The seven women who reside at St. Elizabeth’s Home in Joliet answer to a bell that summons them to home-cooked meals. They enjoy the camaraderie of their new family group and the freedom to come and go as they please, relieved of the day-to-day responsibilities of a home or apartment.
Sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Joliet Diocese, St. Elizabeth’s offers a housing alternative for senior women based on the premise that a group can live more cheaply than one. The communal living experience takes a cue from the lifestyles of religious congregations while utilizing their vacant convents; the building that serves as St. Elizabeth’s Home once housed the Adrian Dominican sisters who staffed St. Patrick Elementary School.
The home gives senior women a new option, explained Cenacle Sister Ellen Thomas, director of senior programs for Catholic Charities.
“The majority of our residents are widowed. Here, they are not alone,” she said. “There is support and socialization. This lifestyle prevents women from having to go into a nursing home prematurely. It’s a smart and easy way to live in our society.”
In founding St. Elizabeth’s, Thomas patterned the Joliet home after Simeon House, a group home sponsored by Catholic Charities in Terre Haute, Ind. The job, Thomas said, was to sell the idea of a home for senior women to St. Patrick Church, which held title to the empty building. Once the church’s leaders were convinced, she took her presentation to the neighborhood association, received its approval and went on to the Joliet City Council with a request for a change in zoning from residential to boarding. The home opened in 1991.
St. Elizabeth’s is open to women 55 and over who are ambulatory and able to take care of themselves and whose good health is verified by their physicians. Current residents range in age from 55 to 81. Thomas notes that, on occasion, they have taken a resident with mild senility if the physician and staff feel she can fit in. Because St. Elizabeth’s residents live family-style, the women look out for one another, Thomas said.
Although the program is geared to individuals with fixed monthly incomes, there are no restrictions based on private holdings; some residents would be classified low income and others not, Thomas explained. Residents must be able to pay the monthly fee, which ranges from $485 to $520 depending on the size of the room and includes all meals. Women of all religious denominations are welcome.
Rules include respecting other tenants and advising staff on their comings and goings. Residents are responsible for cleaning their own rooms and taking care of their own laundry, explained residential manager Sharon Crippen, and some are helped by family in those tasks.
Crippen is housemother to the women, checking to make sure they’ve made their appointments, doing a head count each night and noting any problems. She’s on official duty from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and, because she lives there, on unofficial duty the rest of the time. (Crippen carries a beeper at all times, and when she is away overnight, Thomas stays at the home.)
The noon meal is a key time for Crippen to pick up on things and learn what’s going on with each woman, Thomas said.
“We all have bad days. If a normally outgoing person is exceptionally quiet at a meal,” Thomas said, “Sharon will pick up on that and try to find out what’s bothering her. We’re sensitive to each person.
“While the women are in good health, the reality is that there is the possibility of medical problems surfacing as people age. We give families the assurance that Mom is okay when they can’t be around.”
Thomas is a frequent visitor and has an office at the residence. She is quick to grab an apron and prepare a meal on the cook’s night off, stay over on Crippen’s days off or make popcorn and sit down and watch a Bulls game with the residents.
For 80-year-old Josephine (who didn’t want to use her last name), the home meets her needs. Widowed in 1976, she sold her home and lived with a widowed sister until four years ago. When her sister decided to sell her home and suggested they each buy a small condominium, Josephine knew she wanted a community lifestyle and found it at St. Elizabeth’s Home.
“In a condominium, once you close the door, you are alone,” she said. “Here you can choose your time alone by going to your room.”
Close to her six children and 13 grandchildren, she is often out with family members or gone to visit those who live out of state. “Josephine hangs her hat here,” Thomas said. “It’s her home. She comes back to refuel.”
As in any family, there are special occasions. Birthdays are celebrated with a favorite meal and dessert, Thomas said. Scout troops and parish groups and the staff host parties for the residents at holiday time.
The women pitch in and share their special skills. Josephine loves gardening and added tiger lilies to the yard. One resident made curtains for some of the rooms, and another cooks a big breakfast on Sunday mornings.
Although the home is non-denominational, being in the shadows of St. Patrick Church is a bonus for some of the Catholic residents, Thomas said. Some belong to the church’s 55 and Alive Club and enjoy social outings with the group.
For Josephine, the walk next door to church for early morning mass is important. “With six children, I barely had time to comb my hair. Here, I can start my day with mass and thank God for all the good things.”
Thomas oversees the staff, which includes Crippen and two part-time housekeepers and a part-time cook (volunteers pitch in to cook when the staffer is off). Meals are planned with the residents’ dietary and medical conditions in mind (two of the women have diabetes). The big meal is served at noon, and fixings for a light evening meal as well as breakfast are available for the residents to prepare themselves.
“There’s so much good here at St. Elizabeth’s,” said volunteer Ethel Stolzenbach of Joliet, who lived at the home for six months before moving in with a brother because “we needed each other.” But Stolzenbach’s ties to St. Elizabeth’s and the needs of the women draw her back on a weekly basis to drive residents to appointments and shopping or to assist at parties.
St. Elizabeth’s Home is non-profit, with monthly income covering basic costs such as building rental fees to St. Patrick, salaries, utilities and groceries. Catholic Charities absorbs additional expenses.
“The idea with St. Elizabeth’s,” Thomas said, “is to meet the women’s needs and to break even financially. If we have a month in the black, then we try to save in order to update the building.”
For the time being, a new roof is on the agenda, and Thomas has hopes for another facility for women and one for men. At present, there’s room for four more residents at St. Elizabeth’s.
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For more information, call Thomas at 815-723-3405.
