Parkston digs deep for nursing home funds

• Bormann Manor

This is an artist’s rendering of the refurbished Avera Bormann Manor in Parkston. (Puetz Corp. illustration)

Talk about it

PARKSTON — Community support helped double a fundraising goal to refurbish Avera Bormann Manor in Parkston. Recently, officials involved with the nursing home announced the $500,000 goal was doubled through community generosity.

The $1,041,000 will diminish the need for the facility to borrow money, said Rita Blasius, CFO/assistant administrator at Avera St. Benedict Health Center. Originally, the facility would have had to borrow $500,000 to pay for the renova- tions.

“The extra funds will also allow us to make some capital purchases, like beds, tables and chairs, instead of capitalizing those over time,” she said.

A steering committee of 22 people led by four men — Jon Proehl, Ron Neugebauer, Dave Neugebauer and Keith Goehring — worked hard to raise the money needed for the project, Blasius said. The theme for the fundraiser was “Caring for those who cared for us.”

“I think the Parkston community and the communities around us we serve, they supported and embraced the fund drive for the reconstruction project and expansion of Bormann Manor, not only for the people who live there but for future residents,” Proehl said.

He said a survey prior to the start of the fund drive showed 90 percent of people in Parkston had good things to say about Avera St. Benedict Health Center and Bormann Manor and 85 percent of those people were willing to give toward the cause.

One local business made a “significant contribution,” Blasius said, “but we just had participation from every aspect of the community.”

The 25-year-old facility is in need of a facelift, she said. Two of the major parts of the project will be a hospice and end-oflife room, and a four-season room.

Blasius said the hospice room will be centrally located between Bormann Manor and Avera St. Benedict Health Center, which are connected.

“What we run into many times in a nursing home at the end of life is if a resident has a roommate, it’s hard for families to gather and be together to spend quality time,” Blasius said.

The hospice room will provide an area for patient care and adjacent to that will be an area with appliances, a sleeping space, table, chairs and a shower. This area will accommodate families who want to stay day or night with a patient at the end of their life, she said.

The four-season room is a newer addition to the remodeling plans. It was originally to be just an outdoor patio. But, with the extra funds raised through the community, the four-season room will be a reality.

It will be heated and cooled so residents can get as close to the outdoors as possible in extreme weather. It will be attached to the day/activity room.

Bormann Manor will also convert a few double rooms into singles, one of which will be a special care room that can accommodate more equipment. Currently, some construction is under way, including the four-season room and the relocation of the facility’s beauty shop. By the end of September, crews will move inside and start taking down one or two rooms at a time, Blasius said.

“The plans are to not interrupt daily living,” she said. “We will operate down a few residents to have room available.” If necessary, some residents may be moved to hospital rooms to accommodate construction. “We feel overwhelmed and blessed to have had the kind of support we’ve had from the community,” Blasius said.

Tags: our towns, nursing home, updates, parkston, avera