Politics in Minnesota and The Work at Ecumen
Politics in Minnesota, the long-running newsletter on - just as it name says - politics in Minnesota had very kind words for the work being done at Ecumen. Below is the text: Who Needs Dennis Hopper?Many of our readers are Baby Boomers who, like your publisher, are now starting to think about life down the line. Boomers present an unprecedented age wave. The Department of Human Services figures the half billion the state spends on senior care will grow to at least $20 billion by 2050. That’s obviously unsustainable. Plus, Minnesota’s 1.48 million Boomers don’t envision living in institutions (Cuz I just don’t see you playin' shuffleboard, you know what I mean?!').Enter Ecumen, a completely reinvigorated former nursing home organization previously called Board of Social Ministry. In 2003, the board of trustees wanted to reinvent and brought in highly respected Kathryn Roberts to be CEO (bio here). Roberts, in turn, brought in a 'change agent' board of trustees and staff, names many of our readers know, including:Board chair Loanne Thrane (former state director for GOP U.S. Sen. Rudy Boschwitz), Dave Karsnia (Detroit Lakes business leader), Keith Halleland (health law guru), John Byom (former International Multifoods CFO), Lynn Anderson (Gov. Perpich’s chief of staff), Bob Hoffman (former MnSCU board chair), Rev. Dean Johnson (former DFL Senate Majority Leader), Rev. Kris Linner (author), Peggy Lucas (Brighton Development founder), Joanne Negstad (Lutheran World Relief exec), Lisa Deverell, (Land O' Lakes exec), Dianne Nimmer (entrepreneur), Rev. Hank Noordzy (Duluth community leader), Jerry Peterson (former West Publishing exec.), David Stillman (Generations expert), and ELCA SE Minnesota Bishop Harold Usgaard.Roberts also recruited Steve Ordahl, who headed Underwater Adventures, Lifesource C.O.O. Kathy Bakkenist, former UCare exec Mick Finn and Eric Schubert from Himle Horner’s leadership team.Ecumen has been doing lots of good stuff like conducting the largest ever study of Minnesota Boomers, adding hundreds of housing units, developing housing and services for other organizations, starting the 'Changing Aging' blog, creating a more tech-driven system and working for laws to get technology to market faster. Ecumen is certainly a company to watch, professionally (and personally for those of us who will have seniority next).
Leadership and Culture Transformation
For our readers around the country who are attending next week’s American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) annual meeting in Orlando, we invite you to stop by the 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. session on Tuesday with Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts; Ecumen’s regional director Janet Green and Michele Holleran of Holleran Consulting.Their panel discussion is entitled 'Leadership and Culture Transformation.' Janet will share how Ecumen’s Emmanuel Community in Detroit Lakes, Minn., reduced staff turnover from 100% to 7.2%. Kathryn will discuss leadership that empowers. Michele recently authored a AAHSA white paper based on her experiences observing life at Ecumen communities. The leadership themes she pinpoints as critical to transformation are: - Transparency- Trustworthiness- Connectivity- Accountability- Empowerment- Optimism Hope to see you in Orlando.
Life Part 2
Have you had a chance to check out the TV show Life Part 2. Produced by PBS, it’s about life, especially the life of the 26% of Americans who are 55 and above (actually, it’s really about all of us because we’re all aging.). If it’s not showing in your area, they’ve set up a great website here. You can download key episodes and see transcripts. They recently had an interesting interview with Dr. Robert Butler, head of the International Longevity Center, on myths around aging. Another interesting discussion was on the language of aging and how it needs to change. Really good stuff.
Key Ingredients to a Great Place to Work
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsKW13GjBEE[/youtube]
Recently, I sat down with Kathryn Roberts, Ecumen’s CEO to discuss what goes into a Great Place to Work. Earlier this year Ecumen was named one of Minnesota’s 'Best Places to Work' for a third straight year by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Last week, Kathryn talked about the It Factor. Today I asked her about 'key ingredients' that go in to a great place to work. She shares some of those key ingredients in the video above.
What other ingredients would you add?
Posted by Robin Krause, Vice President of Human Resources
Americans Talk Paying for Long-Term Care In New Poll
How will you pay for care if you need it in your senior years? When we polled baby boomers in our Age Wave study, there were a number of options they supported for paying for care if they needed it in their seniors years . . from private insurance … to payroll deductions for a year of guaranteed care … to a pooled risk statewide long-term care insurance plan. What was also clear is that they don’t want to live in an institutional environment.Last week a new national poll on long-term care in the 2008 elections was released. Commissioned by Genworth Financial, the fieldwork was done by Public Opinion Strategies and the Mellman Group. Among the key findings, many of which parallel our research are:- Nearly 7 in 10 Americans have not made any plans for their own, a spouse’s or another relative’s long-term care needs. Yet, over half of those surveyed have had a loved one who needed a form of long-term care. (Our poll showed that people are totally clueless when it comes to differences between Medicare and Medicaid, the first one won’t pay for your long-term care needs.)- This is an area where individuals feel they should bear some personal responsibility for payment. (We saw that in our poll, too.) 60% of voters surveyed supported new taxes or payroll deductions to subsidize senior care.- 68% of those who supported new taxes or payroll deductions also indicated a willingness to pay between $25 monthly and upwards of $50 per month. In our Age Wave study, nearly 9 out of 10 (86% of all respondents) support a payroll tax up to $12 per month to pay for a year of guaranteed care if needed.Here’s a link to a AOL Money and Finance News account of the Genworth poll. Meanwhile, you can read the full questions to our Age Wave study here.
First Baby Boomer Applies for Social Security
The Age Wave is arriving on the shores of America’s entitlement system.Today, the nation’s first' baby boomer, a retired teacher from New Jersey, applied for Social Security benefits, signaling the start of an expected avalanche of applications from the post World War II generation.In a Associated Press story, Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue called it 'America’s silver tsunami.'Kathleen Casey-Kirschling applied for benefits over the Internet at an event hosted by Astrue. Casey-Kirschling was born one second after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946, gaining her recognition as the first baby boomer €” a generation of nearly 80 million born from 1946 to 1964, Astrue said.Casey-Kirschling will be eligible for benefits after she turns 62 next year. She taught seventh graders for 14 years at a school near Camden, N.J., before retiring and volunteering for the Red Cross in Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina.An estimated 10,000 people a day will become eligible for Social Security benefits over the next two decades. The Social Security trust fund, if left alone, is projected to go broke in 2041. Casey-Kirschling said her generation won’t let Social Security fail.'I think the baby boomers will want to get this fixed,' she said. 'They’re going to want to take care of their children and their grandchildren.'
Technology and Aging: The Future is Now
Several years ago our board of trustees and leadership team were at a retreat developing our dashboard, which helps us set goals and measure results in our transformation work. One of the trustees put a question mark in a circle and asked the others what was the big thing' that is going to change aging services, which wasn’t at the forefront of our work then. The word 'Technology' was written in the circle. Today we are piloting 2-3 new technologies per year to determine those that can enhance our customers' experience and our work.One of those technologies was featured in an interesting story in the L.A. Times last week about baby boomers fueling the 'aging in place' movement and turning to technology to help fulfill their parents' wish to live where they want to live.The tool is called QuietCare. We started using the unobtrusive sensor technology two years ago, piloting it with 20 of our customers. Today more than 600 use it. You can see QuietCare up close here. It helps us spot small health problems before they grow into larger ones; and it helps enhance information sharing and communications between our customers, their family members, caregivers and physicians.The consulting firm BearingPoint, just did a study for the National Commission for Long-Term Care, which is chaired by Newt Gingrich and Bob Kerrey. The report highlights, which you can read here, discuss technology being essential in long-term care, but that it needs to be connected to other segments of healthcare. As the L.A. Times article points out, and as we’ve experienced at Ecumen, technology can enhance people’s lives and break down critical information silos. Baby boomers are going to drive increased use of technology in aging services as more provide care and want technology to help them in this area of their life just as it does in so many other aspects of their lives. In fact, 9 out of 10 baby boomers told us in our Age Wave study, that they 'EXPECT' technology to help them live longer and more independently.
The EU and the Age Wave
In fewer than 13 years, we will have more seniors in Minnesota than children. That’ll be a first. Interestingly, the European Union is already in the midst of an age wave. According to Elita Vucheva, who writes on global business for Businessweek.com, there are currently more seniors than children living in the EU, as Europe’s young population has decreased by 21 percent - or 23 million -- in 25 years, 10 percent of which in the last ten years alone.Only 16.2 percent of today’s EU population is less than 14 years old, while one sixth (16.6 percent) is 65 years or more. In addition one out of every 25 EU citizens is over 80 years old.Italy has the least young people (14.2%) and one out of every five Italians is more than 65 years old. At the other end of the scale, Ireland has the most youngsters (20.7%), according to a recently-released report by the Institute for Family Policies based in Spain.
Kathryn Roberts on The It Factor
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgZtjvKqZXc[/youtube]Posted by Robin Krause, Ecumen Vice President of Human Resources What is this thing called 'It?' It’s essential to creating great places to live and work. We’ve been talking a lot lately about 'It' within Ecumen. You know whether a community has 'It' right away. You can feel 'It.' 'It' feels good.I wanted to find out what Kathryn Roberts, Ecumen’s CEO thinks about 'It,' so I went and asked her. You can see the interview above. For the next three weeks, I’m going to post a weekly question here with her related to what goes into making a great workplace.On October 25th, the day of the last question, we’re going to celebrate Ecumen-wide a pretty neat achievement, that Ecumen has been named a 'Best Place to Work' by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for a third straight year.I’d love to hear what you think 'It' is … please join the discussion that’s already taking place and share your examples of 'It' at work.
Nursing Assistants and Leadership
The other day the Minneapolis Star Tribune did a story on the job of nursing assistants. Nursing assistants are on the frontline of care and to be great, they have to be absolutely fabulous in delivering customer service. They ensure dignity, helping people eat, bathe and dr
ess; they listen (instead of simply hearing) what the people in their care say; they deliver authentic warmth that simply makes people feel good; they provide encouragement. Bottom line: Great nursing assistants make life better.Featured in the Star Tribune was Ecumen regional director Mary Cordts (pictured at left). Mary began her career as a nursing assistant in a nursing home in her hometown. She found her calling. And the world of aging services is changing because of it. She later got her degree in nursing. After that she earned her masters in business. And the learning didn’t end there … .This weekend in Chisago City, Minn., Mary will keynote the grand opening of the new Vitalize! Wellness Centre at the Ecumen community of Parmly LifePointes, where Mary also serves as executive director. [We’ll share more photos of Vitalize! here soon.] It’s part of a movment to expand the work of a senior community that was largely known for its nursing home, and turning it into a community-wide hub for vital aging. In fact, Parmly Senior Housing & Services changed its name to Parmly LifePointes (they’re officially launching that this weekend, too) because the community saw the former name as too limiting for what Parmly is becoming … a community-wide resource for successful aging at multiple points in life, not just at the end of life. Earlier we were talking about the role of nursing assistants. Forgot to mention that they can change the world. Take it from Mary.