JANELLE PATTERSON The Marietta Times Marlene Greene, right, picks through individual curls on Betty Rhodes, 95, a resident of the Woman’s Home of Washington County, in Marietta Thursday.

With six months left until the facility closes its doors, numbers have begun to dwindle at the Woman’s Home in Marietta.

Since June, when the home’s board of directors announced its upcoming closure, the residential count has gone down from 10 to six, with another two leaving by the end of January due to increased skilled nursing needs.

Reasons for closing included the cost to maintain the facility and the capital improvements needs as the aging home needed upgrades in roofing, windows and ADA accessibility. Though some improvements over the years have been made to the structure, the increased cost of repairs alongside the increased medical needs of residents has become cost-prohibitive.

The home at 812 Third St. opened in 1885 under the guidance of Catherine Ewing and the donation of two plots of land by Douglas Putnam and M.P. Wells. It survived solely on private donations for years along with the management of residents’ assets as a place for elderly widowed women to live as a community and have their assets managed by a board of local residents.

“They’re continuing the course they announced to the families and already some families have chosen to move,” said Rebekah Mathins-Stump, an advisor hired by the board to aid in the transition.

The remaining four residents have until the end of June next year to find new accommodations before the home revises its 132-year legacy from caretaker to a granting fund.

“We’re not putting anyone out on the street, that’s why we announced the closing so early, so they could all have the time to visit other facilities with their families, have a meal and a make a choice to move where they’re comfortable,” said Debi Stengel, manager of the facility. “Many residential care facilities don’t even give you a month to find a new place when they realize the level of care needed is more than they’re qualified to provide.”

In the meantime, day to day living at the home has remained largely the same since the announcement, including so far keeping its 15 employees, a priority for Stengel to maintain a sense of normalcy for her residents, many of whom live with memory loss.

“Every Thursday is beauty day,” said hairdresser Marlene Greene, of Lowell. “They get excited to come down and have their hair and nails done. It’s a weekly routine.”

And routine is important for the elderly residents of the home, Stengel said.

“They shouldn’t have to stress or worry about the coming move, especially at their age,” she said. “We still had our Halloween party and we’ll have our Christmas party with their families next week. I want things to feel as normal as possible for them.”

But the tradition of camaraderie between widowed elderly women living together and being taken care of throughout the remainder of their lives is still a hope for some of the remaining families.

“We’re holding out hope that another company will buy the home and keep it as it is,” said Nancy Matheny, whose mother Betty Rhodes, 95, is a resident of the home. “We’ve put in calls to our (legislative representatives) and other companies and we’ve met as families both together and with the board to try and find a solution. We really want this to stay as a home for widowed women as it was established.”

However the reasons for closing remain the same, said Mary Antons, chair of the nonprofit’s governing board.. Dwindling resources, increased cost of living, maintenance and care make the feasibility of the facility not likely without significant backing from a larger medical institution.

“We’ve studied this for close to three years before announcing we were going to close,” said Antons. “It’s now listed with McCarthy’s (Real Estate) and we’ve had a couple of showings just to get a feel for the interest and our price.”

The listing price is $799,000 for the home, which sits on a 0.71 acre lot.

In the past donations to the building have included an Eagle Scout project giving the women an outdoor area to enjoy a flower garden, and new windows.

“We do have plans to pay Colonial Dames back through the community foundation for the windows,” said Antons. “After the home sells then the remaining money will be put into the foundation to be used for grants and aid in the housing and care of elderly women, which is our mission, just repurposed as funds rather than the whole facility.”

Previously the board had reported the cost of maintaining the facility at north of $500,000 each year, with expenses ranging between $50,000 and $60,000 each month.

“About 75 percent of that is our staff,” said Stengel. “Then 10 percent is food and supplies and another 15 percent is utilities, but that’s not including the repairs and capital expenses.”

And for a home that’s primary function is a low-cost living situation for its residents, surviving on $2,000 to $3,000 per resident each month doesn’t come close to covering expenses.

“A lot of these ladies can’t afford a place like the Pines (at Glenwood), it’s the cost barrier,” said Stengel. “But they require care we’re not qualified to give. We’re not equipped for bandage changing, or helping a lady bathe, wipe and have constant care every minute. That’s another level of skilled nursing.”

Stengel said a challenge over the last six months has been the gossip spread between extended family of residents and staff that has led employees to doubt themselves.

“But these are my grandmas, they’re my life and my biggest worry is losing them to a facility where they’re just a number. That’s why we linked the families up with an ombudsman to help them set up visits with other facilities,” said Stengel. “The day each one of them leaves is really hard. I just think people were holding out for that first six months and now that we’re reassessing are having to face the reality that we’re closing.”

For the board, transition conversations as it moves from oversight of a facility to a granting fund through the Marietta Community Foundation will be coached by Mathis-Stump.

“Big picture-wise the board will begin its process of revising its bylaws…so that they can keep carrying forward the mission of the home in a new way,” she said. “Part of that will be making sure that there’s an appropriate number of people on the board to oversee the fund and discussing how frequently they will need to meet alongside the foundation’s grant cycle. They’ll really rely on the community foundation’s expertise.”

At a glance

¯ The Woman’s Home of Washington County has just longer than six months until its planned close on June 30.

¯ The current staff has been maintained at 15 people.

¯ Resident numbers have lowered from 10 last June to six currently with two planning on moving by the end of January.

Source: Woman’s Home of Washington County.