Napoleon Nursing Facility Featured in New Documentary
The Wentz Living Center highlights the realities of rural long-term care for North Dakota families.
Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in Eldercare
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The Wentz Living Center in Napoleon has been featured in a new documentary series titled Invisible Work: People Worth Caring About. The project focuses on the daily human experiences of residents and healthcare workers in seven long-term care facilities across North Dakota.
Why it matters
The documentary shines a light on the specific challenges and unique care models found in rural nursing homes, providing families with a deeper look into the facility environments that support their loved ones.
The Wentz Living Center, which operates 24/7 year-round, is one of seven North Dakota facilities included in the project. Other featured locations include sites in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Hatton, Harvey, and Dickinson.
The players
Wentz Living Center
A long-term care facility in Napoleon, North Dakota, providing 24/7 nursing and eldercare services.
Peter Murphy Lewis
The filmmaker behind the Invisible Work documentary series who focuses on health care and labor stories.
The details
Filmmaker Peter Murphy Lewis created the series to explore the human stories behind the 24/7 care environment. By selecting locations like Napoleon, the project aims to illustrate the nuances of rural eldercare compared to larger urban centers.
Timeline
October 8, 2026: The documentary feature on the facility was reported.
The Home Front
This documentary release sits against a growing trend of documented staffing and resource pressures in rural nursing homes. It highlights the shifting focus on the viability of eldercare models in sparsely populated regions like Logan County.
Families with loved ones in long-term care should use this project as a prompt to review their own facility's communication policies and engagement programs. It is an ideal time to schedule a visit or conversation with your facility administrator regarding current resident care initiatives.
The takeaway
Rural eldercare facilities are increasingly becoming the focus of public storytelling efforts that emphasize the importance of daily staff-resident connections. Families can gain insight into care quality by requesting facility-specific activity reports during their next scheduled care plan meeting.
Further reading
For more information on finding quality support for aging relatives, visit our Eldercare guide.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kfyrtv.
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Do you believe rural long-term care facilities in your area receive enough national support and recognition?
