BEMIDJI — Jim Larson has lived a storied life. He’s traveled across the U.S. and around the world, visiting 31 countries and seeing the sights in Athens, Rome and Jerusalem.
Now 89, he’s ready to start the next chapter: being the first resident welcomed to the Bemidji Veterans Home.
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Larson walked into the building to a round of applause on Tuesday morning, with his entrance marking a milestone not only in his own life but in over a decade of work and community advocacy in making the veterans home a reality.
From its inception in 2007, the dream for the Bemidji Veterans Home has been to provide former service members who need nursing care in a place that feels like a home. Larson shared that he sees it as just that.
“I’m one of the luckiest people in the world because I think this is probably going to be the best place I’ve ever been,” he said. “This ain’t no nursing home, this is a home.”
As a U.S. Air Force veteran who retired in 1974 after 20 years of service, Larson is already looking forward to meeting other veterans and getting to know the staff.
“(I’m looking forward to) having as much fun as I can, and enjoying the people as much as I can,” he shared. “I hope that every person here will let me be part of their family and I hope they’ll want to be part of mine.”
In addition to the new family he hopes to build, Larson is also looking forward to visits from his children and grandchildren at the new facility.
“I think family is probably the most important thing that there is, there’s nothing like it,” he said, sharing that he has four children, eight grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
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“See what I started?” he added with a laugh.
Constructing a veterans home in Bemidji was done in part to allow area veterans to have access to care closer to their homes and loved ones, something Janice Borstad, Larson’s daughter, shared she was grateful for.
“We really like Bemidji, because it’s close to his family that can visit him, and his neighbors plan on coming to pick him up and take him fishing,” she said.
Prior to moving in, Larson lived in Nevis, Minn., in a home he built himself. As excited as he was to become the first resident of the veterans home, he shared that leaving his house was bittersweet.
"I built (that home), I cut the trees for the wood. It's hard to leave, but there's a time in my life where I have to move on," he explained. "It's really hard to decide when it's time for you to go because you feel like you don't need to go just yet. But my kids were a great help on that."
Borstad, who helped her father with the application, also expressed her gratitude for the staff who helped with the process and coordinated with her as she and her family made preparations for Larson to move.
“We owe this day to the staff here. I couldn’t have done it without these caring people,” she said. “We’re just so grateful for this privilege and this benefit that Dad has earned. It’s just amazing.”
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Reaching a milestone
Larson moving in wasn’t only emotional for himself and his daughter, the staff at the Bemidji Veterans Home were also affected by the long-awaited day.
“Seeing his reaction when he came in the door, he was excited to be here. That’s what we want,” shared Danielle Churness, the home’s director of nursing services. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this, we’ve spent a lot of time preparing.”
For the staff that have worked with Larson and his family, the experience was particularly touching.
“Happy emotions, happy tears. This family has been nothing short of amazing to work with, and we’re feeling the exact same excitement as he is,” shared Michele Vold, the benefits specialist at the veterans home.
Nine veterans are expected to move into the facility this first week, with the population building up to a temporary maximum of 24 while the facility waits for final recognition from the federal government.
After it's officially recognized the home will be able to house 72 veterans, once it meets adequate staffing requirements.
“(Moving in veterans) is a pretty big process, but it’s very special,” Vold shared. “It’s great to make them feel comforted, and we have such an amazing team here to be able to provide for the care, needs and wants of our veterans.”
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The home itself is designed for eligible veterans and their spouses who need 24/7 skilled nursing care and is outfitted with private rooms and communal spaces including a library and a therapeutic gym.
Bemidji's veterans home is one of three recently opened in the state, with the other two located in Preston and Montevideo, Minn.
Staff hope to truly make the Bemidji Veterans Home feel comfortable and safe, and to help create a sense of community within the facility.
“We want this to be a place they think of as home, we want them to be really comfortable here,” Churness said. “(As staff) we want to give back to our veterans, knowing what they’ve done for us, and this is the best way we know how.”
Larson, as the first resident to move in, is seeing that care firsthand and is excited to have his fellow veterans experience it as they move in.
“(This veterans home) means that somebody is still looking out for you, there’s no comparison to this place,” he said. “This is going to be a new chapter in my life and I’m going to make it good. I’m going to have a wonderful time here.”
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