PRESCOTT – Bob Dylan once wrote a song in 1964 titled, "The Times They Are a-Changin.'" The song is about reflection and perception. The song may be considered old, but the depth of his message still holds value. The same goes for the folks in nursing homes.

Residents at Prescott Health & Rehabilitation

Lawrence Huppert is 82 years old. He grew up 10 miles from town in rural Prescott. He has two brothers and two sisters. He attended Catholic school, at St. Mary’s in Big River. The school had three rooms, with 10 kids in each class. Huppert never went to high school because all he ever did was farm.

“I knew how to add, subtract, multiply and divide and read. Those are the most important things; if you miss one, that’s not good,” he said.

Huppert has five kids. The farm Huppert grew up on is still on Highway 10, and now his son owns it. The farm has 80 cows and some beef cattle.

“I stayed here (Prescott) my whole life because the farm is here.” Huppert said. “Town’s changed a lot. When I was young growing up, there were so many things that are no longer here.”

But, he adds, Prescott has always had bars.

“Gotta have bars,” Huppert said.

He understands the struggles that come with being a kid in society today.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for kids,” Huppert said. “I think now people expect too much, and it is hard to do anything right. Years ago, it was a set pattern for people. You took over your dad’s farm, and that was your life.”

Huppert’s advice to the younger generation is: “Remember your dad and mother are always right, and if they’re not right, just pretend they’re right!”

Ruby Swanson is 94 years old. She was born in Roosevelt, Minn. in 1928 and lived there until she was three years old. Swanson has five sisters and one brother.

“Two of us are left,” Swanson said.

She moved to Warroad, Minn., which is where her dad opened up his Radio Service store. He repaired radios and sold new ones.

“There were no TVs in those years,” Swanson said.

She graduated from Warroad High School in 1946 with about 33 kids.

“After graduation, I went to Bible college for half a year. Then I came home and got married to a man in June of 1947,” Swanson said.

She has six children, four girls and two boys.

“When my husband babysat the kids, I worked as a nurse’s aid for quite a few years,” Swanson said.

She and her husband served for different churches: first at Warroad, then Rush City, Alexandria, Hallock and finally Ellsworth.

“I just decided to stay in Ellsworth,” Swanson said, after her husband’s passing in 1965. “After my first husband died, two years later, I met a man that worked in the post office and then we eventually married.”

She and her second husband lived together for almost 50 years; he passed away seven years ago. Swanson drove senior citizens to appointments for 31 years in Pierce County.

“I met so many people from that job that I would never have known,” Swanson said.

“Getting away and learning to know people” was the best part of the job. She also drove for special education kids.

“Those kids still remember me. They’ll see me in the store and say, ‘Hi Mrs. Johnson,’ because it sounds like Swanson,” she chuckled.

Swanson is strong in her Catholic faith, which is a big part of her beliefs.

“God is taking care of me. I had a stroke recently and all I asked from the Lord was to not lose my voice. And the stroke was on the side that didn’t affect my voice, my speech,” Swanson said. “God has watched over me all these years, he is not going to leave me now.”

One of Swanson's daughters, Linda, said her mom has, “had such a good life and has always remained optimistic with a good attitude.”

Swanson’s advice and attitude is this: “You can either be mad or you can be joyful. There’s a lot of people worse off. I can think straight, I can write, I can read, that’s a gift and worth something.”

Resident Carol Ludlow is 73 years old. She was born in Michigan and has lived in Minnesota for 30 years, as well as Arizona and River Falls. Ludlow graduated from Western High School in Parma, Mich. With a graduating class of about 120 kids.

After high school, Ludlow went to Michigan University for college and graduated with an elementary education degree. She and her husband have three children together: two boys and a girl.

“I mostly stayed home with the kids, but occasionally was a para in elementary school,” Ludlow said.

Her advice to the younger generations?

“Be a good listener, but make sure you’re assertive as a woman. And always enjoy your life!” The Prescott Nursing & Rehabilitation facility is located at 1505 Orrin Road in Prescott. The center is looking for visitors, volunteers and hires. Follow them on Facebook at “Prescott Nursing and Rehabilitation” for more information.