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A new option for senior housing is now available in Luverne with the recent opening of the Oasis Care Home at 514 Britz Drive in the Evergreen Addition.
An open house for public viewing will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16.
The 3,500-square-foot house offers six bedrooms and three bathrooms on the main level, with common living room and kitchen areas.
The half basement has a meeting area and office space for staff — a registered nurse who will oversee operations and three aids who will work eight-hour shifts, morning, afternoon and overnight.
One client is moved in, another is coming soon, and four spots remain available.
Owner-operator Mandy Brecher said her motivation to open the home in Luverne came from her experience as a certified nursing assistant working in a similar facility in Savage.
“It’s similar to assisted living with aids doing housework, dispensing meds and helping residents with some personal care,” Brecher said in January.
“But since there are only six clients, we can offer more daily care that allows an option instead of nursing home care.”
She said Oasis Care Home will have a small, family-like atmosphere like the Savage facility where she previously worked.
“I cooked breakfast and helped them get up in the morning and take their meds. I’d do their laundry,” Brecher said. “It was such a neat feel to have such a small setting.”
DenHerder Construction is the general contractor for the project, and local providers were utilized whenever possible.
Jim Den Herder said he enjoyed the new challenge of building a residential home that also met commercial requirements of a care facility.
“As far as building a home, the sticks went together just like any other home,” he said.
“But this is the first time for a project like this — building a home for adult care.”
He pointed out the “fire hydrant” sprinkler system plumbing in the basement utility room, which requires a 4-inch service line to city water, which required connecting to a city main at the property line.
DenHerder said the commercial aspect of the project required consulting with state inspectors — health, electric and fire marshal — in addition to the city’s building inspector.
Despite adaptations, such as extra hand-washing and food prep sinks in the kitchen, the Oasis Home looks very much like a home, which Brecher said was her goal.
“It’s a high level of care with the comfort of home,” she said.
Brecher’s inspiration for the project comes in part from her late mother, Elaine Lupkes of Hardwick, who died four years ago of complications from Parkinson’s disease.
“Her health started declining, and assisted living wasn’t enough,” Brecher said. “She wasn’t ready for the nursing home — mentally — but that was really the only option.”
She praised the local nursing home staff, but her mother wasn’t ready to be there. “She got depressed and died three months later,” Brecher said.
“It’s hard on families — it’s heartbreaking. After we went through that, we started thinking about providing this as an option in Luverne.”
The Oasis Care Home sits on an extra-large lot that will allow for gardening and other outdoor activities, “These are some of the things my mother liked to do,” Brecher said, adding that residents can help in the kitchen and plan menus, if that suits them.
“That’s one thing residents in larger facilities complain about — they don’t like the food. This way they can have familiar food that tastes like home.”
Other personal touches include assistance with online communication, like Skype, so residents can stay in touch with family members far away. The facility will make a large iPad available for this and other purposes.
The Oasis Care Home helps the city meet increasing demand for senior housing.
A recent housing study identifies potential demand for nearly 360 new housing units in Luverne over the next 10 years, and about 65 percent of that is for senior housing.
Demand is strongest for market rate (as opposed to subsidized) senior housing, which represents 165 of the 390 new housing units recommended.
Brecher and her husband, Jason, live in Hatfield with their 3-year-old daughter Stella.
Information about Oasis Care Home can be found at oasiscarehome.com and on Facebook.