MinnPost and UCare Convening Expert Panel Oct. 29 on Caring for Minnesota Seniors Without Breaking the Bank
MinnPost and UCare are teaming up to present an October 29 event titled “Preparing for the ‘Silver Tsunami’: How can we better care for Minnesota seniors without breaking the bank?”
The free breakfast panel discussion will take place 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday, October, 29, in Northrop’s Best Buy Theater on the University of Minnesota campus. Drinks and light breakfast items will be provided.
Registration is required, but admission to the event is free.
MinnPost Managing Editor Susan Albright will lead a discussion with experts from the state health care community, including:
- Mary Jo George — Associate State Director - Advocacy, AARP
- Dr. Thomas Klemond, MD — Palliative Medicine and Community Care Department Chair, Park Nicollet Health Services
- Gayle Kvenvold — President/CEO, LeadingAge Minnesota
- State Sen. Tony Lourey — Chair, Health and Human Services Finance Committee
- Dawn Simonson — Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging
Some of the questions for the discussion include:
- How can we have better health outcomes while spending the same or less than we do now?
- What innovations will change the face of elder care in Minnesota?
- What roles do individuals and the public sphere have in preparing for our future?
The conversation will be of interest to a broad set of stakeholders engaged in advancing health care in Minnesota: state and local governments, community partners, the health sector, service organizations, and anyone with a personal interest in eldercare issues.
To learn more, or to register, visit the MinnPost event page.
Sandpoint, Idaho: The Caring Spirit of Carl Verdal Lives on in His Garden
Eleven years after his death, the spirit of Carl Verdal still lives in Sandpoint, Idaho. People especially remember his selfless good works caring for others and the beautiful gardens he created at First Lutheran Church. 
At Luther Park at Sandpoint, a community managed by Ecumen, Carl has been memorialized with a garden that re-creates his legendary church garden, which is now paved over. “Carl’s Garden” commemorates the life of an unassuming man who quietly went around town, leaving beauty and good deeds in his wake.
The October issue of Sand Point Living Local magazine tells Carl’s heartwarming story.
Katrinka (Katie) Smith Sloan Named LeadingAge President and CEO
Katrinka (Katie) Smith Sloan has been named the new president and CEO of LeadingAge, an association of not-for-profit organizations dedicated to making America a better place to grow old.
Top 5 Blog Posts —October 19
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
A Walk Through Time with Dr. John Sanford and Dr. Julie Moller at Ecumen Lakeshore
Today, like every day, Doctors Sanford and Moller are making their rounds at Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth. It’s been a few years since they practiced medicine, but their regular walks through the rehabilitation unit and around the campus are a reassuring ritual.
Rose Senior Living Breaks Ground on State-of-the-Art Senior Living Community On Providence-Providence Park Hospital Campus in Novi, Mich.
Rose Senior Living, a privately held Michigan real estate development and management company and strategic partner with Ecumen, officially broke ground October 14 on a new state-of-the-art senior living community on the Providence-Providence Park Hospital campus in Novi, Mich.
Ecumen Trustee Debbie Cervenka Forges New Paths Supporting a Mission That Is Personal
The future looked bright for Ecumen Trustee Debbie Cervenka and her husband Bob. They had just sold the highly successful company they built together and were making big plans for the next phase of their lives. What happened next totally shattered their dreams— but gave Debbie the resolve to turn their life-changing event into a mission to help others.
Ecumen Parmly LifePointes Moves and Shakes and Smiles
About 150 people — residents, families, staff and community members — gathered at Ecumen Parmly LifePointes in Chisago City, Minn., to celebrate Active Aging Week. “Movement is so good for our bodies and minds,” celebrity fitness trainer Chris Freytag told the participants. “And any movement counts. The best movement ever is a smile.”
Les and Lil Johnson: Staying Together and Praying Together for 70 Years
Meet Les and Lil Johnson, residents of Ecumen Parmly LifePointes, who held hands on the school bus in the 1940s and are still holding hands after 70 years of marriage.
You can read these articles and more at staging-ecumenv2.kinsta.cloud.
Les and Lil Johnson: Staying Together and Praying Together for 70 Years
Meet Les and Lil Johnson and learn the secret behind their 70 years of marriage.
Rose Senior Living Breaks Ground on State-of-the-Art Senior Living Community On Providence-Providence Park Hospital Campus in Novi, Mich.
Rose Senior Living, a privately held Michigan real estate development and management company and strategic partner with Ecumen, officially broke ground October 14 on a new state-of-the-art senior living community on the Providence-Providence Park Hospital campus in Novi, Mich.
Memorial Service for Bob Cervenka October 18
A celebration of Robert (Bob) Cervenka’s life will be held Sunday, October 18, 2015, in the Great Hall and Ballroom on the campus of UW-Stout from 1-3 p.m.
North Dakota Dementia Caregiver Training Sessions Begin Today
The first of five free Ecumen-hosted educational sessions for caregivers of people with dementia in rural areas of North Dakota begin today.
The first educational session and luncheon is today (October 13, 2015) in Grafton, N.D., at the Market Place Restaurant, 43 E. 8th Street, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tomorrow a session will be held in Rugby, N.D., at Dakota Farms Restaurant, 308 3rd Avenue SE, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We want to give people the resources they need to keep their loved ones safe and in the home for as long as possible,” said Judy Blaseg, Ecumen Executive Vice President of Philanthropy. “The vast majority of people with dementia live at home — not in senior care communities.”
Caregivers will receive training in techniques for safely and compassionately dealing with dementia-related behaviors and helping their loved ones stay active and engaged. Both family and professional caregivers are encouraged to attend.
The sessions will be conducted by Maria Reyes, RN, a nationally known dementia care expert who is the Project Director of Ecumen Awakenings. A sought-after speaker on nursing and dementia care, Reyes has worked across all long-term care settings (nursing homes, assisted living and home care) and held several key leadership roles at Ecumen, including serving as a Director of Nursing for a major care center, establishing a new short-term rehabilitation center, and helping launch an Ecumen home care agency as Clinical Director.
The sessions are funded by a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation. Ecumen has received national recognition for its Ecumen Awakenings program — an approach to dementia care focused on replacing the use of highly sedating drugs with individualized care and holistic therapies emphasizing personal connections.
After the training sessions, attendees have the option of signing up for follow-up support and assistance. Ecumen professionals will contact participants to talk about their specific needs and help direct them to services in their area.
Three additional sessions are scheduled in November from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. as follows:
- Carrington, N.D., November 17, Chieftain Conference Center
- Mott, N.D., November 18, Knights of Columbus Hall
- Ashley, N.D., November 19, The Roost Bar and Grill
To sign up for a session, go to www.ecumenawakenings.org and fill out the registration form, or call 651-766-4335.
Top 5 Blog Posts —October 12
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 105th Birthday Lillian Oberg
Ecumen honors Lillian Oberg, who just celebrated her 105th birthday. She is the oldest resident at Ecumen Bethany Community in Alexandria, Minn.
Ecumen Parmly LifePointes Moves and Shakes and Smiles
About 150 people — residents, families, staff and community members — gathered at Ecumen Parmly LifePointes in Chisago City, Minn., to celebrate Active Aging Week. “Movement is so good for our bodies and minds,” celebrity fitness trainer Chris Freytag told the participants. “And any movement counts. The best movement ever is a smile.”
A Walk Through Time with Dr. John Sanford and Dr. Julie Moller at Ecumen Lakeshore
Today, like every day, Doctors Sanford and Moller are making their rounds at Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth. It’s been a few years since they practiced medicine, but their regular walks through the rehabilitation unit and around the campus are a reassuring ritual.
Ecumen Names Two New Business Development Directors
Ecumen has named two new Business Development Directors as the company rapidly expands its housing portfolio. Anne Stanfield, formerly of Target, and Mark Lucas, formerly of Brighton Development and the Platinum Group, have joined Ecumen as it expands its owned and managed communities, redesigns and repositions some existing sites and pursues new ventures such as cooperative senior housing.
Sales Office Now Open for Zvago Glen Lake Co-op in Minnetonka
Zvago Glen Lake Cooperative, a new senior housing co-op planned for the north shore of Glen Lake in Minnetonka, has opened a sales office and showroom in walking distance from the site.
You can read these articles and more at staging-ecumenv2.kinsta.cloud.
A Walk Through Time with Dr. John Sanford and Dr. Julie Moller at Ecumen Lakeshore
Today, like every day, Doctors Sanford and Moller are making their rounds at Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth. It’s been a few years since they practiced medicine, but their regular walks through the rehabilitation unit and around the campus are a reassuring ritual.