The Triple-Digit Club: Meet 5 Centenarians Who Don't Act Their Age
Zilpha Nowlin swims every day, Milton Quon is an animator. Donald Smitherman does push ups and sit ups every morning. Meet these centenarians who do not act their age.
Top 5 Blog Posts — Aug. 3
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
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.
Ecumen Receives $5 Million Gift to Help Seniors
Ecumen has received a $5 million gift from Debbie and Robert Cervenka of Duluth- the largest private gift in Ecumen's 150-plus-year history.
Ecumen and Luther Seminary Plan Senior Housing on St. Anthony Park Campus
Ecumen is teaming up with Luther Seminary to plan a senior housing development on the seminary’s 37-acre Saint Anthony Park campus in Northwest Saint Paul.
Duluth Man Skating Through His 90s
For the last 30 years, 94-year-old Mark Sertich has been playing hockey multiple times per week. Sertich has played through many injuries and lost teeth and continues to play for the companionship and fun of the game.
Ecumen Trustee Debbie Cervenka Forges New Paths Supporting a Mission That Is Personal
The future looked bright for Ecumen Trustee Debbie Cervenka and her husband Bob. They had just sold the highly successful company they built together and were making big plans for the next phase of their lives. What happened next totally shattered their dreams— but gave Debbie the resolve to turn their life-changing event into a mission to help others.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org.
Medicare and Medicaid Turn 50
Did you know Medicare and Medicaid turn 50 this week? The landscape of health care in America changed forever on July 30, 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the landmark amendment to the Social Security Act, giving life to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
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.
A “Best of Bonner” special section published today listed results of readers’ voting in the survey conducted online from June 12 to July 3. Residents of Bonner County can nominate and vote for any person or business they feel do the best jobs in the community. This year there were 65 categories of nominations and more than 30,520 votes cast. 
Luther Park at Sandpoint, which opened in 2008, is a six-time winner of the award.
“We’re honored that Bonner County residents gave us this vote of confidence,” said Kersten McDonald, Executive Director at Luther Park. “We pride ourselves on the care we provide, and it’s great to be recognized by the community for what we do.”
Luther Park at Sandpoint provides assisted living and memory care. For more information go to www.lutherparksandpoint.org.
Star Tribune: How ArtSage Programs Inspire the Elderly to Create
ArtSage, a nonprofit which trains artists to teach older people and helps match them with senior organizations, is featured in a Star Tribune article exploring the benefits that the arts bring to aging.
Ecumen and Luther Seminary Plan Senior Housing on St. Anthony Park Campus
Ecumen is teaming up with Luther Seminary to plan a senior housing development on the seminary’s 37-acre Saint Anthony Park campus in Northwest Saint Paul.
A Star Tribune story in today’s business section announced that the two nonprofits signed a nonbinding letter of intent to start work on the development, which could include senior housing co-ops, rentals with assisted living and memory care and some income-restricted rentals.
The project is still in the early planning stages but expectations are that work could begin as soon as next year on a five-acre area of the seminary’s lower campus.
Duluth Man Skating Through His 90s
For the last 30 years, 94-year-old Mark Sertich has been playing hockey mulitple times per week.
Top 5 Blog Posts- July 27
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Ecumen Receives $5 Million Gift to Help Seniors
Ecumen has received a $5 million gift from Debbie and Robert Cervenka of Duluth- the largest private gift in Ecumen's 150-plus-year history.
Ecumen Trustee Debbie Cervenka Forges New Paths Supporting a Mission That is Personal
Debbie Cervenka deteremined to turn-life changing event into a mission to help others.
Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar- The Worst Place Ever for a Flat
Jim Klobuchar writes about his experience coming face-to-face with nature while having a flat tire.
What It Means To Be Old: An Unexpected Lesson for the First Class of Ecumen Scholars
Ten student nurses interested in geriatric care recently came to Ecumen Pathstone Living for the inaugural Ecumen Scholars Fellowship Program. They left with an abiding lesson not taught in nursing school: What it means to be old.
Centenarian and Navy Veteran Doris Brand Taught Kids to Read and Pilots to Fly
Remember Charles Lindbergh, the famous flying ace? Well, Doris Brand remembers him all too well. He picked the same day she won her local spelling bee- May 21, 1927- to complete his solo nonstop transatlantic flight and grab all the world's attention.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Ruth Benson
Ecumen honors Ruth Benson, a resident of Heritage Living Center in Park Rapids, Minn., who is 101.
Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar—The Worst Place Ever for a Flat
Just changing a flat tire is bad enough, but what if a lion is watching you do it?