By Jean M. Driskell

The name, St. Thomas Manor, was chosen with Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan in mind, "to remember his devotion to the elderly, his great compassion, his pastoral leadership" in providing this second of three archdiocesan personal care homes, Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, said.

With this dedication, Archbishop Marino blessed St. Thomas Manor, 3409 Washington Road in East Point, on the outside and then in each room ending with the chapel where he finished with a prayer before the tabernacle.

An open house and reception followed the blessing on Sunday, Oct. 2.

Archbishop Marino also thanked everyone involved with St. Thomas Manor, including those who contributed to the Capital Funds Drive in 1983.

So did Steve Brazen, executive director of Catholic Social Services, Inc. "For me, and I think for everyone who has been involved, this is an exciting day to see a dream come true. It's been in the planning a long, long time." He invited everyone to look the place over and to get "a feel for the homey quality of the place." Many later remarked to Brazen and to Sister Loretta Costa, CSJ, manager of St. Thomas Manor, that the home did have a home-like feel about it rather than an institutional feeling.

Two floral print sofas and matching chairs are in the living room. The carpet is teal and the lighting is soft and indirect.

Just off the living room, and somewhat partitioned, is the dining room. There are four oakwood tables with four matching chairs at each table. There are always placemats and flowers on the tables at mealtimes. Meals will be served family style and not cafeteria style, according to Sister Teresa Termini, CSJ, program director for Services to the Elderly.

The kitchen is large and well-equipped with a wooden worktable in the middle for preparing food, a vegetable sink, dishwasher, gas stove and a household refrigerator. Off from the kitchen are the main storage areas, including a stainless steel freezer and refrigerator. There is also a breakfast nook area with a dinette table "for residents to come in, have a cup of coffee and chat with the cook," Sister Teresa said.

The handrail along the halls is wooden and is painted in teal.

The bedrooms are in soft mauve with solid off-white drapes, easy chair with print upholstery and the bedspreads, different in each room, have a bright floral print.

St. Thomas Manor is designed "to really make a home for the people who come to live here in order that they can stay independent," Sister Loretta said.

Sister Loretta explained that she and the staff are to be available to the residents and their families as they move into another phase of their lives.

St. Thomas Manor is modeled after Marian Manor, the first archdiocesan personal care home which opened in November 1984 and is located at 2801 Briarcliff Road in Atlanta.

St. Thomas Manor is designed for 15 elderly residents, 65 years old and older. Each resident will have his or her own bedroom with every two rooms connected by a bathroom. The bedrooms are furnished with lavatories, medicine cabinets, ample closet space and emergency call systems, and homey furniture.

The Manor is licensed by the state as a personal care home and meets all fire and safety requirements. There is a fire alarm in every bedroom.

Also, there are two bedrooms especially designed for those who are handicapped, such as confined to a wheelchair, with a connecting bathroom also designed for handicapped persons.

Residents must be able to move about on their own. If they have a cane, walker or are in a wheelchair, they need to be able to manage without assistance.

"What is meant by personal care is to provide a bridge from total independent living to complete nursing home care," said Carolynn Pierce, director of Catholic Personal Care Homes, Inc. "Personal care is for those who are unable to live on their own but don't need total care, and would benefit from a supervised home environment."

St. Thomas Manor provides 24-hour supervision and auxiliary services such as three meals a day, housekeeping, personal laundry services, emergency assistance and social work services.

Also, Mass on Sundays and holy days and First Fridays is available, with Communion services Monday through Friday. "We're church sponsored, so I think this makes us unique in that it adds a spiritual component to our program," Mrs. Pierce said.

The chapel is sunny with six small pews custom-designed in Virginia that seat a total of 24 persons. They also include kneeling benches and places for music.

The monks at the monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers are making a stained-glass window of St. Thomas the Apostle with Jesus to fit behind the altar.

There is also a parlor and activities room nearby; a telephone room, though residents can bring their own phones; a beauty parlor; two offices and a visitor's restroom.

There are planned activities and a number of volunteer opportunities offered at St. Thomas Manor, Sister Jodi Creten, CSJ, residence services coordinator, is responsible for all the activities and the volunteer services for all three personal care homes (St. Theresa Manor, the third personal care home in the archdiocese will be ready in February, 1989 and will be located in Riverdale).

"We want to encourage general interaction among the residents. We want to encourage the residents to join in activities so that they can get a sense of family and community spirit," Sister Jodi said.

Some of the activities planned are Bible groups, card playing, bingo, weekly rosary led by the residents as much as possible, outings around the city, birthday parties, seasonal activities for Christmas, Easter, Advent, Holy Week, arts and crafts and having school groups over to interact among the residents.

"I want to sit down with each individual and get to know that person and gear any activity toward that individual," Sister Jodi said.

The first resident arrived on Monday, October 3. By the middle of October, about nine residents will have moved in. St. Thomas Manor is still accepting applications and also volunteers to help with the activities.