About Us

Our Vision: Forward-thinking and person-centered, Sunrise Retirement Community will be recognized as Siouxland’s highest quality, most active and comprehensive senior living community of choice.

Caring deeply. Connecting daily. Leading boldly. Serving faithfully.

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Nondiscrimination Statement

With regard to admission, participation, or employment practices, Sunrise Retirement Community does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age.

Not-For-Profit Organization

As 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, we continually invest our resources and any annual revenue back into care and services for our residents. Sunrise Retirement is funded through Medicare and Medicaid, third party sources, and private payment. We also welcome monetary and volunteer contributions from those interested in supporting Sunrise.

Philosophy of Care

At Sunrise Retirement, we are proud of our resident-centered care philosophy. It is an approach that zeroes in on individual needs and ensures “freedom of choice” for our residents. We strive to be more inviting and less institutional in today’s senior care. We urge residents to enjoy more independence, privacy, and flexibility in their daily lives — and we provide each resident with what works best for him or her.

We regularly train our team members to meet each individual’s unique needs. Why? Because especially in long-term care, we’ve realized residents live happier, fuller lives when they can make more choices and decisions about their lifestyles. Families enjoy better relationships by being more involved in direct care and employees are more participatory and positive in their connections with Sunrise residents.

  • Homelike furnishings, décor, color, and lighting in our hallways, dining rooms, and common areas.
  • Residents can eat meals when they wish, either in the dining room or in their own room.
  • Residents go to bed and wake when they prefer, not when it’s best for our staffing schedules.
  • Living areas are known as neighborhoods rather than units. In fact, in each of our five neighborhoods, we have nursing care teams who only focus on a small group of residents to increase communication and build relationships.
  • We cook meals from scratch, so residents can smell the food (which makes eating more enjoyable). We also garnish plates and strive to mirror restaurant-style dining.
  • If a resident doesn’t like something on the menu, our team provides alternate choices.
  • Residents let us know if they have specific requests. So whether a resident wants to see Christmas lights or work in a garden spot, it’s our job to “make it happen.”

Eden Alternative

A progressive approach that nurtures spontaneity and variety in our community. 

grandma reading with a dog

About Our Approach

We embrace the idea of pets, plants, and children being part of our campus, and we create opportunities for residents to connect with these positive influences as much as they wish.

 

Resident pets exemplify our commitment to the Eden philosophy. Within our health center, you may see furry felines and dogs strolling the halls or curled up cozily in a chair. These gentle companions foster a homelike atmosphere and enrich the lives of our residents. What’s more, they can often reach seniors in ways medications and other therapies cannot.

 

In fact, animal-assisted therapy can reduce loneliness that some longterm care residents may feel. Studies show that — when used in communities like Sunrise — pets can increase social and verbal interactions that reinforce other therapies. For this reason, we also welcome dogs as part of our pet therapy program. Our volunteers interact with the residents, allowing them to hold and pet the animals. By connecting with canine companions that offer unconditional love and unqualified approval, residents experience reduced stress, decreased blood pressure, a calming effect, and a greater sense of self worth.

 

Children and families are very important and we welcome them to the Sunrise campus as often as possible for planned and spontaneous events. We have several locations throughout campus for families to gather including Book Indoor Park, Chapel, Roth Family Dining Room, Gerwulf Community Center and Zenor Park which includes a walking trail, putting green and play set.

Our History

The story of Sunrise began with a cornerstone ceremony held in fall of 1960.

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Known then as the Martin Luther Home...

We were a nonprofit organization founded to provide “specialized housing” to seniors and physically challenged individuals. Business and church leaders sought community-wide support – receiving especially strong backing from the area’s Lutheran churches. These visionaries established Sunrise on a sprawling hill with room to grow. And grow it did! Senior nursing care was soon added, and the facility was renamed Sunrise Manor.

Over the years...

Services steadily expanded. Sunrise Manor strategically evolved into Sunrise Retirement Community – a nonprofit, comprehensive residential living community that provided a variety of senior living choices for members of the Siouxland community. The independent cottages of Sunrise Hills were built. Assisted living options were introduced. Innovative memory care centers were introduced, as Sunrise was a pioneer in memory care. Single homes were developed. Most recently, Sunrise unveiled The Pointe at Sunrise – a 62-home apartment neighborhood that is the first of its kind in eastern Sioux City.

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On June 28, 2012, Sunrise moved their residents and belongings into a new state-of-the-art health center for nursing and assisted living, replacing the old “Manor” which served Siouxland seniors for over 60 years.

  • 1960

    Cornerstone ceremony celebrates the construction of Sunrise.
  • 1961

    Sunrise officially opens as Martin Luther Home.
  • 1968

    Sunrise Hills open independent homes at Sunrise.
  • 1985

    Maple Heights opens with independent subsidized apartments.
  • 1987

    Sunrise expands nursing services and adds a new dining room.
  • 1992

    Sunlight Center opens, a first-of-its-kind memory care neighborhood.
  • 1995

    John R. Gerwulf Community Center is completed.
  • 1996

    Sunrise adds the Bernstein Center in response to community need; Maple Heights Annex is constructed and opens.
  • 2002

    Fountain View (assisted living) becomes part of Sunrise.
  • 2007

    South Maple Street Homes (independent living) are completed.
  • 2009

    The Pointe at Sunrise (independent apartment community) opens.
  • 2011

    Sunrise receives Milestone Award 2011 from IAHSA.
  • 2012

    Sunrise moves into its new Health Center.
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