As the needs of older adults have changed, so has Foss. A retired Lutheran bishop, Bishop L.C. Foss, bought a house for widows in 1929 as a venture of faith. Foss Home expanded in 1957 and 1970, adding more nursing home beds. In 1995 they expanded again, adding transitional care units (TCU) and The Village, which comprises the assisted living. Foss currently houses up to 270 older adults in four residential programs – assisted living, specialized dementia, transitional care, and continuing care. The residents are served by 370 part- and full-time staff and over 300 volunteers. An additional expansion is planned with completion in 2006, to add 130 apartments.

Foss Home & Village seeks to provide excellent health services primarily for older adults. Their purpose is to promote life in the fullest possible sense for each person in a Christian environment. They believe in “Living With Dignity.”

Foss has partnered with educational institutions to provide training for students. There is an onsite dental clinic with University of Washington (UW) students, a pharmacy that is overseen by a pharmacist with UW students, nursing students from Shoreline Community College, and therapy students from UW. There is a speech & swallowing therapist on site. Having a stable staff, Foss has been able to be part of various pilot projects. One project was working with Swedish Hospital to develop training sessions to manage pain. Foss has their own certified nursing assistant (CNA) classes and would like to develop a health clinic for the neighborhood as part of their proposed building project.

The area congregations also benefit from Foss Home’s educational outreach. Foss works with area churches to provide education on aging, to hold health fairs, and assist the congregations to create endowment programs. Foss has two programs to honor area seniors for enriching the lives of others. Each Fall, seven area seniors are honored and the Seattle mayor declares that week “National Seniors Week.” The L.C. Foss Award is given each year to one individual at the “Fall Gala” for outstanding service. Past recipients were ’99 Phil Smart, ’00 Dr. Lester Sauvage, ’01 Alice Sandstrom, ’02 Dr. Dale Turner, and ’03 Shirley Lansing.

Foss has a separate Foundation Board to oversee fundraising. The two primary fundraising events are the Spring Luncheon and the Fall Gala. These funds are used for the “Extra Touch” endowment program that is comprised of four funds:

• Touch of Spirit – a program to enrich and expand the spiritual aspects at Foss by educating clergy of all faiths in dealing with aging. Also, Foss plans to have a chaplain available to residents at all times.
• Touch of the Neighbor – used to enhance the volunteer program. As a pilot program, Foss has begun to help local congregations train and support Care Teams that serve the fragile elderly in their homes. Foss intends to expand to include more congregations.
• Touch of Quality – a program for staff enhancement, education and development. It is used to provide scholarships and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Foss would like to also offer nursing scholarships.
• Touch of Comfort – a program to enrich the lives of the residents. This is the largest program and is used to help purchase personal items for Medicaid qualified residents who don’t have much money and to purchase updated equipment. It is also used to provide stimulating activities such as the Art & Enrichment Program and Seniors Making Art.

Foss has monthly residents’ council meetings, in both the nursing home and Village, with the CEO, dietary and activities staff, sharing information and gathering suggestions for continued improvement. They received a five-start rating by the “Inside Guide to America’s Nursing Homes,” 1998-1999 Edition, and received deficiency-free care surveys in both the nursing home and assisted living programs this year. Foss has a variety of animals on site including a wandering cat that helped to bring two residents out of isolation when other activities and assistance failed. They are working toward incorporating more of the Eden Alternative program into the Foss philosophy of care and team building.

As a nonprofit organization, a faith-based mission, and not the bottom line, drives the programs and services at Foss Home. They recognize the need to be financially solvent, but continually work toward the betterment of the residents. As Jesus believes in taking care of those in need, so too does Foss.

Foss Home is a member of WAHSA, a state association serving primarily not-for-profit organizations, dedicated to providing quality housing, health, community and related services to older persons. WAHSA is affiliated with the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA). When asked what it means to be a WAHSA member, Rev. John Henkel, President/CEO of Foss Home & Village stated, “We have fellowship and mutual sharing of knowledge. We explore new opportunities and ventures with others of like thinking. We are given the opportunity to work together in areas of common concern, and we have fun with our WAHSA colleagues.”