Submitted by ST. CATHERINE’S VILLAGE
Betty and Jim Pierce have lived at St. Catherine’s Village for nine years.
One of the benefits of a Life Plan Community is that residents can move from one level of care to another as their needs shift, all while remaining in a familiar environment. Jim Pierce and his wife, Bettie, who have lived at St. Catherine’s Village in Madison for nine years, found themselves in this exact situation as Mr. Pierce’s health changed after an illness. Now 93, he receives the right care and support in skilled nursing while Bettie remains in the couple’s independent living garden home on campus.
During their early retirement, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce split their time between North Carolina and Florida. After an accident and multiple cardiac arrests, Mr. Pierce knew it was time to start planning for the future, because “you never know what’s going to happen.” That planning included a visit to St. Catherine’s, where they fell in love with the 160-acre wooded property.
The couple purchased a homesite within St. Catherine’s with the intention of building a garden home after selling their North Carolina property. While the new section of the community was being developed, the Pierces met another couple in North Carolina who already lived in a garden home at St. Catherine’s. Shortly thereafter, the Pierces decided it was the right time to move to the Life Plan Community. Then the pandemic hit — and COVID-19 hit Mr. Pierce.
“Because of my accident, I had already slowed down some and my balance was off,” he explained. “But COVID put me in dire straits. I wondered, ‘What am I going to do now?’ Thankfully I was able to move to the Tuscany building on the St. Catherine’s Village campus. And my wife was able to stay in our garden home.”
The St. Catherine’s team praised Mr. Pierce for taking the initiative to do something different to ensure both he and his wife receive the best quality of life for the level of care they each need.
The Pierces are a perfect example of what an all-inclusive Life Plan Community can provide. Mr. Pierce has maximized the skilled nursing experience and looks at life with a glass-half-full attitude. He brightens up the area for both staff and other residents.
Mrs. Pierce visits her husband routinely in Tuscany, and he can use a scooter to go down to the dining room for meals with her. He is involved with her life and her protection despite not living in the same house. He manages much of what needs to be done in their home and contacts the staff when the need arises.
“I found out in the corporate world that you’re not there to be king, you’re there to be a leader and give credit where it’s due,” said Mr. Pierce. That’s one reason he treats everyone he comes in contact with at Tuscany — from housekeeping to caregivers and nurses — with respect and is the first one to share compliments. “They have been so good to me here. I have been so blessed.”
Married for 68 years, the Pierces have two daughters who often visit them at St. Catherine’s, along with seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren spread across the country from Montana to Dallas to Nashville to Mississippi.
As Madison’s preeminent Life Plan Community, St. Catherine’s provides the right care at the right time with independent living in apartments and garden homes, assisted living in Marian Hall, memory care in Campbell Cove, skilled nursing in Siena Center and Tuscany, and skilled nursing dedicated to memory care in Hughes Center.
The private gated community boasts a caring staff, on-site resident-centered care, and a mission-focused environment, and was the first Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in the state to earn accreditation by CARF-CCAC. This “commitment to excellence” seal signifies that the campus exceeds the standards established by the only international accrediting body for CCRCs.
To learn more about St. Catherine’s Village, visit StCatherinesVillage.com or call 601.856.0123 to schedule a tour.
