Upsala Senior Living Open For Business | Morrison County Record

The staff at Upsala Senior Living enjoys getting to know residents and making a difference in their lives during their stay. Pictured are (from left): Manager Deanna Thompson and owners Tim and Amy Jo Matros.

Upsala Senior Living in Upsala opened Aug. 16 and has since received many inquiries from people wanting to move in.

In mid-August, Tim and Amy Jo Matros opened Upsala Senior Living. Adding the home to the area has been a long time in the making, Tim said.

The facility in Upsala is 13,120 square feet and features 20 rooms for residents.

“Most of them have their own individual bathroom. The corner rooms are a little bit unique. They’re individual rooms, but they have a shared bathroom,” Tim said.

The rooms are relatively simple, but are equipped with plenty of room if the resident wants to have their own mini-refrigerator and/or a microwave.

“They all also have a closet and counter space to keep stuff,” Amy Jo said.

As Tim and Amy Jo own and operate several assisted living facilities, Tim said when they built the one in Upsala they opted for residents to keep their options open. In the other facilities, he said, they discovered that even when mini-refrigerators and microwaves were installed in the rooms, the residents didn’t use them very often. It all comes down to personal choice, he said.

One thing the Matroses and the staff keep in mind and at the forefront is the assisted living facility is truly the residents’ home. Because of that, treating the space and the residents with the utmost respect is important. It’s also up to the residents how they want to decorate and furnish their rooms. While the rooms are furnished with a bed and a night stand, Tim said residents are welcome to bring their favorite recliner or other furniture or item that will help turn the room into feeling more like home for the resident.

Upsala Senior Living in Upsala opened Aug. 16 and has since received many inquiries from people wanting to move in.

“We have the privilege of coming into their home every day and helping them with the needs they can no longer meet. This is their home, so we want to make it a happy environment,” Tim said.

Looking back at the process of building the assisted living facility in Upsala, the couple said there are many things they have enjoyed along the way.

“What I have really enjoyed is the support and the excitement from the community,” Amy Jo said.

It was that very support and excitement that ultimately sparked their interest to even build in Upsala, they said.

Tim said it all began with Mayor Rollie Johnson sitting next to another assisted living owner at a conference. As the owner and the Matroses had done business in the past, he directed Johnson to the Matroses. From there, the project grew, he said.

While talks about building the assisted living began in 2019, it all came to a bit of a halt in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“At that point, we weren’t doing any building projects. We were really focused on keeping our current residents safe,” Tim said.

Although more knowledge had been gained about COVID by 2021 and restrictions had slowed down, Tim said they faced supply chain issues. Lumber prices also went through the roof, he said.

The Matroses committed to the project in October 2021. They received bank approval. By then, things had started to turn around.

“We kind of lucked out. We got to a spot where lumber prices had come back down and leveled out. When we committed, signed the contract with the contractor and locked in those prices, we really did it at the best possible time. After that, things started flushing back up again,” Tim said.

The Matroses broke ground in November 2021 and anticipated to open in August. Some people in the community weren’t sure they would be able to complete the project within that short of a time frame. Tim said they were confident.

“That nine-month time frame is pretty typical to other projects that we have done,” he said.

Getting ready for opening the facility, the Matroses hired nurses and other staff, who assess residents before they move in to make sure the facility is a good fit for them. As time goes by, the home continues to get calls and inquiries.

The Matroses continue to hire people as the home fills up and, as more staff is needed, Tim said ultimately the opening of Upsala Senior Living will have provided 20-25 jobs in the area.

Besides the rooms for the residents, the assisted living facility also features a large open dining area, a kitchen and other areas to make residents feel at home. Different activities are provided, as well.

The facility also offers a separate shower room that makes it easier for residents who are wheelchair bound to take a shower. The room includes a therapeutic spa tub, which residents can be seated in and then comfortably slid into the tub before the door to the tub is closed. In comparison to how baths were given to residents in the 1980s, Tim said the new tub is much more comfortable to use for both residents and staff. Back in the 1980s, he said, the resident was strapped in a harness and lifted above the tub to get in.

“That’s just how things have changed over the years,” he said.

The Matroses have added other exciting areas for the residents that they hope to be filled shortly, such as a beauty shop.

“We’re hoping to find someone who’s willing to come in and provide services to the residents,” Amy Jo said.

Deanna Thompson, manager at Upsala Senior Living, said she’s enjoyed getting to know the new staff and residents. Caring for elders is also something she really likes. Before she started working with the assisted living, Thompson said she worked with victims of crime and abuse for a long time.

“I knew I needed a change from that, but I still wanted to do something that was helping people in some way and happened upon a position with Tim and Amy Jo,” she said.

For more information, visit www.upsalaseniorliving.com.

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