Tender Hearts Assisted Living in Howard is expanding their facility to accommodate more beds, in hopes to help alleviate a growing problem. Aug. 28, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
HOWARD, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Badger State needs thousands more assisted living beds in less than a decade, according to a Wisconsin-based research organization.
Now, an assisted living facility in Howard is trying to help combat the issue by expanding its facility.
According to a 2024 report by Forward Analytics, the number of Wisconsinites 75 and older is expected to increase by 41% over the next decade. This means our state will need 33,000 more assisted living beds by 2030.
“There’s a decrease-decline in actual assistance that’s able to be given to the elderly population. There’s a big growth in Alzheimer’s and dementia memory care also,” said Cassie Hoeckendorff, a licensed practical nurse and director of resident services at Tender Hearts Assisted Living.
Their facility in Howard is stepping in to help alleviate the growing problem. Currently, Tender Hearts has about 50 beds and will be adding 14 more with an expansion project.
They say it’s needed to provide the best possible care as Wisconsin’s population ages.
“We’re seeing people staying in their homes longer and they’re coming to us with more acute issues because people are trying to stay home, and their loved ones are trying to care for them, but they’re not getting the disease management that they get in our facility,” said Jourdyn Bald, a registered nurse and director of operations at Tender Hearts Assisted Living.
Right now, Tender Hearts has two separate buildings next to each other, with a parking lot between them. The expansion would connect the two buildings together where the parking lot currently sits, putting everyone under one roof. This project will create a single entrance, more common space and most importantly, more beds.
“Anybody that has someone that has Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s — they need to be looking for a facility as early as they can,” said Tom Wakefield, a husband of a Tender Hearts resident .
Wakefield and his daughter, Elizabeth Davis, dealt with the burden of finding a care facility for his wife, Nancy, in 2024. Luckily, they were able to get her into Tender Hearts after just a few weeks, but they are glad they were proactive, just in case.
“If you’re on that wait list, then when the time comes, you have that opportunity to make that choice, and that’s essentially what we did,” Davis said.
Tender Hearts currently has a 2-3 month waiting list that’s about 10 people long. Woodside Manor in Ashwaubenon has a 9-12 month wait list. Other facilities may not currently have a waitlist, but say that could change instantly overnight.
“There are days that we get like, six to 10 referrals in one day,” Bald said.
It’s a stark reminder that the need for more assisted living beds will keep going up.
Construction on the Tender Hearts project will begin within the next two to six weeks. It’s slated to be complete next year.
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