The St. Francis Manor opened its new assisted living facility, the Hammond Center, this Monday, March 4, to a crowd of 70 Grinnell residents, according to the general manager of the Center, Sammi Bryan. The new facility includes 20 assisted living apartments and a variety of community rooms built to accommodate elderly residents.
St. Francis Manor hired The ProMatura Group, a global market research firm, to conduct an audit of Poweshiek County’s need for assisted living in 2015. The Group found that Poweshiek County currently lacks between 88 to 112 new assisted living units. The new Hammond Center for Assisted Living at 2021 Fourth Ave. attempts to help meet the community’s need.
The Center is connected to St. Francis Manor, a nonprofit healthcare center. St. Francis Manor already offers an independent living community and a nursing home: Seeland Park and St. Francis Manor, respectively. Bryan said “[assisted living] is the last piece of the puzzle.”
Through the connection to both communities, residents have priority access inpatient, outpatient and in-home care. Hammond Center residents also have access to physical, occupational and speech therapy services. In addition, all residents will have access to an aerobics room, a walking track, a game room, a craft room, a movie theatre, a conference center, a quilting center and fitness classes. Hammond Center, Seeland Park and St. Francis Manor residents can all use the new amenities.
Beyond high-end facilities, the Hammond Center specifically caters to the needs of their elderly residents. The Center offers three daily meals, light housekeeping, local transportation and individually controlled air conditioning.
Many Grinnell residents welcome the new addition. Suzy Bim said she plans on helping her sister move into the new facility.
“Our family is now looking forward to the addition of the Hammond Center for Assisted Living to the St. Francis Manor and Seeland Park campus,” Bim said in a testimonial. “It is a wonderful reassurance knowing 24-hour supportive services will be available to my sister when needed, as well as socialization for her at meal times. What peace of mind for our family!” Bim’s mother lives at Seeland Park and Suzy Bim lives in Grinnell. The addition of the Hammond Center allows the Bim family to stick together.
The first resident moved in on Sunday. Bryan said the Hammond Center is “moving in one resident per day so it can be special.”
The Hammond Center places a large welcome sign in its lobby on each move in day. Currently, ten units are occupied and nine are still available. Bryan is not concerned about the unoccupied units. “Once people get in and see how nice it is,” they will be likely to move in, she said.
Monty and Betty Hammond, Ken Eggman and Jewel Kintzinger are the main donors to the Center. Notably, two Grinnell cyclists, Tim Stahl and Jon Duke biked across Iowa in two and a half days to raise money in May of 2018 for the Center. With their donation, the Hammond Center was able to purchase a LiteGait treadmill specifically designed to help residents recover from strokes.
The Center currently has a blank basement wall that they hope will brighten up the residents’ day, and Bryan and the Hammond Center are hopeful that a local artist will donate a mural. If you are interested in donating to the mural, or in obtaining more information about the Hammond Center, contact Bryan at (641) 236-7592.
