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Twenty years ago The Oaks celebrated its grand opening in Luverne as the first of its kind congregate care facility in the community.
Since then, the 28 apartment units have remained at full capacity with waiting lists to get in — proving indeed the need for such housing in Luverne.
The residents, staff and their families celebrated The Oaks 20th anniversary with cupcakes and coffee in the dining room.
Visitors and guests heard a recurring theme from the people who live there: they love their home and they love the people who work there.
“It’s been a great place for me,” said Anna Mae Ver Steeg who has lived there since The Oaks opened in 1997.
She and her late husband, Norman, were among the first to move in.
“We thought it was for old people until we realized what it was. … There’s people around when you want them; when you don’t, you go to your room.”
At 92, Ver Steeg said she’s been blessed with good health. “I walk three times a week, but I’m getting older,” she said. “I’m starting to feel it now.”
John and Alvina Hup, who have been married for 65 years, hold hands when they walk through the hallway and down the stairs from their apartment.
“We’re fortunate that we’re together,” said John, whose weak heart put limits on his physical exertion. “We love it here … They do everything for us.”
The couple used to farm near Steen and their front door is decorated in a John Deere theme.
Alvina said the apartment is spacious and The Oaks employees are friendly and helpful — all of them.
“We don’t have to mop the floors or dust or clean anything,” she said. “We couldn’t have a better place to live; we say that so often.”
Residents’ fondness for The Oaks staff goes both ways, according to Launa Mongold. “They’re like family,” she said. “They’re my grandpas and grandmas.”
Mongold, a universal worker at The Oaks, has worked with seniors since she started at the Mary Jane Brown home at 16 years old in 1979.
“When this place was built, I didn’t know what an independent living facility was,” she said.
Today, she said, she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
She points to a tree on the wall made of puzzle pieces painted green by residents. The puzzle pieces form the leaves and canopy of the tree, creating a 3-D piece of art.
The tree also bears the names of residents — past and present — who have lived in The Oaks.
“The names are all here,” Mongold said. “Every one of them. … I get tears when I read all the names.”
Information about The Oaks, Poplar Creek, Mary Jane Brown and other local senior living options is available at good-sam.com.