The Founding of Christian Living Communities
The story of Christian Living Communities begins in the late 1960s, when the Board of Directors for Bethesda Hospital made the difficult decision to close their Continuing Care Unit, which had been providing long-term care for seniors.
With hard work, prayers, goodwill from others, and the grace of God, a small group of dedicated community members made up of the Reformed and Christian Reformed churches, as well as members from the Bethesda Hospital, opened the University Hills Christian Nursing Home on May 7, 1972. They started with just two thousand dollars in the bank. Yet, what they lacked in funding, they made up for in determination and love.
Visionary from the Start – Advocating for Older Adults
A window for every resident – sounds common, but even today some skilled nursing communities are built with companion suites that have beds side by side, with only one window for residents to share. In 1972, with dignity and respect as the cornerstone, our founders ensured a window for each person to enjoy fresh air and a beautiful view.
Advocacy is also at the foundation of CLC. Instead of ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, we had Elmer Houtsma Goes to Washington. In the ‘70s, Congress passed legislation mandating each nursing home must have a Medical Director – little direction, no provisions for funding, legislation without a nod towards implementation. Mr. Houtsma, our first administrator, was relentless in his advocacy for nursing home rights and influenced the further clarification and financial support for the start of programs.
Elmer Houtsma also signed CLC on as an early member of a statewide senior care advocacy group then called the Colorado Associate of Homes for the Aging (CAHA), now known as LeadingAge Colorado. CLC’s faithful support helped LeadingAge grow from just a few care providers to the 200 strong members it is today.
CLC helped pioneer the assisted living option in the state of Colorado. It was among the first to develop a care level offering help with dressing, medications, and meals to seniors who didn’t fit skilled nursing criteria but weren’t safe at home. CLC was also one of the first organizations to introduce Life Plan Communities in the Denver metro area.
Today, we are leading the way with the CLC Citizenship Model for community living. Residents, team members, family members, and our vendor partners are all citizens, who together, weave a beautiful and vibrant tapestry of living.
We believe this approach will revolutionize aging services, moving beyond traditional cultures that focus on a declinist view of aging to purpose-filled cultures of shared responsibility, to citizenship.
