In celebration of National Skilled Nursing Care Week, we wanted to hear from residents about what they enjoy about their community. Gary Skramstad wrote at length about his experience at Fargo Elim. With his permission, we are sharing his thoughts with you.

“To me, the purpose of a nursing home is to nurture the basic needs of people by caring for their bodies, mind, and soul. I have had the privilege to see firsthand how Fargo Elim has met that challenge for us as individuals.

For the body, we are here because the time has come in our lives when we cannot be by ourselves. We need therapy, we need general care for our physical needs and, of course, one of those needs is food. The food has been varied and tasty.

All of this happens within the beautiful walls of our new facility. Our rooms are spacious and gracious. Each of us has a private bathroom, including a shower, and a refrigerator to have our cool beverages, and our rooms include a smart TV to keep our mind going, thinking and learning, and being entertained. 

Our minds are met with opportunities to exercise our intellectual capabilities: even the repetitiveness of who can win bingo, who can answer the trivia questions correctly, and the opportunity of sharing each other’s personal life experiences.

Our souls are met with a fantastic spiritual care department that enriches this area of our lives. They do so by providing church services, Bible studies, sing-a-longs, and personal visits. They understand that this area of living is important to have in balance with our bodies, mind, and soul. After all, they have helped even this former pastor understand more of what God has in store for him.

I see the nursing home as something like an airport terminal or a train depot. People need to have their tickets and they have an uncertain time of when they will leave. They need to know the destination of where they are going. They need to come to this end of their lifetime with peace and comfort and the certainty of God’s love. I have experienced God’s love and care for me through the compassion, commitment, and care of all of the departments that make up Fargo Elim.

At times, we can be so fragile with our emotions, mind, and bodies. We have needed that extra care or reassurance that someone is there. I have found that, through the various needs of my physical care, those needs have been greatly met.

I have had the opportunity to meet many new people. Some have been here for a short time just to get therapy and get well so they can get back home. Then, there are most of us who are here for a long stay, and I am one of those. I have real peace about being here, this is my new family and I love and pray for each of them. Thank you to all who have had a part in making this facility possible.”