Little Sisters of the Poor marks 125th anniversary
Plans call for doubling nursing home beds to 47 in $500,000 upgrade
2/14/2011
Bishop Leonard Blair blesses an area at Sacred Heart Home for the Aged in Oregon that is being renovated into a nursing home room by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Bishop Leonard Blair blessed an area at Sacred Heart Home for the Aged in Oregon that will be renovated into a nursing home room, part of a $500,000 project to nearly double fully skilled nursing beds to 47.
ProMedica Health System last year donated 22 bed licenses to the Little Sisters of the Poor, which this month will begin renovating some assisted living rooms and other areas.
“We’ll be able to serve more people,” said Sister Cecilia Mary Sartorius, mother superior and nursing home administrator.
The Little Sisters of the Poor have sponsored Sacred Heart Home as part of their service to the elderly poor in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan since 1885. Sacred Heart Home is one of 30 nursing homes nationwide administered by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
About 70 close friends and benefactors gathered at Sacred Heart Home last Thursday for the closing ceremony of the 125th anniversary celebration, said Bill Cook, director of development.
The fund-raising campaign is nearly completed for the $500,000 project, including costs to go through the state’s certificate-of-need process with the Ohio Department of Health that ended Jan. 15, Mr. Cook said.
Currently, the home has 25 nursing and 25 assisted living beds, and it also has a senior center program. After the renovation, the home will have 47 nursing and six assisted living beds, as well as 20 independent living apartments and the senior center program, Sister Sartorius said.
Many residents have moved to a Sacred Heart assisted living room when they were in their 70s and 80s, and now that they are older, they need more care, Sister Sartorius said.
“They’re still there, and they’ll get the care that they need,” she said.
The waiting list to get a bed at Sacred Heart Home is two to five years, depending on how much care a resident needs, Mr. Cook said.
Having more nursing beds will help decrease that wait, Sister Sartorius said.
Renovations will be done so there is minimal impact on residents, Mr. Cook said.
There will be some construction involved with renovating some office space, a lounge area, and a visiting room, Sister Sartorius said.
The beds will need to be state certified before they qualify for Medicaid reimbursement, Sister Sartorius added.