May 22, 2011 - UMLH Welcomes New Executive Director

Please join the Board of Trustees in welcoming Dean J. Fredrickson as the Executive Director of the University Mound Ladies Home (UMLH) effective June 13, 2011. Dean brings over 20 years of experience working in senior living, and he is deeply committed to those who serve this community, and to our nonprofit mission of providing excellent, affordable care. He will join Katie Brown, Director of Resident Services, and Christa Williams, MSW and Coordinator of the Hospice and Palliative Care Program, as a member of our management team.

John Fecondo, who graciously agreed to serve as Executive Director for the past two years, successfully managed a period of growth that included many improvements in both resident care and facilities. The Board extends a heartfelt thank you to John who will continue to contribute to the Home's success, returning to his previous role as a member of the Board of Trustees.

For more than 125 years, UMLH has been providing high-quality, compassionate, and affordable assisted living for older women. We provide a beautiful home for residents from diverse backgrounds and an alternative to board-and-care facilities for those who want a higher level of socialization. We strive to promote aging in place through our Hospice and Palliative Care program, which is open to all.

University Mound Ladies Home in the News

Eldercare Setting Enhances Student Experience
SF State News - December 18, 2009

A Comfortable Home for Women of Modest Means
Northern California Community Loan Fund - November 19, 2009

Updates from the University Mound Ladies Home

UMLH and SFSU Launch Innovative Partnership for Care
The University Mound Ladies Home and San Francisco State University have launched an innovative, multidisciplinary collaboration coordinated by the SFSU School of Nursing. The project aims to give students in a variety of disciplines experience in working with elders, and to use the expertise of SFSU faculty and students to explore new ways to maintain elders in assisted living.

As part of the collaboration, selected SFSU students and faculty are now part of everyday activities at the Ladies Home, benefiting both the residents and the students. For example, an interior design student redesigned areas of the Home to be more therapeutic and inviting for residents; nursing students are participating in clinical training; physical therapy students are working with residents; and undergraduate geriatric nursing students are doing client assessments.

The City of San Francisco needs affordable residential care for people 65 and older. The Ladies Home offers an alternative to institutionalization by combining housing with personal care and assistance. The collaboration with SFSU aims to promote aging in place at the Ladies Home in a cost-effective, affordable manner. The Ladies Home model of care helps maintain frail elders living in the community by developing programs and services that encourage health and wellness.

Ladies Home Model of Care Presented at Gerontology Conference
The Ladies Home’s unique model for providing long-term care was presented at the annual conference of the Gerontological Society of America in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 18, 2009. John Fecondo, the Ladies Home's executive director, and Dr. Cristina Flores, vice president of the board of trustees, discussed the Home’s innovative partnership with San Francisco State University as part of a panel on "Assisted Living in the Context of Alternate Housing Options." Download the program here.

Ladies Home Community Gathers to Celebrate 125 Years
More than 125 guests and residents filled the front parlor of the University Mound Ladies Home on Thursday evening, November 12, 2009, to celebrate the Ladies Home's 125th anniversary. Mayor Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring November 12 University Mound Ladies Home Day, and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and State Senator Mark Leno also issued resolutions recognizing the Home’s essential service to San Francisco.

The celebration brought together a wide range of supporters: eldercare professionals, SFSU faculty and students, city health officials, family members, and residents of the Home’s Portola neighborhood — and, of course, the ladies themselves, many of whom dressed up for the occasion.

"I think this is just an incredible moment," said San Francisco eldercare attorney Helene Wenzel. "From the time I first visited the Home — the front room looking like a parlor from maybe the 19th century — I've loved that it’s here for women of modest means, and that it was an old bachelor [19th-century businessman James Lick] who set it up."

Conservator Jay Egger said his clients at the Ladies Home "love it here. It is such a wonderful resource for the community, and I really appreciate the level of care that the ladies get."

Portola resident Franco Mancini, president of Friends of McLaren Park, the advocacy group for the nearby park, called the event "amazing." Mancini, who delivered newspapers to the ladies as a paper boy from 1952 to 1956, said "the memories are flooding back just walking into this place."

For newly appointed Ladies Home board member Ronald Chan, a Bay Area human resources consultant and senior partner with Rockwell, Presto & Chan, the event was his introduction to the Home’s community of supporters. "Listening to and observing what happened tonight at this ceremony was to me an affirmation that I’ve become involved in something that is just terrific," he said.