- Written by Mary Dolan for PioneerCare
Back in my thirties, I had a vision for my future. It involved month-long stays in warm weather places for the winter and playing constant rounds of golf during this lovely hiatus. It seemed like a great plan, but I wasn’t looking too far forward into the future.
Now that I’m nearly to the age where I thought I’d escape the cold, I realize things have changed dramatically. I now realize there were so many things I just didn’t consider: aging parents who needed my help or grandchildren who I couldn’t imagine being away from for three months. That’s what happens as we look to the future. Things change in unexpected ways, and we must change with them. We make new plans and make good decisions for what’s yet to come.
Photos at left: Dean Monke, Patty Lindholm, and Paul Nelson serve as co-chairs for the Securing the Future capital campaign.
In this article, I’d like to share conversations I had with three people in our community who are among a group that thankfully has a vision for the future. Dr. Patty Lindholm, Dean Monke and Pastor Paul Nelson are all co-chairs for a capital campaign to make some necessary changes for the future at PioneerCare. Securing the Future is the theme of this capital campaign and will provide new funding and improvements to meet the future and preserve a fundamental part of our past.
The capital project for the care center will support privacy and dignity, reduce risk of social isolation, improve access to activities, and introduce new safety and infection control measures for people PioneerCare serves. At the same time, the project will reset PioneerCare’s state-controlled property reimbursement rate, adding $1 million in annual revenue upon the project’s completion date and thereafter.
“I have personal and professional experience with PioneerCare,” said Patty, “having had family members spend time at Pioneer and as a physician who made regular rounds there over the years.” As a family member, Patty recalls positive experiences. “My husband and my father-in-law both spent time in the short stay unit following hospitalizations. The physical therapy and nursing care they received was truly excellent. Pioneer is superior in so many ways: in quality of the facility, in their care, and in the way they offer dignity to residents.”
Patty also has perspective as a retired physician. “I remember many times visiting with a resident and their family in a semi-private room,” she said, “and it was just plain lousy when it came to confidentiality. I could see the residents were uncomfortable sharing their medical and personal information with me while someone else sat as close as the other side of the room. As a physician, it frankly made me cringe. That’s just one of the reasons I am so committed to this capital campaign. Eight shared rooms will become sixteen private rooms, enhancing life for our residents, and providing them with the privacy and dignity they deserve.”
Patty and I visited about other parts of the vision for the future of PioneerCare. “I’m also excited about a new high tech visiting room that will be a safe and hygienic space for families to visit, without making them look at each other and visit from the outside looking through a window again,” said Patty, “PioneerCare has always been forward thinking in considering necessary improvements like this.”
Photo at right: A visiting space with high-tech infection control will prevent guests and residents from ever having to visit from opposite sides of a window again.
Other changes built into the campaign include things you, as a visitor, may not see and may not consider. “Things like office space is something you just don’t think about when you visit Pioneer,” said Patty, “I don’t think Pioneer visitors ever think about how our staff is being compensated for their work, jobs that many of us don’t want to do. These are things that will be addressed with our capital campaign. We need to invest in those who work at Pioneer the best way we can. It’s our mission to invest in the future of this wonderful facility that is so important to this and other surrounding communities.”
Dean, like Patty, has experience having a family member at PioneerCare. “My mom was a resident at Pioneer for two and a half years,” recalled Dean, “and she was so well taken care of. I don’t think we could’ve found another facility that was so outstanding and so cosmetically beautiful.”
While Dean’s family was so pleased with his mom’s care, he was also pleased to know that Pioneer is always looking forward to making sure the facility is preserved and enhanced to keep up with future needs. “As long as we have this beautiful facility, let’s keep it that way,” said Dean, “Let’s make the best use of the space we have. I think we all know if a room goes unused for any length of time, it becomes an office. Now it’s time to reclaim those spaces for resident use as it was originally intended. We have a design now that includes dedicated office spaces. It’s much more efficient this way, and it’s even more important for those other spaces to be creatively used to enhance life for our residents.”
As work on the capital campaign began, Dean imagined what his mom would have said about the possible enhancements. “What would my mom think of this fundraising project?” asked Dean, “Well, I think she would say this: ‘That makes a lot of sense. This is a no brainer! You’d have to be off your rocker not to support something like this.’ I think that’s what she would say!”
Dean listed things he was excited about including. Making a quieter conference room without losing the view of the indoor waterfall; creating a visitor space so we never again have to see residents look at their grandchildren through window glass; changing double rooms to single rooms; making better, more accessible activity spaces; and improving mechanical systems for enhanced safety and infection control.
“These changes are ones my mom would have been proud of,” said Dean, “and I realize how important each one is to the life of residents and their families. A capital campaign such as this is not only important, but a necessary step in securing future state funding. Today, we don’t know where the financial markets will go, so we need to be prepared to secure the future of Pioneer and the families it employs and serves.”
Paul is the third of the capital campaign co-chairs. “I believe we are called to be bold and confident in our decisions,” he said, “and I think the leadership of the corporate board and PioneerCare as a whole is moving in the right direction.”
Paul has 50 years’ experience visiting nursing homes as a pastor. “This is a ministry, a holy, sacred work of God’s people,” he explained, “and I always wanted to be sure we retained the connection between the church and senior housing and care. The end of life matters so much and at Pioneer, it’s not just a job, it’s a ministry.”
Changing to meet future needs is something PioneerCare has always made a priority. “I’m proud of the forward-thinking people in leadership at PioneerCare,” said Paul, “It’s a pleasure to see how the entire staff is a team. They are a family, working together with love and care. Not only do they take care of residents and families, but they take care of each other. I’m proud of the PioneerCare leadership that works tirelessly to support and reward the staff. This continues to be a priority as they forge ahead with the capital campaign.”
Securing the future seems like a tall task, but Paul believes it’s a ministry to which we are called by faith. “This is faith in action,” said Paul, “it’s more than a business venture, more than providing space. It’s a spiritual work. It’s holy. That’s why I showed up, volunteered, supported, and prayed for this ministry.”
Perhaps you have a special connection to Pioneer. Perhaps you feel pride in Pioneer like so many others do. And, like Pastor Paul, perhaps you think of Pioneer as a ministry. Whatever your connection, you’re invited to join Pioneer in their effort to preserve and enhance the quality of life for Pioneer residents and secure the future of this spiritual work in our community.
