Nouis Home Care sits in Little Falls, Minnesota, right near the Mississippi River and Maple Island Park, and the main building, called Pine Edge, used to be a downtown hotel called the Pine Edge Inn, so each room still looks a bit like a hotel room, which gives the place a different sort of feeling than you get in the usual senior residence. The facility has been around since 1974, back when Beverly Nouis started it as an 8-bed boarding home, and now the staff includes family, with Roy Nouis as the administrator and Troy Nouis as operations manager, and they've kept its focus on providing board and lodging, home care, and senior care services for mostly independent people who don't need skilled nursing care. There are 20 private rooms and 10 semi-private rooms, and every room comes with features like big windows that look out over the park and private bathrooms with full tubs, plus some rooms are available for Group Residential Housing (GRH) residents which are set up to be semi-private, and meals are served in a knotty-pine coffee shop or in the Coach House Banquet Room for special occasions, with three home-cooked meals offered each day, and plenty of attention paid to dietary preferences and nutritional needs.
Residents can age in place, meaning the staff supports people in staying on as their needs change, with a range of care from assistance with daily tasks to help with diabetes management and medication monitoring, and there's visiting nurse services and onsite home care too, so people can stay comfortable and get more care if they need it, including hospice services toward the end of life. Nurses and certified nursing assistants are on staff, with somebody awake 24 hours a day for emergencies, and there's medical monitoring like blood sugar monitoring for people who need diabetic care, and incontinent care is provided as long as folks can manage things themselves, plus there's help with 1-person assisted transfers if someone needs a hand getting around but doesn't walk much anymore. The care team includes trained home health aides and sometimes partners with groups like Northern Pines for mental health support, and families get support as well, since moving isn't easy on anyone. They also offer assistance with medications and can provide extra levels of care as health or mobility needs change, which keeps residents from having to leave the community if care needs go up.
Meals are served daily in the coffee shop, and the kitchen is known for home-cooked food, snacks, and special meals for occasions, while the activity room stays busy with games, crafts, bingo, movie nights, reading, music, and holiday events like a St. Patrick's Day performance, with organized trips downtown and even fishing outings at the nearby river. Residents can join devotional services offsite if they want spiritual support, and the indoor common areas are set up for social chats and group activities. Internet access is available, which helps folks keep in touch or stay entertained, and there are parking spots for both residents and visitors.
The property is easy to get to, since there's a bus line nearby, and residents can get transportation within a 35-mile radius, including scheduled rides to nearby cities, with some transportation provided at no extra cost and other trips offered at cost. Every effort's made to help residents keep their comfort and their independence, with rooms that have big park views, private baths, and easy access to all the shared spaces, and the community focuses on safety, socialization, and helping everyone live the way they prefer, as much as possible. Onsite activities and offsite outings make it easier to make friends and feel at home, and staff work with residents and families to find solutions if health needs change. The building's history and old-hotel feel give Nouis Home Care a unique atmosphere for seniors looking for a place in Little Falls.
