Holy Family Home, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor since 1869, sits in Philadelphia and quietly serves elderly people who need care, offering them dignity and respect in their later years, and though the place began as Sacred Heart Home and got rebuilt and renamed back in the early 1970s, it's kept its focus on helping the elderly poor ever since, growing over time to include St. Michael's Home in Germantown and Sacred Heart Home in Southwest Philadelphia, and it stands out for its strong spiritual life, with a chapel at its heart, a full-time chaplain, and daily Mass, rosary, and other devotions, plus scheduled services like Chapel services Monday through Saturday, rosary at 10:30 a.m., Mass at 11 a.m., evening prayer at 5:15 p.m., Holy Hour with Benediction on Fridays, and First Friday Adoration.
Residents live in single occupancy bedrooms with private bathrooms, and some rooms offer private showers, while those who want more independence can stay in apartments with their own kitchens but can still join others for home-style meals in dining rooms, where staff serve restaurant-style and accommodate special diets for people with allergies or diabetes, and there's laundry, dry cleaning, and help with moving in. The Little Sisters are always present, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, especially when residents are dying, providing prayers for both residents and their families, and the staff-speaking English-assist with bathing, dressing, medication, and other daily needs, while keeping an emergency alert system and supervision around the clock for safety.
You'll find community rooms, dining areas, an arts room, a garden, walking paths, a barber and salon, and common spaces set up for socializing; residents can use the phone and furnishings in their rooms, and special amenities cover prepared meals and a safe, furnished environment, while activities include movie nights, resident-led programs, and community events, with devotional activities for spiritual engagement and regular visiting of the sick as part of their mission. Programs allow volunteering, youth service, and there's even a path to becoming a Little Sister through a vocations program, since the mission here is about compassion and supporting those in need.
Holy Family Home provides several levels of care, such as assisted living, nursing home services, memory care, independent living, and continuing care retirement services, and the healthcare team handles diabetic care, incontinence help, staffing, non-ambulatory care, and medication management, and people with wheelchairs can get around since the building's accessible. The Home is a vital part of the community now, especially for people who need a safe and nurturing place, wrapped in compassion and prayer, as the Little Sisters continue their long history of serving the elderly poor-depending on donations, trusting in God's providence, holding community events, and making sure people feel supported, empowered, and respected as they age.
