Vonderlieth Living Center
celebrates 50 years
Public invited to an Open House on Sunday
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[October 20, 2023]
On
Sunday, October 22nd, Vonderlieth Living Center will celebrate the
50th anniversary of the skilled nursing facility in Mt. Pulaski.
On October 22nd 1973, May Downey had the privilege of being the
first resident to check into the new nursing home that had been
built thanks to the generous endowment of Henry and Jane
Vonderlieth.
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.
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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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Vonderlieth board member Jeff Martin,
Administrator Donna Kinkade and Board President Tom Cross
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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.
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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] |