The Lutheran Home Association
Special Care Residence
Belle Plaine, Minnesota

Designed to assist with the care of residents with Alzheimer’s disease and/or dementia, The Special Care Residence broadens the types of specialized care offered by the Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine. The new 28-bed facility is connected to the existing nursing home and provides necessary accommodations for the unique needs of these individuals while remaining adaptable to future changes in residential care needs. Professional Design Group provided full design services after first collaborating with the owner to gain an exception to the State moratorium on new nursing home beds.

PDG worked extensively with various committees at the nursing home and its administration to design a facility that responds effectively to the varied needs of its residents. The product of the process is an efficient facility that creatively enhances residents’ care options within a home-like environment. This facility is an extension of PDG’s master plan for the Belle Plaine Campus and integrates with the village concept of site organization.

This project was featured in The American Institute of Architects and The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging joint publication: Design for Aging: 2000 Review, published in the Fall of 2000.