In 1975, a group of parishioners at Wesley Village Church in Macomb set forth to establish a retirement and care center in Macomb, and the Central Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church approved the proposal. However, due to funding issues that dream was delayed by a few years, with the facility finally breaking ground in 1978 and opening in February 1980 to offer independent living apartments, following by a nursing care unit in April 1980.
Zan Harris, Wesley's minister the Rev. Jack Travelstead and Eldon Snowden were the three individuals who brainstormed, formulated a plan and moved it forward to create Wesley Village. Forty- five years later, the campus of Wesley Village in Macomb has expanded exponentially under the leadership of its third CEO Shelly Martin, who has been with the organization for 26 years.
Following the initial opening of the center, which was first under the direction of David Pease, a retired Wesley Church minister, a home aide service, Wesley at Home, was established.
Martin joined the organization as the finance director under leadership of its second director Ray Poe; however, after just a few years on the job, Poe was out and Martin was in as CEO. It was just prior to Martin taking over that an Alzheimer's wing was added to the campus, along with a conference room, beauty shop, reception area and a low stimulus unit.
'The need for the sheltered level of care diminished, so we discontinued this service in 2000; however, one year after I took over as CEO, our 26-bed Alzheimer's unit was upgraded to Skilled Care with Medicare certification and on 2006, we were able to position this wing into a 12-bed short term rehab unit and 16-wint memory care wing,' Martin explained.
But the growth of the campus, which had been facing financial challenges that Martin, as a finance person, hit head-on and continued to look at not only ways to ensure financial viability and stability, but to meet the needs of current and future residents, and the community. Licensed in-home nursing was added in 2009 to complement the organization's suite of services, and in 2012, the 47-bed Intermediate Care unit was upgraded to a Medicare Certified/Skilling Nursing Unit.
'This provided more flexibility when we were admitting residents who needed more skilled care,' she explained.
Throughout the years, outpatient therapy was added, Wesley Home Health was added to serve seniors remaining in their homes. Eventually this service merged with Wesley at Home. But the biggest changes were yet to come.
Wesley was one of the first organizations in the region to adopt the 'Pursuit at Home' model, which is a household model of care, in 2016, which transformed the memory care unit into a 'large family home setting' composed of four wings/units of 12-18 residents per setting, and continuity of caregivers and staff.
'This is a more personal approach to long-term care and is really person-centered as we have more private rooms and the residents have more a say in the decision-making,' Martin shared. 'It's what really sets us apart as well. We have the same caregivers for each unit, meals are served family style; however, residents can choose when they come to the table – there are no set times like it used to be. We really try to make this as homelike as possible for the comfort and happiness of our residents.'
The four households include the McCreery House (2017), Pearson North Home (short-term rehab, 2020), Pearson South House (long-term care, 2020) and Epperson House (long-term care, 2022). This approach is world's away from the 'institutional' model of yesteryear, she added.
The Estates, which will turn 20 years old this December, located directly east of Wesley Village, opened in 2005, and features independent living condominiums for a membership fee. There are currently 36 condos, all of which are occupied, with another six planned for phase four, Martin noted. There is currently a 40-person wait list for the Estates. Wesley's Community Center, which is available to rent by community members and organizations, opened in October 2013.
'Besides building the Estates and the Community Center, and renovating our skilled nursing wing, we have renovated every apartment in the retirement center and we're looking at the possibility of opening part of the second floor of the apartments into a more assisted living environment for those who can live independently, but who maybe need just a bit of help,' Martin said.
'When I started here, our apartments were old and outdated, featuring a very small kitchen with only enough room for a small (dorm-size) refrigerator. Now they all feature galley style kitchens with full-size appliances, and we renovate each apartment when a resident moves out so it's a new home for someone. We've also added so much landscaping and accessible walking path, thanks to generous donations from people who love Wesley Village.'
Wesley Village, which employs around 150 and serves as home to 220 residents, is operated by a 12-member Board of Directors. Steve Hopper, retired CEO of McDonough District Hospital, is one of the longtime members of Board, having served several terms to date. Hopper shared that over the years he has been impressed with the continual improvements that have been implemented.
'As an example, bringing the 'household' concept to our facility differentiates us from other area institutions.
However, more than the facilities themselves, the caring attitude of the entire staff has made an impactful difference to our residents,' Hopper said. 'Every board meeting starts with a review of Wesley Villages Mission, Vision and Values, which form the basis of our decision- making. The leadership team has been visionary, with a focus on proving excellent services that meet the needs of our residents, while maintaining fiscal viability.: The organization receives some funding from Wesley's Illinois Great River Conference, Medicare and Medicaid, grants, donations and the Fellheimer Trust, which Martin credits getting the facility through its rocky financials in the late 1990s. The organization has weathered storms over the years, including recently the pandemic which Martin said provided another set of fiscal trials.
'I think funding is always a challenge for care facilities, especially when the delay in Medicaid reimbursement takes so long and we continually face unfunded mandates, such as upgrading our fire protection system as we renovate the second floor into assisted living apartments,' she explained. 'But my goals during my time as CEO are to keep our buildings and equipment up-todate, continue to make this a safe and happy place for our residents and ensure financial stability. I want to leave Wesley in a good place when I finally decide to retire. I truly care for what we have here and the people who live and work here.'
An anniversary celebration event will take place this fall to commemorate Wesley Village's and Wesley Estate's openings 45 and 25 years, ago respectively. The community can also join in celebrating Wesley's 35th annual Ice Cream Social this Friday (Aug. 1) from 6-8 p.m. Tickets, $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, are available at the Wesley Village office (1200 E. Grant St.). Walk-ins are welcome at the event.
Admission includes ice cream, pie, cookies, tea and water, and activities, music and games for all ages.
