Open house for assisted living facility in Fergus Falls set for February 14

After a brief delay in scheduling, the community open house for Woodland Lodge – Enhanced Assisted Living, 394 Woodland Drive in Fergus Falls, will be held Thursday, February 14, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tours will be provided along with some sweet treats. 

February 14 is also Giving Hearts Day where Lakeland Hospice Foundation has again been selected by Dakota

Medical Foundation to participate in this annual online fundraiser.  Details on the 24-hour charity event will be

available at Woodland Lodge during its open house and also at the LB Homes corporate offices at 805 East Channing Ave. in Fergus Falls.  You can also learn more by going online to www.impactgiveback.org. 

LB Homes acquired the Woodland Lodge property (formerly known as the Hospice House) as part of its merger with

Lakeland Hospice and Home Care in January, 2012. The new building name, Woodland Lodge, was announced in the spring of 2012, to reflect the larger spectrum of care that it will now provide with enhanced assisted living for those ages 55 and older.

Construction work began at Woodland Lodge in May of 2012, to put on a new addition and remodel the existing building.

Woodland Lodge will feature a total of 33 rooms with a variety of sizes and layouts. Each room will have its own bathroom and shower. Some rooms have attached balconies. The rooms have countryside views, many of which

overlook Opperman Lake and the horses that live just down the hill.

“True enhanced assisted living is a new concept to senior health care here in Fergus Falls,” said John Zwiers, chief

operating officer of LB Homes. “We define Enhanced Assisted Living as allowing people to age-in-place at Woodland

Lodge. As residents’ needs change, often requiring more care, we can provide that additional assistance with lifts and

other specialized equipment. Also having higher staffing ratios than many other traditional assisted living facilities gives

us the time, and resources to encourage people to remain as independent as possible for as long as possible.”

Nursing staff and employees will be on site 24 hours a day. All meals will be provided off a made-to-order daily menu.

For those who still wish to cook, a full “family kitchen” is available for residents and volunteers to use. A hair

salon will be in the loft level along with the original chapel space. Chaplaincy services as well as religious gatherings will

be provided on a regular basis. Activities will be offered both on and off site. A guest room will be available for loved

ones from out-of -town. A barber/hair salon will be available on site, along with a Whirlpool spa room.

Five of the Woodland Lodge enhanced assisted living rooms will be dedicated exclusively for people on hospice.

According to Mary Widiger, marketing director for LB Homes, “A special wing was created just for those ages 18 and

up who require hospice care, complete with private living and dining areas, and its own 24-hour accessible entrance.

Families will be able to come and go as needed, knowing their loved ones will have round-the-clock care for their last

months of life.”

For more information about Woodland Lodge – Enhanced Assisted Living, or for a private tour, call (218)

737-6100 or e-mail housing@lbhomes.org.

Tags: regional news, assisted living, news, updates