Little Sisters of the Poor, known for its Holy Family Residence in St. Paul, MN, has been serving the elderly since 1883 when Roman Catholic nuns from the French order first opened a home for older people in the city, and now the place sits under the care of Little Sisters of the Poor of St Paul since late 2009, with a mission to make sure residents are welcomed as Christ and cared for like family until they're called home. The home operates as a non-profit, church-related community, shaped by the tradition of the international congregation founded by Saint Jeanne Jugan, and while the group of sisters is getting smaller in recent years-with only seven sisters now living and working on site-they remain at the heart of daily life, joined by about 100 paid employees and 80 volunteers who support residents with daily needs and activities.
The residence has 73 certified beds spread over four floors in two buildings, with a typical day seeing about 33 residents, and it's got three levels of care for roughly 100 elderly residents: skilled care, basic care, and independent living, all on a continuum, and while they do provide memory care focused on reducing confusion, they also cover everyday help like dressing, bathing, medication, and transfers, making sure each resident-especially folks with memory loss or physical difficulties-can get the right support. Staff offers assistance around the clock, with 24-hour call systems and 12-to-16 hour nursing service, and nurses handle medication and supervise residents closely, although there's a nurse turnover rate of about 25% and nurse staffing averages 5.41 hours per resident daily, and they've had a few documented issues with infection control and food procurement in the past. When breathing support or safe respiratory care becomes necessary, they've managed those needs, too.
Holy Family Residence's private rooms come with handicap features, kitchenettes, air conditioning, cable TV, bathrooms, phones, high-speed internet, and furnished spaces, while many amenities-like a library, games room, music and arts programs, a salon/barber, fitness center, spa room, and scheduled programs-help residents stay busy and connected. Residents enjoy professionally prepared meals from chefs and have special diets for allergies or diabetes if needed, all set up with all-day dining in mind, and the team helps with laundry, housekeeping, dry cleaning, and transportation. Outside, folks walk on garden paths or join outdoor activities if they want. There's respite care for short-term stays, and volunteers-some young, some older-pitch in regularly.
Each day, the Sisters maintain a faith-based, nurturing spirit, focusing on helping the neediest elderly regardless of race or religion, and they're supported in this work by collaborators from many backgrounds and by an active Jeanne Jugan association for volunteers and youth programs. Staff are known for being kind and joyful, which sets the tone, and one of the unique things is the custom of Sisters and staff living their lives every day with the residents, right in the home, sharing meals and activities and spiritual moments. While there aren't any public reviews at this time, Holy Family Residence is still committed to keeping residents safe, especially during the ongoing plans for the Sisters to withdraw and transfer the home to another charitable group, with Zielinski Companies handling the transition and the aim being to keep disruption as low as possible for the residents and staff. The Sisters say they'll stay focused on care and dignity until the transition is complete and are planning to regroup and establish new homes, even as the original congregation faces changes worldwide.
