What’s in a Name?

Surprisingly, and grating to our modern ears, the first occupants of Solheim were referred to as “inmates.”  By 1948, they were referred to as “guests.”  In the 1960’s, they became “residents.”  In 1990, the State decreed that “residents” be used, including those living in a nursing home – no longer to be called “patients.”

The first people hired to run the home were called “managers,” if a couple, or “Matron”, if a woman alone.  Solheim had better success with Matrons, who were in charge from 1928 to 1948.  In 1950, the title became “Superintendent”; in 1982, “Executive Director”; and in 2020, “CEO” (Chief Executive Officer).

Source:

“Solheim Lutheran Home, Its Life and Times, 1923-1996” by Elizabeth Batchelder and Joyce Dohlin, 1996