Our History

The legacy of our home dates back to 1968 when Duane Braham left his job with the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad to work for Elwood Heaster at the Conneautville Nursing Home. Within two years, Mr. Braham bought the home from Mr. Heaster and began his new career as a nursing home owner/operator. After several years of managing the aging structure, Duane and his wife Marlene began construction a mile up the road on the existing Rolling Fields campus. In 1979, the doors opened under the name of Rolling Fields Nursing Home. They were proud and excited about their new, modern nursing home and the ability to provide care to an additional sixty residents along with the sixty original residents.

Duane passed away in 1983 and never saw his new home reach its full potential. However, his family and management team helped bring his vision to fruition. The thoughtful administration and management of Dennis McGowan and Barbara Leasure, Marlene Braham (wife), Cindy Godfrey (oldest daughter), Kim Braham-Moody (youngest daughter), and Doug Braham (son) took turns providing oversight as Administrator and Chief Financial Officer to a growing organization.

Throughout the years, their vision continued to grow. From continuous improvement in the quality of care to building improvements and renovations, Rolling Fields has undergone some notable changes and improvements.

1995

Built an additional 30 rooms to support organizational growth, which also allowed a specialized dementia center, a state of the art rehabilitation center and created on-site childcare center

2001

Instituted Eden Alternative approach

2003

Expansion offered a training center and the Duane F. Braham Memorial Community Room

2007

Created a new philosophy of care and began offering 24 hour dining

2009 

Received the Optima Award by Long Term Care Magazine

2018

Acquired by Heritage Ministries

In March of 2018, Rolling Fields was acquired by Heritage Ministries. Founded as the Orphanage and Homes of the Free Methodist Church in 1886, Heritage Ministries is a not-for-profit provider of senior care and housing for residents. With six locations in Western New York, Heritage is the largest provider of rehab and skilled nursing in nearby Chautauqua County. Heritage also has locations across the country.

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