Top 5 Blog Posts — July 24, 2017
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 2017
The Ecumen Velocity class of 2017 has just graduated from the year-long program focused on building leadership skills and developing innovative approaches to aging services.
Diversity and Inclusion Learning Event: Welcoming LGBT People in Senior Living Communities
Marsha Berry tells the story about the day she drove past a senior community in Minneapolis and saw two rainbow flags flying. She pulled over and cried. In all her years of traveling the state of Minnesota as an Alzheimer’s educator, this was the first time she had ever seen a rainbow flag – a symbol of LGBT pride – displayed at a senior community. Marsha is a lesbian with gray hair who was crying tears of joy.
Ecumen Leaders Encouraged To Embrace Generational Differences
Kim Lear, a Minneapolis-based strategist and researcher in generational theory, last week gave a group of Ecumen leaders some insight on how to “view the world through the eyes of a different generation.” The session was part of Ecumen’s Velocity Leadership Development Program. “It’s not about right and wrong,” said Lear, whose company is called Inlay Insights. “Every generation has different perceptions and strengths,” she said. And every generation is profoundly influenced by the major events going on during its formative teenage years.
Dr. John Brose on Dementia Care: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way
It doesn’t have to be this way is the mantra that would come to define Dr. John Brose’s career as a behavioral psychologist, nationally renowned as a pioneer in speaking up for people who have lost the ability to speak for themselves.
Ecumen Named One of Minnesota’s Best Places To Work for 10th Time
Ecumen has been named one of Minnesota’s Best Places to Work for the 10th time by the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Business Journal.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org.
Ecumen’s Velocity Leadership Program Graduates Class of 2017
The Ecumen Velocity class of 2017 has just graduated from the year-long program focused on building leadership skills and developing innovative approaches to aging services.
Diversity and Inclusion Learning Event: Welcoming LGBT People in Senior Living Communities
Marsha Berry tells the story about the day she drove past a senior community in Minneapolis and saw two rainbow flags flying. She pulled over and cried.
Ecumen Leaders Encouraged To Embrace Generational Differences
Kim Lear, a Minneapolis-based strategist and researcher in generational theory, last week gave a group of Ecumen leaders some insight on how to “view the world through the eyes of a different generation.” The session was part of Ecumen’s Velocity Leadership Development Program. 
“It’s not about right and wrong,” said Lear, whose company is called Inlay Insights. “Every generation has different perceptions and strengths,” she said. And every generation is profoundly influenced by the major events going on during its formative teenage years.
With four generations now active in the workplace, Lear said it’s critical for leaders to understand what motivates each one and how to help the generations meet in the middle to achieve company objectives.
“Our relationship to work is constantly evolving,” she said. “And we have constantly changing work ethics.”
Major influences on Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) included Vietnam, the draft, Watergate and the civil rights and women’s movements. Boomers are idealistic, optimistic and questioning of authority, she said. They set out to change institutions, and they were successful. “Throughout history, it’s rare for a generation to see the fruits of its labor,” Lear said. “But Baby Boomers fought the good fight and won.”
They also are highly competitive and have a strong work ethic, she said, mainly because there are so many of them (80 million) who had to compete aggressively for jobs and other resources.
Now Boomers, true to form, are “raging against aging,” she said, and redefining the classic notion of retirement, which has major implications for senior care providers.
Generation X (born 1965 to 1979) were strongly influenced by 24-hour media like MTV and CNN, along with a rapid breakdown in the institution of marriage. They were the “latch-key” kids who became fiercely independent, skeptical, honest and direct. They also rejected their parents’ overachieving dedication to career and sought more work-life balance.
Millennials (born 1980 to 1995) are a product of the self-esteem parenting movement of the 1980s, which gave them a sense of empowerment. They have been strongly influenced by the internet going social and the rapid expansion of technology – and also by 911 and the rise of global terrorism and school violence. They tend to be collaborative, community minded and in search of meaning, and they are using their technological tools and know-how to create significant social and economic change.
Because of their facility with social media, Lear said, “The best Millennial recruitment tool is the Millennials you already have.”
Gen Z (born between 1996 and 2012) are resourceful, independent, diverse and eclectic, she said. They are just starting to enter the workforce after growing up with the war on terror, increased global competition, and a keen health awareness. They are the “Snapchat” generation with a realistic outlook. “Young people don’t think their relationship with technology is healthy,” Lear said.
Top 5 Blog Posts — July 17, 2017
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Join the 8+ Million People Who Are Loving How Rapper Macklemore Says Happy Birthday to His 100-Year-Old Grandma. It’s Glorious!
Rapper Macklemore surprised his Grandma Helen on her 100th birthday and took her on a heartwarming frolic around town – egging houses, hitting the arcade, doing karaoke and shopping for orthopedic shoes.
Telling the Difference Between ‘Normal’ Forgetfulness and Serious Memory Loss
How do you tell the difference between “normal” forgetfulness and serious memory loss due to dementia?
Share of 65+ Americans in the Workforce Skyrocketing
Nearly a fifth of people 65+ are working – the highest share of older workers in more than 50 years.
Ecumen Named One of Minnesota’s Best Places To Work for 10th Time
Ecumen has been named one of Minnesota’s Best Places to Work for the 10th time by the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Business Journal.
96-Year-Old Ecumen Meadows Resident Gives 9-Year-Old History Buff a Firsthand Account of WWII
Bob Roos, 96, recently sat across from Dylan Schuett, 9, telling captivating stories from his World War II service, including the bloody battle of Iwo Jima.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org.
Share of 65+ Americans in the Workforce Skyrocketing
Nearly a fifth of people 65+ are working – the highest share of older workers in more than 50 years.
Telling the Difference Between ‘Normal’ Forgetfulness and Serious Memory Loss
How do you tell the difference between “normal” forgetfulness and serious memory loss due to dementia?
Join the 8+ Million People Who Are Loving How Rapper Macklemore Says Happy Birthday to His 100-Year-Old Grandma. It’s Glorious!
Rapper Macklemore surprised his Grandma Helen on her 100th birthday and took her on a heartwarming frolic around town – egging houses, hitting the arcade, doing karaoke and shopping for orthopedic shoes.
Top 5 Blog Posts — July 10, 2017
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
96-Year-Old Ecumen Meadows Resident Gives 9-Year-Old History Buff a Firsthand Account of WWII
Bob Roos, 96, recently sat across from Dylan Schuett, 9, telling captivating stories from his World War II service, including the bloody battle of Iwo Jima.
The Wisdom of Making Friends Across Generations
It’s rare that we have friends 10 years younger or older than we are. And that’s a shame, says anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite. In a recent blog post, she argues that an intergenerational world is a better world.
Dr. John Brose on Dementia Care: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way
It doesn’t have to be this way is the mantra that would come to define Dr. John Brose’s career as a behavioral psychologist, nationally renowned as a pioneer in speaking up for people who have lost the ability to speak for themselves.
Join Innovators in Aging at Abiitan Mill City Event
Aging2.0, an organization supporting innovation to help seniors, is hosting its “Summer 2 Pint 0” event at Abiitan Mill City, an Ecumen luxury senior living community at 428 South 2nd Street, in Minneapolis on July 19, 2017, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. .
Ecumen Named One of Minnesota’s Best Places To Work for 10th Time
Ecumen has been named one of Minnesota’s Best Places to Work for the 10th time by the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Business Journal.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org.
The Wisdom of Making Friends Across Generations
It’s rare that we have friends 10 years younger or older than we are. And that’s a shame, says anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite. In a recent blog post, she argues that an intergenerational world is a better world.
“A century ago Americans didn’t need programs to connect the generations: homes and communities housed people of all ages,” Applewhite writes. Now, our society is acutely age-segregated, she notes, and we need to work at being intergenerational. As the ranks of Americans 65+ grows rapidly, there are lots of good reasons to explore synergies across the generations.