Pennsylvania Soldiers And Sailors Home

The Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Erie is a veterans residence offering personal care, domiciliary care, and a continuum of health services. Located on 26 acres overlooking Lake Erie, the facility has served veterans since 1886 and is the oldest of six state veterans homes.

Clinical care is provided by a medical director, nursing staff available 24 hours daily, licensed pharmacists, and therapists specializing in physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Residents receive tailored care plans addressing dietary, social, and spiritual needs, with dental services and social services counseling also available. A professional food service manager and clinical dietitian prepare well-balanced meals adapted to individual therapeutic requirements.

The community emphasizes an active lifestyle with organized activities including holiday parties, billiards tournaments, bingo, concert series performances at the gazebo, and scheduled outings to professional sports games and shopping. Residents have access to an on-site chapel with Tiffany stained glass windows, a barber shop, library, canteen shop, and outdoor courtyards overlooking Lake Erie Bay. Furnished rooms allow residents to personalize their spaces with military memorabilia and family photographs.

Spiritual care is provided by chaplains who conduct religious services and offer counseling. The facility maintains a 4-acre Veterans Memorial Cemetery serving as the final resting place for more than 1,300 veterans dating to the Civil War era, making it the only veterans home maintaining a cemetery. Patriotic monuments on the grounds include the Major General "Mad Anthony" Wayne Blockhouse, an Avenue of Flags representing the five military branches, and a Civil War cannon.

Support services include 24-hour security, transportation via vans and buses equipped with adaptive devices for mobility-limited residents, and a volunteer program with over 115 volunteers assisting with activities, mail distribution, one-on-one visits, and mealtime support. Cable television, internet, and a library are available to residents.