Presbyterian Home has supported senior community for nearly 100 years

Since 1927, the Presbyterian Home has supported the senior community through two major forces: faith and compassion.

"In a time before Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the network of social services that are taken for granted today in our country, the responsibility to care for these vulnerable populations fell to persons of faith who were moved by compassion and concern to reach out to meet these pressing needs," Doug Wise, Corporate Director of Referral Development, said.

The vision began with Ellen Parker and local Presbyterian pastors when they formed a non-profit to care for needy older women. What began as a working farm to care for nine older single and widowed women in Newville, PA has grown to serve more than 9,000 people annually in a variety of healthcare, housing, and community service settings.

"This remarkable journey from these humble beginnings to one of the country's leading providers of health, housing, and supportive services is Presbyterian Senior Living," Wise said. "This includes the Presbyterian Home of Williamsport."

In 95 years of Presbyterian Senior Living, none of the system's residents were ever turned away because of financial limitations, Wise said.

Presbyterian Home at Williamsport is a personal care community that is an extension of the greater vision nationwide, Wise said. The home provides short-term care and long-term nursing services to individuals in a bed-and-breakfast atmosphere.

The Williamsport location was voted Best Personal Care Community in the Greater Susquehanna Valley in 2017 and it's because the home is so closely tied to the greater community.

"The home is very active and engaged in the entire Williamsport area providing services through staff and resident involvement," Wise said. "They offer their campus to community groups and organizations for their meetings and events."

Staff and residents participate in those community meetings and events including the SPCA, Meals on Wheels, and American Red Cross. All of these events provide residents with opportunities to engage with a wide variety of the community and to give back.

"Our goal is to help the residents stay active as they age," Wise said. "The approach is to contribute to the community's sense of wellness by focusing on several dimensions of focus: physical, intellectual, environmental, and social aspects of wellness."

The social aspects that the home focuses on has taken on a more urgent demand the past few years.

"COVID-19 has greatly impacted our industry as a whole," Wise said. "We are finding that people are starved for social interaction and that is the beauty of our communities."

Moving forward, the Presbyterian Home will continue to grow and serve more seniors. As those seniors needs to live happily evolve, the home will be there to accommodate like they have for nearly a century, Wise said.

"As a mission-driven organization, PSL holds out mission, vision, and values in the highest regard."

Those values include mutual respect, connectedness, trust and creative curiosity.