By: Jesse Davidson
Founded in 1939 as Bethany Rest Home, today Bethany Retirement Living is a non-profit organization dedicated to “to provide living opportunities in a senior community shaped by Christian values,” as stated by Grant Richardson, Senior Executive of Development and Community Relations at Bethany. A lot of businesses will have to make way for the incoming population and the retirement community is no exception. This is a growing industry concern in the Fargo-Moorhead area, as businesses will have to adjust to accommodate the increase in people.
Bethany is already planning ahead for the future. They expect that in the next five years alone, “By 2021, the 65+ community is expected to increase by 35%,” says Grant. This will be a tough challenge for Bethany to meet. Currently, as one of the top rated assisted living communities in the region, they house a total of 497 residents. They have a total capacity of 518 residents between their two assisted living facilities; Bethany on 42nd and Bethany on University.
Bethany has recently opened up Bethany Grace Pointe, an independent living apartment building for adults ages 55 and older located near Bethany on 42nd. In addition, Bethany is currently finishing up renovation of the Bethany on University. The renovation adds 30,000 square feet of therapy and living space to the facility as well as adding more activity space and converting many double rooms into private living spaces. On top of this, Grant says there is even more space available. “We recently acquired a piece of land where we could build a third campus in Fargo to meet the needs of a growing senior population,” he says.
This will add space to help accommodate more residents but unfortunately Bethany has a long wait list for all levels of care. Grant admits that Bethany doesn’t currently have the space to meet the demand for senior living that will only increase with the rising population. Grant says that Bethany’s plan for now is to expand with the population. “Our plan is to continue to expand, not only the number of people we can serve, but to add additional levels of care,” he says. The different levels of care will hopefully ease the wait list congestion by letting residents get in sooner.
One of the biggest challenges facing Bethany is funding currently is finding the funding to support such growth. As a nonprofit, Bethany is sponsored by 38 Evangelical Lutheran churches. Also since Bethany offers skilled nursing, their rates are controlled by the State of North Dakota. “Our reimbursement rates have been reduced, and we expect that trend to continue,” says Grant. All the while Bethany keeps getting asked to increase staffing and take on additional regulations. To counteract this, Grants suggests that Bethany’s “future growth will take on the form of assisted living, basic care, and independent housing.” This will give Bethany a greater opportunity to set their rates at a competitive level and gain the revenue needed in order to expand.
It’s going to be challenging to meet the rising population in Fargo, especially after 30 years when it is expected to increase by at least 50%. The senior community will have trouble finding room for assisted living spaces. Bethany foresees this issue and is already making plans to meet the challenge head on.
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