Immanuel Lutheran Communities 185 Crestline Avenue Kalispell, MT 59901

(406)752-9622 www.ilcorp.org

Annual Report

 

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Immanuel Lutheran Communi es has been ministering to seniors in Kalispell, Montana since 1957.  Over the past sixty years, we have grown from a single nursing home into a 13.5‐acre Life Plan Community offering services ranging from Independent Living to Skilled Nursing.  Our Abundant Life philosophy        emphasizes whole‐person wellness, and we work every day to support over 230 residents as they live purposeful, ac ve lives.  As a nonprofit organiza on, we are governed by a Board of Directors from around the Flathead Valley.  These dedicated volunteers put their faith into ac on by taking fiduciary responsibility and se ng the strategic direc on for our community.  We welcome residents and staff from all faith backgrounds and ac vely seek ways to connect to the rich cultural and natural resources of our beau ful valley. 

 

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Back Row (L‐R):    Lyle Phillips, Secretary; Dave Meredith; Tom Lund, Vice President; Joe        Adney, Treasurer; Mike Conner; Dr. Larry Iwersen; Dan Johns Front Row (L‐R):    Linda Conners, President; Tony Dawson; Bill Scho elkorb; Jim Jenks;             Marie Hanson 

Atonement Lutheran Church Missoula Bethany Lutheran Church Du on Bethel Lutheran Church Great Falls Bethlehem Lutheran Church Kalispell Christ Lutheran Church Libby Eidsvold Lutheran Church Somers Faith Lutheran Church Hamilton Faith Lutheran Church Ronan First English Lutheran Church Great Falls First Lutheran Church Plains Galata Lutheran Church Galata Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Bu e Gold Hill Lutheran Church Bu e Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Polson Grace Lutheran Church Fairfield Hope Lutheran Church Anaconda Immanuel Lutheran Church Missoula

Jocko Valley Lutheran Church Arlee Lutheran Church of Sunburst Sunburst New Life Lutheran Church Helena Northridge Lutheran Church Kalispell Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church Helena Our Saviour's Lutheran Church Bonner Our Savior's Lutheran Church Columbia Falls Our Savior's Lutheran Church Great Falls Our Savior's Lutheran Church Thompson Falls Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Missoula Redeemer Lutheran Church Great Falls Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Townsend St. John Lutheran Church Great Falls St. John's Lutheran Church Helena St. Luke's Lutheran Church Shelby St. Paul Lutheran Church Fairfield St. Paul's Lutheran Church Cut Bank St. Paul's Lutheran Church Missoula Trinity Lutheran Church Choteau Trinity Lutheran Church Hot Springs Valley of Christ Lutheran Church Frenchtown All Saints Lutheran Church Clancy Zion Lutheran Church Lewistown

Dear Friends, Where there is need, there is ministry, and that’s where you’ll find Immanuel Lutheran Communities. This simple statement encapsulates the work we do every day at Immanuel Lutheran Communities—and have done for the past sixty years. Since 1957, we have been the Flathead Valley leader in senior living. As seniors’ needs have expanded, so have our services. From a small group of local men and women who held pancake breakfasts to help raise the funds to open “The Lutheran Home,” Immanuel Lutheran Communities has grown into a full-service Life Plan Community that offers independent and assisted living apartments, skilled nursing care, post-acute rehabilitation services, and specialized care for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In 2017, we reached several new milestones including a five-star rating for the Immanuel Skilled Care Center from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Yet we remain a faith-based nonprofit organization, and as we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we are also focused on positioning ourselves to thrive for another sixty years. Whether it’s by providing a new service—such as the recently-opened Lodge memory support neighborhood—or by updating the original “Lutheran Home” structure that many of our residents still call home, we are determined to be good stewards of our resources and reputation. We strive every day to provide seniors with a

comfortable, purposeful place to live. Thank you for your ongoing support of Immanuel Lutheran Communities.

Jason Cronk Linda Conners Jason R. Cronk Linda Conners Chief Executive Officer Board President

 

Pictured: Staff and guests celebrate 60 years of Immanuel Lutheran Communities with a 1950s-themed party.

 

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 In 2016, Immanuel Lutheran Communi es broke ground on our most ambi ous construc on project to date: a seven‐year campus expansion and remodeling master plan.  By the  me we have finished this four‐phase project, we will have tripled the capacity of the Retreat, opened a new memory support community, increased our independent living capacity by over 30%, and brought the aging Immanuel Skilled Care Center up to date.  2017 saw the comple on of the first phases of this project.  In April, the expanded Retreat opened, and our campus now offers forty‐eight stylish suites, all with private baths, for short‐term rehabilita on.  Three months later, the first residents moved in to The Lodge at Buffalo Hill, our new Assisted Living Memory Support Community.  Along with the Lodge, we opened the Wooden Nickel Bistro and Lounge, a full‐service espresso bar and dining venue, as well as a beau ful new main entrance and lobby at Buffalo Hill Terrace.  Phases two and three of the master plan are now underway and will be complete by the fall of 2018.  Phase two includes The Villas at Buffalo Hill, an independent living neighborhood that will offer elegantly‐finished apartments and under‐building parking.  With the Villas, we will open an indoor pool, hot tub, and auditorium that will be available to the en re campus.   Phase three will bring the central por on of the Immanuel Skilled Care Center up to the same standards of style and func onality achieved in the Retreat, including private suites and a more homelike, neighborhood feel for the common spaces.    Phase four, now in the planning and fundraising stages, will bring the Skilled Care Center remodel to comple on.  For more informa on about how you can help, contact Sarah Shepard, Chief Development Officer, at 406‐752‐9243 or sshepard@ilcorp.org. 

Pictured (top to bottom): Retreat ribbon cutting; Renderings of the Lodge and Retreat

 

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Be y Aadsen Joan Binnie Be y Bitney Richard Blanchet Al Boerner Marlene Carr Barbara Chilton EJ Clu er

Joseph Cunningham Marie Dix Alice Engel Francis (Nick) Engel Be e Engle Dorothy Flint Agnes Gustafson Gerald Hammer

Ann Heitz Allen Herset J Kinshella Cliff Kracher Desmond McDonald Ka e McKinley Jean Moore Larry Morrill

Helen Mueller Evelyn Nockleby Alice Olsen Michael Ra erree Helen Riebe Jesslyn Ross Robert Ryder Alfred Schultz

Dorothy Schwartz Roddy Smith Jean Smith Jerry Stoick Leo (Jack) Thigpen Helen Thompson Marilyn Tollerson Opal Vandermeyden Helen Weber

 

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Robert Sherrick Harry Shorey Bruce and Sharon Simpson Patricia Lynn Simpson Ronalee Skees Alda Smithson Grant Snell Dale and Karole Sommerfield St. Paul Lutheran Church Robert and Joan Stack Steven Stahlberg Pastor Lawrence Stappler Blain Steller R.M. Steller Carrie Stephens Lauri Stevens Layonna Stevenson Vern and Carol Stewart Jerome and Be y Stoick Mildred Storie Thais Streeter Studio 121 Lawrence Sverdrup Swank Enterprises Richard and Linda Taba Richard and Jean Tameler George Thompson Helen Thompson Marilynn Tollerson Harold Tutvedt Jean Tyser United Way University of Montana Mark Van Frachen Eric and Ava Vardell Luther Wachholz Lorraine Wagnild John and Amy Waller Debra Walton George Ward Eleanor Weidman Deborah Wilson Richard Wilson Carla Wilton Dennis Winkel Helen Working Marceline Yates

Be y Aadsen Terrell Abell Maria Alcaraz Caracoza Lusha Alzner Hilary Ambrose Shirley Anderson Anderson Living Trust Shawn Michelle Baker Maralyn Barnes Rod Bartleson Bethlehem Lutheran Church Joan Binnie Roseanne Bodeen Shelley Borden Doug and David Borge Robert Braig Marjeanne Bresciani Bob and Tracy Bridges Mary Brooner Chris na Brown Buffalo Hill Funeral Home Buffalo Hill Terrace Resident Assoc. Robert and Joleen Burch Pamela Carlson Marlene Carr Christ Lutheran Church Roger Claridge Leslie Clayborn Gary Cockrell Linda Conners Jason Cronk Marion Daue Leo Dawson Rena Desmond Virginia Doerschlag Eagleview West Eidsvold Lutheran Church Margaret Ellingsen Aaron Ells John Emerson William and Be e Engle Lilian Fenster Margie Fiedler First Lutheran Church Fred Flint Fun Beverage, Inc. Lavonne Gardner Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Be y Greaves

Priscilla Gunter Agnes Gustafson Kathleen Hall William and Susan Hall Hammerquist Casalegno, LLC Claud Hargrove Karen Harrison Neil and Janice Hart Be y Harvey Faye Hegland Della Helgeson G.W. and Ann Henricksen Stanley Heuscher Charlie and Jennifer Horvath Hospice Care Founda on Wanda Hulburd Immanuel Lutheran Church Immanuel Lutheran Corpora on Gunter Inc. Lawrence Iwerson Margaret Jacobson Alvin James and Carol Fleharty M. Dean and Joan Jellison James Jenks Roy and Elsie Jimmerson Dan Johns James Johnson Thelma Johnson Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Utahna Kennedy Sco Kienzle Roald Kindem Marilyn Knutson Clifford and Grace Kracher Osa LaCroix Jean LaDow Lisa Larsen Beverly Larson Thomas and Barbara Lee Larry LeFeuvre Ellen Lehman June Leverson Thomas Li le Lynn Loveall Tom Lund Barbara Lutz M and M Complete Cleaning

MacArthur Means & Wells Architecture

Shirley MacLachlan Edwin Mahlum Patrick and Karen Manning Marjory McClaren Bruce McIntyre Dave Meredith Milo Miles Montana Auto Dealers Assoc. Montana Synod Delno Moore Kimberly More Gary Morrison Robert Morrow Mountain Plains Equity Group Glenn Mueller Florence Natelson Polly Nikolaisen Be y Jo Nock Paul and Kathleen Nockleby Robert Nockleby Northridge Lutheran Church Bob Nystuen Virginia Obermiller John Olson Lorraine Ondov Richard Opper Our Savior's Lutheran Church Our Savior's Lutheran WELCA Ronald Overby LM Papp Fay Pemble Maxine Pistorese Elizabeth Powell Pastor Peter Ramseth Virginia Reber Redeemer Lutheran Ma Regier Alice Reuter Samuel and Beverly Reynolds Carolyn Rhodes Sco Richardson James Robischon Bob Rowe Marlene Rutherford Karin Sagen Lane e Sand Bernadine Sather William and Susan Scho elkorb Dorothy Schwartz

For their generous philanthropic contributions in 2017, Immanuel Lutheran Communities would like to thank:

 

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 Immanuel Lutheran Communi es has long recognized that people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of demen a require specialized support.  In 1976, the Bratsberg Memorial Wing of the Immanuel Skilled Care Center became one of the first dedicated neighborhoods in the na on for people with demen a. 

As  me passed, our understanding of demen a changed, and the services we offer have changed to align with this new understanding.  In the summer of 2017, we opened The Lodge at Buffalo Hill, which provides specialized memory support in a secure Assisted Living neighborhood.  The Lodge’s physical design takes the unique needs of those with memory loss into account, offering an enclosed garden and an indoor walking loop to help residents stay ac ve and safe at the same  me. 

Most importantly, programming at the Lodge recognizes that people with demen a remain mul dimensional individuals and that like all of us, they thrive best in an environment that encourages whole‐person wellness.  The Lodge provides ample opportunity for residents to engage in crea ve endeavors, spiritual prac ces, and physical exercise. For example, the Music & Memory program provides personalized playlists and iPods so that residents can engage their memories by listening to the music they love best. We also offer various brain games and other ac vi es that boost cogni ve func on and help residents maintain the memories they still have. 

Pictured (above): The Lodge kitchen; a Reminiscence Station at the Lodge; the Memory Garden

A Lodge resident enjoys her playlist

 

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More than 300 volunteers bless Immanuel Lutheran Communi es each year by dona ng their  me, talent, and treasure. We are delighted to announce that Donna Trippet has been named the 2017 Mission in Ministry

Partner of the Year.  Donna has been volunteering at Immanuel Lutheran Communi es for more than eleven years.  You can see her on campus several days a week, including weekends.  Every Thursday, she arrives early in the morning to staff the espresso bar in the Immanuel Skilled Care Center. On Fridays, you’ll find her in the Terrace gi  shop, where she maintains cleanliness, stocks shelves, and always provides the warm and efficient service that has made her one of the residents’ favorite volunteers.  Then, nearly every Sunday a ernoon, she is back at the Skilled Care Center, assis ng Pastor Larry with the weekly church service by gathering residents, handing out bulle ns, and helping residents navigate the service.   

In addi on to these regular commitments, Donna con nually accepts requests to accompany residents to medical appointments, on shopping trips, and out to lunch.   She can be found at nearly every major event we have, from the August County Fair to the annual Holiday Bazaar.  Above all, Donna establishes rela onships with the residents by visi ng with them, caring about them, and seeing that their needs are met.  With her smiling face and willing a tude, Donna clearly exemplifies the “heart of Jesus” here at Immanuel Lutheran Communi es.  We are blessed to have her! 

Donna Trippet receiving her award

Donna and her fellow volunteers in action

 

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An Age‐Friendly Flathead This year, Immanuel Lutheran Communi es joined forces with the Agency on Aging,  Kalispell  Regional  Healthcare,  and  a  variety  of  local  businesses  to begin  the  process  of making  our Valley  an Age‐Friendly  community.    This official  World  Health  Organiza on  designa on  would  indicate  to  seniors around  the world  that  the  Flathead  is  a welcoming  community  for  them.  Immanuel Lutheran Communi es is proud to help lead this effort. 

Proven Excellence in Care Every  year,  the  Centers  for  Medicare  and  Medicaid  rate  skilled  care communi es on a 5‐star scale.  This year, the Immanuel Skilled Care Center achieved a 5‐star ra ng, an official recogni on of the excellent care we offer residents. 

Developing Industry Leaders As a member of Novare, a coali on of high‐performing single‐site re rement communi es, Immanuel Lutheran Communi es has access to the Leadership Academy.   This program provides our  leaders with  the opportunity  to  learn from  others’  experiences  and  gain  insight  into  strategies  for  transforming aging  services.    This  year,  Immanuel  Lutheran  Communi es  staff  in  the Informa on  Technology,  Food  and  Beverage,  and  Human  Resources departments  par cipated  in  peer  learning  groups  with  others  in  similar posi ons from across the country. 

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REVENUE 

Resident Service   $    9,087,230  Re rement Residence Rent    $    5,049,275  Other   $         76,050  Non‐Opera ng Revenues  and Expenses (net)    $    1,566,447  

TOTAL REVENUE*   $ 15,779,002     EXPENSES   

Professional Care of Residents    $    6,247,730  General and Administra ve    $    3,091,316  Dietary    $    2,029,250  Property and Household    $    1,491,506  Deprecia on and Amor za on    $    1,990,209  Provision for Bad Debts    $       152,489  Interest    $       622,757  

TOTAL EXPENSES*   $ 15,625,257  * Unaudited

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1957 TO

2017

116 Number of Residents of Buffalo

Hill Terrace and the Lodge

$16,612.48 Employee scholarships Immanuel Lutheran

Communi es awarded this year

290 Number of Staff $10

Minimum employee

hourly wage

92 Residents of Immanuel Skilled Care Center and

Retreat

1 Time per month

Immanuel Lutheran Communi es

provides food and volunteers for

Feeding the Flathead

35‐104  Age Range of

Residents 6  

Dimensions of Wellness

Highlighted in our Programs:

Physical

Emo onal Intellectual

Social Spiritual

Occupa onal

210 Average number

of residents campus‐wide

85.6 YEARS Average Age of Residents

 

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Campus Enhancement With the opening of The Lodge at Buffalo Hill in June of 2017, the generosity of our donors came to frui on in the Memory Garden.  Thanks to $138,000 given by generous Flathead community members, residents of the Lodge have a safe, beau ful space to reap the physical and emo onal benefits of being outdoors. Your gi s to the Campus Enhancement Fund help us build beau ful spaces like the Memory Garden.  In 2018, we plan to update the courtyards at the Immanuel Skilled Care Center to give the residents there equally enjoyable spaces.  We are also engaged in the ongoing process of upda ng our aging buildings, ensuring that residents live in spaces consistent with our goal of offering innova ve services and care in modern, healthy environments.   

Resident Care Aging in the twenty‐first century is expensive, and no ma er how well they plan, some residents outlive their resources.  As a Medicaid provider, the Immanuel Skilled Care Center offers the same care, programming, and other services, including private rooms, to every resident, regardless of financial need.  This means that more than 2 million dollars in care costs go unreimbursed each year.  Recent cuts to Medicaid likely mean that these costs will con nue to increase.  Trea ng every resident equally, regardless of their financial situa on, is key to our mission, and your dona ons help us make that possible.   

 

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Employee Development We are fortunate at Immanuel Lutheran Communi es to have a staff of dedicated employees who care deeply for our residents.  It is important to us to create a work culture that enables and rewards this excellent service.  By giving to the Employee Development fund, you support ini a ves such as our state‐cer fied on‐site CNA (Cer fied Nursing Assistant) class, which offers in two and a half weeks training that elsewhere takes months.  Many graduates of this course have stayed on as employees of Immanuel Lutheran Communi es. 

The Employee Development fund also supplements the scholarship fund established by the generosity of Olga Stromset.  Since 1988, Immanuel Lutheran Communi es has awarded over $170,000 to employees who wish to pursue addi onal educa on.  Any employee may apply for these funds, which are awarded three  mes a year. 

Finally, while we pay compe ve rates and have recently taken steps to raise the wages of our lowest paid employees, some mes life events make it difficult for staff members to make ends meet.  The Christ Care employee assistance fund, administered by our Pastoral Care office, offers one‐ me emergency grants to help staff navigate  ght financial  mes so they can con nue their service to residents.