care.”
Former City Council member and longtime Catholic Eldercare supporter Diane Hofstede takes a swing. (Mark Peterson)
The cost of the project is $11.5 million, with $9 million in financing provided through Northeast Bank and a capital campaign set to raise the remaining $2.5 million. The project is expected to take 12-18 months.
Recently, nursing homes have trended towards increasing their single-room occupancy. Studies indicate that such rooms offer several benefits, including improved sleep patterns, reduced infection risk and enhanced resident satisfaction and independence. Additionally, there has been a general increase in demand for senior living, leading to higher occupancy rates overall.
Since it opened the Albert J. Hofstede Care Center in 1983, Catholic Eldercare has become a Northeast landmark for senior living and care. Soon after opening, it established the Adult Day program, opened Main Street Lodge Assisted Living in 1995 and created the RiverVillage North independent living apartments and RiverVillage East for assisted living and memory care. In 2017 the Transitional Care Unit began operations.
Bottom, Marie Barta, director of operations; Dr. Mary Broderick; Co-Chair Capital Campaign Thomas Leavy; Frank Broderick; David Ryan; Greg Baumberger; Joan Lensmeir; Darlene Cuddigan and Diane Hofstede. (Mark Peterson)
Baumberger noted, “This is an important aspect of the community, and so we’re going to continue to do good work when we have that opportunity, and we have that opportunity because we continue to invest in the facilities that we have, and we continue to do that because of generosity of our donors and effort of our employees. All of this money is directly going to increasing the quality of life for our residents and program participants.”