|
 This
week Jeff Martin and Tom Cross joined administrator Donna Kinkade to
share information about Vonderlieth with Lincoln Daily News. Martin
is a second-generation board member and also the longest sitting
board member at Vonderlieth. Cross is the current board president.
Kinkade has been the administrator at Vonderlieth for the past five
years. She came to Vonderlieth after nearly 30 years of working for
a faith based not for profit organization. She notes that there, she
fulfilled many roles, though she was never considered the
administrator of that organization, the experiences she had there
prepared her well for taking on the duties assigned to her position
at Vonderlieth. Hailing from Piper City, she said that she moved to
Lincoln soon after accepting the position in Mt. Pulaski. She
appreciates the small community atmosphere of both towns and has
felt quite at home at Vonderlieth.
Martin is a second-generation board member, who technically should
have been the third generation. When the construction of Vonderlieth
was in the works, Martins grandfather was tagged to be one of the
charter members of the board. However, he passed away before the
establishment of a board of directors and Jeff father took his
place. Then later, Jeff replaced his dad, and has been on the board
for the past 23 years.
On Sunday, there will be an open house at the living center from 2
p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a short program at 2 p.m. where Martin
will share some of the historical background of the center.
While the nursing home was officially opened in 1973, the plan to
erect a long term care facility began many years prior to that, when
Henry and Jane Vonderlieth established a bequeathal in their will
for the new facility to be built after their passing.
Martin shared that the Vonderlieth’s had been from Mt. Pulaski but
had moved away. They were in touch with the community throughout
their time away and entrusted to the editor of the Mt. Pulaski
Times, Harry Wible the news that they would leaving money to Mt.
Pulaski for the construction of a hospital.
Yes, a hospital was the first plan of the Vonderlieth’s, and the
story was published in the Times on January 10, 1958. Though the
hospital was a nice proposal, looking into the needs of the
community, it was determined that it was not feasible, and that
there would be a greater need for a long term care facility. The
bequeathal was not to be distributed until the passing of both of
the Vonderlieths. Henry passed away on April 14, 1968, and 18 months
later in October of 1969 Jane joined him in eternal rest.
The groundbreaking for the new nursing home then took
place on June 18, 1972. Cross said that the original building is
what is now considered the south half of the skilled nursing
facility. There have since been additions to the building proper and
also the establishment of the independent living apartments which
are separate from the main unit. Cross said that even though the
independent living apartments did not come right away, the proposals
that were approved by the Vonderlieths before their passing included
such living facilities.
The first meeting of the board of directors for Vonderlieth was held
on March 11, 1971. The original plan for the center was a skilled
nursing facility where that the majority of the residents would
require consistent medical attention. Kinkade, martin and Cross said
that over the last 50 years, the skilled nursing has continued to be
an important part of the facility, but there is also a larger number
of people who are coming to the facility that are higher functioning
and require more of an assisted living situation than consistent
medical care.
Kinkade said it is a good sign that our senior population is
remaining independent longer, staying in their own homes longer, and
requiring less medical attention as they age. The center has adapted
continually throughout its 50 years to accommodate the needs of the
residents and the community.
Throughout the years, the center, which is board
directed, and not affiliated with any larger health care
organizations has faced its share of challenging moments. Cross,
Martin, and Kinkade all agreed that perhaps the greatest of those
challenges was the Covid-19 pandemic. Kinkade was still pretty new
to the job when covid struck and she said it was a difficult time
for the staff , the residents, and the families.
She said that there were some remarkable stories though that came
from the bad times. The staff that stayed in house for longer
periods of time because there was a fear that if they left the
facility they could bring the virus back with them when they
returned. There was the families that brought bags of food and
treats and left them outside the building to help benefit the
residents and the staff during their isolation.
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She said there were tough times as well. She and Martin talked
about the pain of the residents and the families in not being allowed to have
human contact. Martin said there were plenty of visits outside the windows of
resident rooms, but it wasn’ the same, and sometimes even made it harder because
family and residents could not really be close through a glass.
Of course throughout the history of the living center, financial management has
always been a challenge. With the living facility being a stand alone operation,
Vonderlieth has had to be very careful in its money management. One of the
greatest challenges has been dealing with the loss of income for residents with
Medicaid. Kinkade said that the nursing home has a shortfall of about $40 to $60
a day that has to be made up in other areas. Because of this, the facility has
to maintain a careful ratio of Medicaid residents and private insurance
residents in order to keep the facility financially sound. One way the center is
offsetting costs is by adding more services. Currently the facility offers a
rehab to home program where patients can come from the hospital and receive
rehabilitative services such as physical therapy in preparation for the time
when they are able to return to their home. The center also offers a physical
therapy program for clients not living at the nursing home. She said the
patients needing that service have their own entrance into the building, and do
not come in daily contact with the long term residents or staff.
Cross said that Kinkade has done an excellent job with that balancing act, and
that the board doesn’t interfere with her job. He said the board hears from her,
acts when she asks them to, but otherwise allows her to advise them on how to
proceed with the daily operations, and works to support her when she needs that
support.
Currently there are 60 residents in the skilled to assisted living sections of
the facility and 23 independent apartments that are all occupied. Martin said
there is a waiting list for the apartments, and Cross explained that the
independent living portion of the Vonderlieth program is the first step in the
progression as residents age and required more specific care. He said some will
move from the apartments to the assisted living portion of the main building and
then on to the skilled nursing as their needs increase.
Kinkade said that the center also has a higher than average staff to resident
ratio. With 60 residents, they nursing home employees 70 staff spread across
multiple shifts to assure 24/7 care for all.
She said that while the facility prioritizes health care, there are also many
opportunities for socialization. She said first and foremost, the facility
itself, while it may not have all the “bells and whistles” of other facilities,
offers a comfortable “grandma’s house” setting for residents and their families.
She said the main communal area is the living room and it is very comfortable
for residents and visitors. Families are able to come in and dine with their
residents, and currently the center is repurposing one private area just off the
dining room that can be utilized for a family get together scenario that allows
for more privacy and more closeness between the residents and their families.
Kinkade said there are also outings for the residents who are able. The center
participates in several of the local parade events. The residents enjoy the Mt.
Pulaski Fall Festival and the Lincoln Christmas parade. This time of year, they
enjoy going out and watching the harvest get underway. There are activities at
the center as well including religious services, card games, art, birthday
parties and holiday themed parties. Several residents have accounts for making
purchases, and they provide their shopping lists and the staff make arrangements
for purchases for them. There is also internet access and online shopping is
becoming more popular.
On Sunday the open house will include a program that looks back
on the history of the Vonderlieth Living Center in greater detail. Kinkade and
Martin have a stack of historical items including copies of the Mt. Pulaski
Times with news stories about the center, and other mementoes.
For the center, the first 50 years have been an overall great experience, and
the board members are looking forward to continually adapting to the needs of
the citizens and the community so to provided a bright future for the next 50
years.
The community is invited to attend the open house on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4
p.m. The day will begin with a short presentation, then there will be food and
drink and opportunities to get to know the center, its staff, and some of the
residents.
Please make plans to attend and enjoy that grandma’s house feeling that makes
the Vonderlieth provides on a daily basis for its residents.
[Nila Smith] |
