Springfield parishes to hold special collection in March for dementia care wing

With progress on the new Holy Family Center of St. Joseph’s Home in Springfield well under way, leaders at the facility are hoping to raise additional funds the weekend of March 14-15 through an envelope campaign in parishes in and around Springfield. Residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s will most likely move into the new wing by early summer.

A number of parishes in and around Springfield will hold a special collection at Masses the weekend of March 14-15 to help raise the remaining funds needed to complete the Holy Family Center at St. Joseph's Home in Springfield.

"The Holy Family Center is an intermediate nursing care wing that has been compassionately designed for the safety and dignity of people with dementia," said Terri Hempstead, director of development at St. Joseph's Home. She said the 20,000-square-foot area will be home to 28 men and women with various forms of dementia.

Funds for the Holy Family Center are being raised through the Forget-Me-Not capital campaign now under way.

"The campaign goal is $4.75 million and so far we've raised $3.9 million - mostly in contributions and some in pledges," said Hempstead. St. Joseph's Home received two lead gifts - one $1 million and one $500,000 - that helped give the campaign a good head start.

Hempstead said throughout its 105-year history, St. Joseph's Home has been self-sustaining, supported by residents' fees, fund-raising and the efforts of its volunteers.

The new wing is designed to incorporate two households - with 14 people living in each - attached to the east side of the home's current building, sharing common spaces and a common entrance. Twenty of the residents will live in private rooms with a one-half private bath. Additionally, there will be several semi-private rooms available.

"That way the people will have their own private space and that will make families more comfortable," Hempstead said. "There are several other areas that are particularly family friendly - places where families can get together for a meal or a visit." The entire Holy Family Center has been specially designed to suit the needs of residents with dementia and their families.

Many of the future residents of the Holy Family Center are people who currently live in a wing formerly used as an infirmary, often called the "round building." Once the new wing is completed, those St. Joseph residents will be moved to the Holy Family Center and the remaining rooms in the new area will be made available for new residents.

The wing has been under construction for eight months and is expected to be completed by mid-June. A special program was held at Christmas-time to raise the funds for furniture for the Holy Family Center, Hempstead said.

Sister Judith Morris, OSF, administrator of St. Joseph's Home, said her order (the Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception) has always been committed to providing care for the elderly. Now with more and more people living to an age when Alzheimer's and dementia are more prevalent, they want to be ready to better serve those people as well.

Sister Judith said she and her religious community are incredibly grateful for the support they've received so far. "We've always tried to meet the needs of the times and we've always been committed to this type of care," she said. "Now we'll be able to do it in a more appropriate setting."

Hempstead said that donations from the weekend parish envelope drive are most welcome, as are donations from anyone else who wants to contribute. For more information, contact Terri Hempstead at (217) 529-5596 or look online at www.saintjosephshome.org.