Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Lois McKinnon
Ecumen honors Lois McKinnon, a resident of Ecumen Lakeview Commons in Maplewood, who is 101.
Ecumen-Managed Rose Senior Living in Avon, Ohio, Now Taking Reservations
Ecumen-managed Rose Senior Living–Avon, a new senior living community on the Richard E. Jacobs Health Campus in Avon, Ohio, is now under construction with a planned opening in the Fall of 2016.
Star Tribune Columnist Gail Rosenblum Has “The Talk” With Her Aging Mother
Star Tribune Columnist Gail Rosenblum frequently writes about aging and encourages adult children to ask their parents the tough questions about growing older and being less independent. Recently she found out firsthand how tough starting that conversation is.
Revisiting the Rescued Ecumen Coyote
If you’re wondering how the rescued Ecumen coyote is doing, here’s your update.
85-Year-Old Woman Celebrates Her Birthday with Snow Angels
One woman's joy while making a snow angel has put smiles on the faces of over one million viewers. 85-year-old Betty Ritchie's family filmed her experiencing joy that only a child-like activity, like playing in the snow can bring. Ritchie's daughter stated, "She was the kind of mom who always went sled riding with us, she always went swimming with us. She wasn't the kind of mom who just sat around. And every time it would snow she'd say 'Come on, we'll make snow angels.' That's just what we always did. We still do, even us big kids." View the video that is sure spread joy here.
Photo: Sherry Proper Spangler / Facebook
Ecumen Bethany Nurse Awarded First Ecumen Scholars Hiring/Retention Incentive Program Payout
From The Echo Press in Alexandria
Ecumen Bethany Community in Alexandria recently handed out the first award through its Ecumen Scholars program. The program is a workforce development partnership between Ecumen and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) to help address a shortage of senior care nurses in rural areas.
Mary Moore, who recently celebrated her first-year anniversary as a nurse at Ecumen Bethany Community, received a $2,000 bonus as a participant in the Ecumen Scholar program. She was awarded her practical nursing diploma in December 2014 from Alexandria Technical and Community College, where she qualified as an Ecumen Scholar.
Ecumen Scholars are eligible for financial bonus payments when they complete their clinical rotations, fellowship or internship with Ecumen and are hired in a full-time LPN or RN position at an eligible Ecumen rural site within one year of graduation.
Bonus payments are awarded at the one-year, three-year, five-year and 10-year anniversaries of the start date. Amounts increase at each of these anniversary years, totaling up to $20,000.
“Ecumen believes in hiring and investing in dedicated, passionate people like Mary Moore who make our communities great places to live and work,” said Deb Buker, Director of Nursing at Ecumen Bethany Community. “The Ecumen Scholars program is a great way for students to learn about long-term care while advancing their careers.”
For more information about the Ecumen Scholars go to ecumenscholars.org.
Top 5 Blog Posts — February 22, 2016
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Couple Married 83 Years Offers Advice on Valentine's Day
After 83 years of wedlock, John and Ann Betar have been named the "longest married couple in America." This Valentine's Day, the couple, who are 104 and 100 years old, spread their wisdom of love to other couples.
Caregiver of the Year: Ecumen Lakeshore Nursing Assistant Jo Ann Salo
Ecumen Lakeshore Nursing Assistant Jo Ann Salo was named “Caregiver of the Year” in District B at the annual LeadingAge of Minnesota “Stars Among Us” awards presentation Feb. 10, 2016, in Saint Paul.
The Story Behind Ecumen Detroit Lakes “Excellence in the Workplace” Award at LeadingAge MN
Achieving workplace excellence is hard under the best of circumstances. When Ecumen Detroit Lakes employees went on stage in Saint Paul this week to accept LeadingAge Minnesota’s prestigious “Excellence in the Workplace” award, their accomplishment was that they had done it under the worst of circumstances.
Ecumen Opens Hospice Serving the Twin Cities Metro
Ecumen, one of the oldest hospice providers in Minnesota, has opened a new hospice service for the Twin Cities metro area.
Top Honors for Ecumen Employees at LeadingAge Minnesota “Stars Among Us” Awards
Three Ecumen communities took home top awards for caregiving, workplace excellence and volunteerism at the annual “Stars Among Us Awards” presented by LeadingAge Minnesota.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 104th Birthday Irene Polsfuss
Ecumen honors Irene Polsfuss, a resident of Ecumen Lakeview Commons in Maplewood, who is 104.
Caregiver of the Year: Ecumen Home Care & Hospice-Litchfield Nurse Shelly Hank
Ecumen Home Care & Hospice-Litchfield Nurse Shelly Hank, RN, was named was named “Caregiver of the Year” in District D at the annual LeadingAge of Minnesota “Stars Among Us” awards presentation Feb. 10, 2016, in Saint Paul.
Loretta Eschen has been a cook at the Clarkfield Care Center for the past 40 years. Her coworkers describe Loretta as reliable and fun-loving — and an excellent cook. She was honored by her colleagues earlier this week. Congratulations, Loretta, on 40 years of hard work and dedication to the Clarkfield Care Center!