Ecumen Century Club: Happy 103rd Birthday Muriel Swenson
Ecumen honors Muriel Swenson, a resident of Sunnyside Care Center in Lake Park, Minn., who is 103.
Live 2 B Healthy: Custom-Made, Home-Delivered Fitness for Seniors
Greg Springman, certified personal trainer, is greeting everyone by name as he watches his class assemble in a circle, some in wheelchairs or using walkers. They seem eager to be here, except Joe.
“Let’s go, Joe. Get over here,” Greg coaxes.
“I’m a farm boy,” says Joe. “I don’t have to do this kind of stuff.”
Reluctantly, Joe joins the circle of residents at Ecumen Prairie Lodge in Brooklyn Center, and Greg starts the exercise session with lively banter.
“Did you get all dolled up for me,” Greg asks one of the participants. “That’s a nice perm!”
“I love you,” she replies.
“Who hired you?” Joe grumps.
Ecumen hired the company Greg works for — Live 2 B Healthy, which specializes in fitness for seniors. Certified personal trainers come to senior communities and conduct customized fitness sessions based on the widely varying needs of the clients.
At today’s session most of the 17 people are elderly and frail. All have mobility issues to some degree. And Greg has the instincts for understanding their capabilities and limits. Tomorrow he may be with a group of highly active seniors at another community, and they will get an entirely different workout.
“OK,” Greg says as he rolls his arms, “Let’s start with arm circles… Now, sit tall and reach up and down.”
A participant whines: “This arm hurts!”
“No problem,” says Greg. “Just use your other one.”
Smiles of determination are forming around the room as the group finds its rhythm. Carolyn looks over at her neighbor and laughs: “I’m getting my exercise and she’s getting dizzy watching me.”
Everyone, including Greg, seems to be having fun, and what’s happening in this circle is inspirational. Otherwise sedentary people are getting exercise three days a week that challenges them in ways they did not think possible. Roger does 10 reps of standing up and sitting down in his wheelchair while the group cheers. It takes all the strength he has, but he pushes through with a beaming smile, clearly pleased with himself.
Greg heaps praise and makes sure everyone understands how hard Roger is working.
Live 2 B Healthy is all about improving strength, flexibility and balance — and therefore quality of life. Participants in the class will be closely monitored to measure their progress over time. Katie Keller, the Activity Director at Ecumen Prairie Lodge, says she’s already noticed improvements in mobility since the class began in May.
She cites the example of a resident who found standing difficult before the sessions started but is now standing on her own and walking better. And another resident who broke her hip and had to be lifted out of bed, now stands up on her own power.
“The change is amazing,” Katie says. In September, the trainers will officially measure progress from a baseline taken in May. Katie says she’s confident the results will be impressive.
Live 2 B Healthy Senior Fitness, headquartered in Minnetonka, was started in 2008 by Cory Czepa, a personal trainer who saw firsthand the need for improved senior fitness. When he was in grade school he began volunteering in the nursing home where his grandparents were living and always enjoyed working with seniors.
After getting a college degree in physical education, he began working as a trainer in a large health club and noticed that few seniors came, and those who did often seemed uncomfortable in that setting. One night, lying in bed, he had his breakthrough idea: why not take fitness programs to seniors where they live. 
Czepa’s unique marketing proposition is that he hires highly trained certified personal trainers who carefully customize fitness programs — often on the spot — based on client needs. And as the clients get stronger, the trainers adapt the programs. “There is no one-size-fits-all program,” he says, “and there’s plenty of one-on-one attention.”
Czepa says research shows that resistance training yields the best results, followed by cardio and balance and toning. Two weeks into a class, the trainers take baseline measurements of strength, flexibility and balance. Every four months, they measure again, using testing protocols that allow assessments regardless of a person’s limitations. Almost always, there is improvement.
In fact, there are hundreds of testimonials, Czepa says. Among the benefits people cite: enhanced flexibility and balance, better circulation, lower heart disease and blood pressure, improved sleep, improved cognitive skills, reduced medications, renewed energy and endurance, decreased joint and back pain, more regular bowel functions, declining depression and anxiety and improved day-to-day well-being.
Here’s a typical testimonial from a resident at Ecumen-managed The Harbor at Peace Village: “Since I’ve been working out with Live 2 B Healthy, my doctor has reduced my dosage on one medication, and taken me off of another. I have less pain, more energy and am physically stronger. I feel much better about myself."
Live2BHealthy is now an approved program by Silver Sneakers so their members can now go to Ecumen communities offering Live 2 B Healthy programs and participate. Live 2 B Healthy is currently providing exercise programs in the following Ecumen sites:
‒ Ecumen Pathstone Living in Mankato
‒ Ecumen Lakeview Commons in Maplewood
‒ Ecumen Prairie Lodge in Brooklyn Center
‒ Ecumen-managed Pelican Valley Health Center in Pelican Rapids
‒ Ecumen-managed The Harbor at Peace Village in Norwood Young America
Ecumen Scenic Shores in Two Harbors plans to start classes in September.
Meanwhile, back at Ecumen Prairie Lodge, Greg is taking his class through their paces.
“March with those legs and move your arms…. Flap like a bird… Pretend you’re boxers and punch, punch punch… Now twist and stick your tongue out at your neighbor! And now for your favorite one…clapping. This means we’re done. Good job all around!”
World's Oldest Twin Brothers Offer Advice on Wine, Women and Living Long
Belgians Pieter and Paulus Langerock have been best friends for 102 years. The twin brothers, born on July 8 1913, have been inseparable since birth and rarely spend time apart, and even share the same room at their retirement home outside the Belgian town of Ghent.
Ecumen Bethany Community Gets Medicare’s Highest 5-Star Quality Rating
The Ecumen Bethany Community in Alexandria, Minn., has received the highest possible overall quality rating of 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).
The quality rating system ranges from 1 to 5 stars, with a 5-star rating given to nursing homes that offer exceptional care to their residents. The Five-Star Quality Rating System is based on health inspections, staffing data (the number of hours of care provided to each resident by nursing staff), and quality measures (how well a nursing home cares for residents’ physical and clinical needs).
The Ecumen Bethany Community is the only care center in an almost 25-mile radius to receive 5 Stars.
“It is a major achievement to receive the 5-Star Quality Rating,” said David Uselman, Executive Director of the Ecumen Bethany Community. “The rating is expert validation of the exceptional care we provide. This is one of the highest compliments our outstanding staff can receive.”
CMS created the rating system to provide residents and their families with an easy way to understand and compare quality and simplify decisions around choosing a care center. All nursing homes nationwide are rated annually. Five stars is considered “much above average” and only a quarter of care centers in Minnesota received this rating. The CMS Nursing Home Compare website is at this link.
The Ecumen Bethany Community, located at 1020 Lark Street, Alexandria, has been serving seniors in the Alexandria area for more than 97 years. In addition to providing nursing home and short-stay rehabilitation care, Ecumen Bethany also offers adult day services, assisted living, memory care, independent living and home care. For more information call 320-762-1567 or visit www.ecumenbethany.org.
Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar Recognized for His Role in Minnesota’s Biking Craze
Readers of the Changing Aging blog probably know that our renowned blogger Jim Klobuchar is a bike enthusiast. But there’s a lot more to the story.
Pioneer Press Story Focuses on Services to Keep Seniors in Their Homes
Most seniors want to stay in their own homes, but often they need assistance to make that happen. Increasingly, home care services and community programs are becoming widely available, but connecting seniors with the services they need can be challenging.
Top 5 Blog Posts — Aug. 10
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Ecumen’s Velocity Leadership Program Graduates Class of 2015
The Ecumen Velocity class of 2015 has just graduated from the year-long program focused on building leadership skills and developing innovative approaches to aging services.
89-Year-Old Grandmother Stole the Show as a Bridesmaid
When thinking of who she wanted to stand with her on her wedding day, Christine Quinn said it was a no-brainer to ask her 89-year-old grandmother, who she considers to be one of her closest friends. Nana Betty stole the show and danced the night away.
TED Talk: Lessons from a Hospice Nurse
Alia Indrawan shares the inspiring lessons she has learned from her time as a Hospice Nurse, helping people with terminal illnesses to die gracefully and in peace.
The Triple-Digit Club: Meet 5 Centenarians Who Don't Act Their Age
These five centenarians are not acting their age, regularly doing activities that push against the stereotypes of people over 100.
Luther Park at Sandpoint, Idaho, Voted Best Senior Living Community
Ecumen-managed Luther Park at Sandpoint, ID, has been voted the “best senior living facility” in Bonner County in a reader survey conducted by the Bonner County Daily Bee newspaper.
You can read these articles and more at staging-ecumenv2.kinsta.cloud.
A Geriatric Doc and an Anti-Aging Doc Tangle Over How To Treat Wrinkles
Dr. Bill Thomas, an international expert on geriatric medicine, was repulsed by another physician’s website promoting cosmetic treatments to ward off the signs of aging. And he said so.
The Growing Realization That Older People Are at the Height of Creativity
Those who think older people can’t be creative are “Wrong. Deeply wrong,” writes prominent journalist Chris Farrell.
89-Year-Old Grandmother Stole the Show as a Bridesmaid
When thinking of who she wanted to stand with her on her wedding day, Christina Quinn said it was a no-brainer to ask her 89-year-old grandmother, who she considers to be one of her closest friends.