What's New
A Legacy of Service
Howard
Residential Care Facility is a tremendous source of pride to
Howard County, and for more than one reason.
Anyone who hasn’t visited the facility in the last five
years will be surprised and delighted at the renovations that
have been done to the building. It is a bright, cheerful, home-like
setting, with an atmosphere of family, laughter, and lots of
activity. It clearly shows the professional pride taken by those
who work there, and very much speaks to a modern, up-to-date
residence.
To understand how HRCF has evolved from the “County Farm” to
what it is today, one needs to look at the past fifty years of
the Ott family’s commitment to the residents.
In 1952, Clarence and Aletta Darrah began as steward and matron
of “The Poor Farm.” At that time, it was home to
the truly indigent. The Farm was a mostly self-sufficient working
farm, with the 13 residents working either in the field (men)
or in the kitchen or laundry (women). For the most part, residents
were middle-aged citizens without means or family.
In 1953, Francis J. Ott (“Buzz”) began work at the
Farm, helping with harvesting the corn, and was joined by his
wife, Marilyn, a few months later. They became the “second
couple” at the Farm, brought there, as Marilyn says, “because
that’s where the work was.” Bringing their young
daughter, Kay, they lived in the upper floor of the original
building. In 1955, they added to their
family when son Jim arrived. Both children called the Farm “home” until
Buzz and Marilyn moved to town in 1961. For the next eight years,
Buzz worked with the residents on the Farm, commuting from their
home in Cresco.
In 1969, Marilyn’s parents retired, and Buzz and Marilyn
moved into the facility full-time. Son Jim finished high school,
then moved to Minneapolis to become a veterinary assistant.
For the next twenty years, Buzz and Marilyn watched as the makeup
of the residents changed. With the advent of government subsidies,
formerly indigent residents were able to afford a different living
arrangement. At the same time, in the early 1960s, medication
and social reform allowed former residents of mental hospitals
to live either on their own or in supervised facilities. Where
the building had formerly provided a home for 13 residents, Buzz
and Marilyn oversaw an expansion to allow for more than 30 residents.
In response to this change, Marilyn attended North Iowa Community
College at Calmar, receiving more than 100 hours of schooling
to learn to deal with the needs of mentally challenged adults.
She and Buzz retired in 1988 and moved to Cresco. Shortly after
this, HRCF became a private facility, ending the years of farming.
Residents could then obtain employment with Spectrum Industries,
if they so desired. (Today, some residents are employed part-time
by Regional Health Services.)
In 1989, Jim Ott, who by this time had obtained his Certification
for Residential Care Administration and was working in long-term
care at Tipton, was persuaded to return to what is now the Howard
Residential Care Facility.
Continuing a three-generation commitment to the residents, Jim
brought continued professionalism to the operation of the facility.
Under his direction, HRCF expanded to allow more than 40 residents
to live at the facility. He helped to design and build the Patty
Elwood Center, an attached but separate addition that serves
24 Alzheimer’s residents who require specialized, residential
care. Jim, who received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2002,
has seen his residents expand to include those who simply need
a safe, assisted environment.
Since her husband, Buzz, died in 1998, Marilyn has continued
her support of HRCF and its residents. Active in the Auxiliary,
and continually involved in “projects”, she still
enters the facility through the back door, which was her entrance
for so many years. “My car just goes back there all by
itself”, she jokes.
Not only does Howard County boast one of the most modern, friendly,
homey residential care facilities in Iowa, it also takes great
pride in the Ott family. All of Howard County has been well-served
by their dedication, their work, and their long-term commitment
to the well-being of HRCF’s residents.
