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A Victory for Aging Services Technology

A Post by Kathy Bakkenist, COO and Sr. VP of Strategy, Ecumen, and public policy chair of The Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST):

The Center for Aging Services Technology’s (CAST) federal policy agenda took a tremendous step forward with the passing of the American Recovery and Revitalization Act, also known as the Stimulus Bill.Having served as CAST’s policy chair since 2006, I am particularly proud of this success, the culmination of four years of work by the CAST policy team. We have had unflinching support from the Minnesota Congressional team as we have worked with members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Special Committee on Aging, and the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees to advocate for aging services technologies. The inclusion of these efforts in this important legislation is monumental - a true acknowledgement of the issues we face and the opportunities we hope for.I’d like to share with you the provisions that relate to aging services. The goals are to assure that every individual has an electronic health record by 2014 and the incentives are in place to propel the adoption of technology.

• The definition of Healthcare Providers includes skilled nursing facility, nursing facility, home health entity, and an open-ended category, 'other long term care facility.'

• The definition of Health Information Technologies (HIT) includes hardware and software used in the creation of health information, which could potentially encompass telehealth and biometric telemonitoring technologies.

• A study on aging services technology proposed by CAST and included in one of the two House IT bills introduced last Congress was included. This study by HHS will examine 'matters relating to the potential use of new aging services technology to assist seniors, individuals with disabilities, and their caregivers throughout the aging process.'

• A study will be conducted to determine if long-term care providers, long term care hospitals, and rehabilitation hospitals, which currently do not receive incentive payments to encourage the adoption of EHR, will require incentives to encourage them to implement EHR technology prior to 2014.

• Funding will be available for states in the form of matching grants to encourage use of HIT. These grants are directed at healthcare providers that are not covered by the incentive payments, so long-term care providers would be eligible for grants. Specific grants and requirements are to be developed by states. These are extensive requirements to involve providers as state plans are developed and implemented.

• US-based Not-For-Profit organizations (or consortiums) that meet the eligibility criteria can apply to become regional centers to facilitate HIT in rural and other underserved areas.

CAST will be studying the legislation, following up on available grant programs, and assisting state executives with analyzing the implications as will as developing processes for implementation. Ecumen will coordinate a team to guide our pursuit of these opportunities.This legislation is a grant step forward in bringing 21^st century technologies to health care and senior services.

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by origineight

Friendship: A Blessing of Living Fully

Friendship is such an incredible, satisfying part of living fully.Today I received a pleasant surprise in my inbox. It’s a tribute from one civic giant to another and from one longtime friend to another.Verne Johnson is a founder of the Twin Cities-based Civic Caucus, which demonstrates new ways to stimulate and maintain involvement of people in public affairs. Their valuable work and archives of interviews with citizen and elected people in public affairs is highly accessible through the robust online community they’ve built. They have a treasure trove of information for people who enjoy working on solutions across partisan lines. Before his recent death, Chuck Clay had been Verne’s partner in a number of civic ventures and, more importantly, a best friend.Below is a tribute from Verne to his long-time friend and a poem that illustrates Chuck’s wide-ranging talents. It says a lot about living fully to the end of life, collaboration, love and friendship. Thank you Verne and thank you Chuck:THERE IS NOTHING LIKE LOSING ONE’S VERY BEST FRIENDCharles Clayas written by Verne Johnson on March 3rd 2009On Sunday, March 1st 2009, my best friend of over 60 years passed away at the age of 83. Chuck Clay and I first met as students in the University of Minnesota Law School in 1948 and our exceedingly close relationship has continued every single year since that date. We have worked together on almost every single public policy initiative I have worked on over this lengthy period of time. Many people considered us a team. His contributions to every single such success - and failure - over a lifetime have been invaluable and he has always been at my side at any time of need. Let me cite some of the initiatives we have worked on jointly:Our lifetime of continuous teamwork began when as law students we both became active in the Young Republican League. In 1949 Raeder Larson, Jim Olson, Chuck and I formed a small public policy discussion group called the caucus. Chuck continued as a core participant through the entire 60 years until the time of his passing. This caucus evolved in recent years into a tax exempt non profit organization called the Civic Caucus which is making a significant impact on public policy issues with a Minnesota emphasis. During my final year in law school Chuck became so concerned about my grades--because I was spending too much time on civic activities--that he actually tutored me.Of even greater significance in 1951 was the marriage of Chuck to Audrey Jorgenson, with whom he had been dating since his high school years. From that moment on everything that Chuck did and/or needed Audrey has always been there for him. Indeed, Chuck found the absolutely perfect wife, mother, grandmother and servant who was always there in any time of need, right up to the final moments of his life.In 1951 Chuck was part of our small group which wanted to draft General Eisenhower for president. We worked tirelessly - were thrown off the presidential primary ballot for technical reasons - organized a write in campaign for Eisenhower, carried the vote in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and the two of us went together to the 1952 National Republican convention in Chicago.Chuck began his legal career in the law department of the Soo Line Railroad, thus beginning his love of railroads and subsequently to his co-founding of a small regional railroad which primarily connected up with the Burlington Northern.We helped each other in political campaigns, Chuck and Audrey helping me on a successful race for the state legislature, and Carol and I helping Chuck on a successful bid for the Edina School Board. Both of us served lengthy years on the Deaconess Hospital board and subsequently the Fairview Board.Chuck faithfully kept me posted on local public affairs during a three year period of time when I was working out of town. Upon my return both of us worked together almost daily in the Citizens League, where Chuck served as chair of several key committees and as president.Later both of us kept busy with corporate jobs, but we continued as best friends and our families enjoyed a close social life together.We did so many wonderful things together. Numerous trips to Florida, cruises, playing golf and bridge and so much more. We gave the Clays support during their times of trial - they lost their first two children in infancy - and the loss of Audrey’s two parents. And they were always there for us in our time of need and particularly when our daughter, Diane, had to have surgery for cancer at the age of 14.A lasting memory of our years with Chuck and Audrey involved a unique talent of Chuck’s that few outside his family and closest friends knew about. He loved to compose poems, always centered about a significant event. Indeed, his daughter, Janis, put together a book of his poems and re-reading them at a time like this made me more fully appreciate this talent he had. Let me share with you just one poem, which he wrote to Audrey on her 65th birthday.The poem is titled WORDS FROM THE HEART:Words from the heart come slowly.Sometimes they don’t come at all.We were blessed in the spring and summerNow we enjoy the fall.I should have said this more oftenHow much your love means to me.But I thought the depth of my feelingWas obvious and easy to see.You have been loving and caringBringing light and joy to our life.Now it is my turn to say this,I love you, thank you for being my wife.The closeness between the two of us in recent years has been most clearly represented by our working relationship with the Civic Caucus. He continued interested and active until he could no longer function independently and even then I kept him posted on progress, invariably seeking his counsel on key issues and challenges. His role as a core participant in the Civic Caucus has been maintained over a period of 60 years and only was interrupted by his passing.The above illustrations of our wonderful working and family relationship should give you a picture of why Chuck is going to be so sorely missed. We have done almost everything as a team over these more than 60 years and his passing approaches the severity of the loss of a spouse or loved one. Words cannot express adequately what he has meant to my life nor can they convey fully my gratitude to him for always being there with me.For a brief moment we shall part but I just know that we will rejoin in Heaven and continue the work of the Civic Caucus together. Perfection is Heaven and that means, for me, a continuation of our wonderful relationship. So long, Chuck, for just awhile

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Please Join Us Today

Thanks to everyone, such as our Ecumen colleagues at the left in Duluth, Minn., who called in yesterday during the congressional call to urge Congress to make long-term care services part of health care reform. Several thousand calls were generated across the country … thank you for your help!On Wed. beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a hearing on Health Care Reform in an Aging America. Sen. Kohl (D-Wis.) is the chair. Live streaming video of the hearing can be ound at the link above.

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Please Join Us Today in Our Ecumen Congressional Call-In Today

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The Top 10 Longevity Trends and The Extreme Future

Dr. James Canton is head of the Institute for Global Futures, a California-based firm that advises business and government on the future. He’s also authored a new book called The Extreme Future, The Trends That Will Shape the Future for the Next 5, 10 and 20 Years.Here are his Top 10 Longevity Trends … do you agree with them? What else would you add? What’s interesting to Changing Aging is that Dr. Canton doesn’t talk about senior services in any of his Top 10 …our profession is going to have a huge impact on longevity in the next 5, 10, 20 years and beyond …The Top 10 Longevity Trends According to Dr. James Canton1. Within 10 years, human beings living beyond 100, will be accepted reality. 2. Longevity Medicine will postpone aging and promote health, enabling people to be more active, more productive, and enjoy longer lives.3. Health-enhancement rights, fueled by the wealth of aging baby boomers and the fusion of nano, bio, IT and neuro innovations, will become a fierce social issue.4. Mapping personal DNA profiles, and linking that knowledge to prevent illness, will radically change medicine, making it boldly predictive.5. Health enhancement via biotech, stem cells, and genomic drugs will enhance human intelligence.6. Supercomputers, artificial intelligence, and advanced medical information technology will usher in a new era that will empower doctors to extend the quality of life.7. Personalized DNA diets will greatly enable longevity as people learn which foods enhance their health and prevent illness.8. Life-extension treatments, from genetic vaccines and designer DNA 'surgery' to smart drugs and neuro-medical devices, will augment health, improving intelligence, and maximizing beauty.9. Cognitive brain-science breakthroughs will protect the aging mind, refreshing vital memories, improving physical agility, and promoting human performance enhancement.10.The evolutionary transformation of human beings, via emerging breakthroughs in Longevity Medicine, will provide vast new choices of an astounding and alarming nature for individuals and society.

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WE NEED: 60 Seconds of Your Time Next Tuesday, March 3rd

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Vital Aging Network Forum - March 10th

For our Twin Cities readers:The Vital Aging Network is holding a forum from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10th entitled Fostering Healthy Communities: Connecting health care providers, neighborhoods and people.Where: Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital6500 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN 55426Presenters:Michael Johnson, President, Park Nicollet FoundationEdward Ratner, M.D., Minnesota Medical Directors AssociationRita Kach, St. Louis Park, Senior Program CoordinatorMarney Olson, St. Louis Park Community LiaisonThe forum will discuss how St. Louis Park involves neighborhoods in planning city services, Park Nicollet’s role in this, and the 'Medical Home' model. Free and open to the public. More at www.vital-aging-network.org.

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Aging Deliberately Columnist Liz Taylor Reinventing

Liz Taylor hasn’t let the newspaper industry meltdown end her work in helping people prepare for their future. When the Seattle Times cancelled her column of 14 years (Seattle is exhibit A of the faltering newspaper business), she repackaged her popular column and insights by moving them online.Her website is entitled 'Aging Deliberately'. There you’ll find her new newsletter service and past columns with the Seattle Times.According to Liz:

Most of us age accidentally, without planning or forethought. Our mission is to teach people how to age on purpose - deliberately!

Congratulations on your new venture, Liz!

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Successful Aging Profile - The Mermaids and Long-Term Care

Words are interesting. Society often uses the word long term care to mean nursing homes or some type of care that is “done” to someone. But it seems long term care is also the care we provide ourselves from childhood to the end of life. It’s long term, and it’s care.With this in mind, we bring you the newest Successful Aging Profile, or Profiles if you will. We’d like to introduce you to Bea Gabrick, Val Fredell, Pearl Hartmann, and Gertrude Lindo, who call themselves The Mermaids. Like mermaids, they’re beautiful and enjoy the water, using the pool at Ecumen’s Parmly LifePointes senior housing community in Chisago City, MN. You’ll also find them doing their “land” workout on Nautilus machines.All are either in their 80s or 90s, two live in the Parmly LifePointes community while two others come from their homes in the larger community for their workouts of mind, body and spirit.None of the Mermaids knew each other before they met. 'But you’d never know it,' says Patricia McArdle, director of Vitalize! Wellness Centre at this Ecumen community. 'They’re always smiling, always laughing. They’re a total hoot. If you didn’t know them, you’d think they’ve been friends since they were teenagers.'And they’re enjoying long term care … It’s care they’re providing themselves, taking it upon themselves to nourish the social, physical, and intellectual parts of who they are.If more people practiced long term care, such as the Mermaids, there’d no doubt be a lot more laughing.

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Congratulations to Ecumen Colleague Joanne Sherbrooke

If you don’t have that thing called 'care,' you really don’t have anything when it comes to serving people.Our congratulations go to Ecumen colleague Joanne Sherbrooke. Joanne has worked for more than 30 years as a nurse at Sunnyside Care Center in Lake Park, Minn. Sunnyside is managed by Ecumen and owned by Becker County.Joanne was recently named by our state trade association Aging Services of Minnesota, as Caregiver of the Year.There were a large stack of nominations that came in from Joanne’s colleagues. I’d like to share this excerpt, which tells you quite a bit about Joanne: It comes from Derek Martin, a colleague of Joanne’s:

'As I began my career, I learned immediate from observing and working with Joanne that being a nurse was so much more than passing out medications. It’s a profession of genuine and tireless compassion and kindness. It was because of Joanne that I made the decision to attend nursing school. To this day my goal is to be a nurse like Joanne.'Also, congratulations to the Ecumen community of Parmly LifePointes, which received one of three Excellence in Practice Awards. The award was given for the Vitalize! Wellness Centre.

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