Building Better Connections Through Dementia Education at Ecumen Detroit Lakes
Building Better Connections Through Dementia Education at Ecumen Detroit Lakes
By Darcy DeMars | October 28, 2026
DETROIT LAKES, MN (October 28, 2026) — Dementia changes how a person experiences the world, but it doesn’t change their need for connection, understanding, and compassion. Learning how to meet people where they are can make a meaningful difference — both for those living with dementia and for the people who care for them.
On October 20 and 21, Ecumen Detroit Lakes brought caregivers, families, and community members together for two days of education focused on understanding dementia and building stronger connections with those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Both sessions were led by expert trainers Melanie Bunn and Missy Harden from Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care. This training was funded by the New Americans Long-Term Care Workforce grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
The two-day event featured hands-on training for professional caregivers from Ecumen, followed by an interactive presentation for the public, with a special focus on family members navigating the dementia journey with a loved one.
Learning to See Dementia Differently
The first day focused on professional caregivers from Ecumen Detroit Lakes and Ecumen’s clinical leadership team, offering a full day of hands-on training and workshop activities designed to strengthen dementia care skills. The training emphasized the importance of understanding how dementia affects a person’s abilities and learning practical ways to adapt care to their changing needs.
For caregivers, this means looking beyond a person’s words or actions to consider what they may be experiencing. When familiar abilities change, everyday tasks and interactions can become more challenging. Learning to recognize those changes can help caregivers respond with greater patience, flexibility, and understanding.
Bobbi Koons, Ecumen’s Nurse Educator said, “The class was wonderful. Relating residents’ stages of dementia to ‘Gem States’ made them easier to understand. We practiced recognizing each person’s ‘Gem’ and meeting them where they are, helping them maintain a sense of control and do what they can for themselves—even as their care needs increase. Each ‘Gem’ is a gift that reflects who they are and where they are in their dementia journey.”
And Ecumen Detroit Lakes Registered Nurse Heather Spier agreed, “The workshop was engaging the entire day and I learned valuable, easy to apply skills to help our residents living with dementia.”
The following day, Ecumen Detroit Lakes opened the conversation to the broader community with a two-hour interactive presentation titled Communication and Dementia. The session explored how changes in the brain can affect communication and offered practical strategies for connecting with a person living with dementia.
One attendee shared, “This training was so eye-opening for me. I understand more now about how the brain takes in and stores information, and how and why sometimes it doesn’t. The tips for how to communicate with my mom, especially the empathetic listening, are things I look forward to trying right away.”
Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference
One of the important messages of dementia education is that effective communication often requires caregivers to change their approach.
Simple strategies can help make interactions more comfortable and successful. Using fewer words, offering visual cues, allowing extra time for a response, and presenting one step at a time can help reduce frustration. Building a connection before attempting a task can also make a difference.
Trainer Melanie pointed out, “Dementia doesn’t ruin relationships; the way we act does.” And learning how to act was taught and practiced during all sessions.
When a conversation or interaction becomes difficult, stepping back and trying a different approach may be more helpful than repeating the same words or instructions.
Just as importantly, caregivers can learn to look beyond what a person says or does to consider the feelings or needs they may be communicating. Approaching these moments with empathy and curiosity can help preserve a sense of dignity and strengthen trust.
For families, these insights can offer a new perspective on everyday interactions with someone they love. For professional caregivers, they reinforce the importance of continually adapting care to the person, rather than expecting the person to adapt to us.
Supporting Caregivers, Families, and the Community
A dementia diagnosis can bring uncertainty and questions for everyone involved. Education can help caregivers and families better understand what is happening, recognize changing abilities, and discover new ways to support meaningful connection.
By bringing professional caregivers and community members together for these learning opportunities, Ecumen Detroit Lakes reinforced its commitment to supporting people living with dementia and the individuals who walk alongside them.
At Ecumen, caring for older adults means recognizing the person behind the diagnosis — their history, preferences, abilities, and need to feel understood. Continued learning helps caregivers put that person-centered approach into practice, even as dementia changes the way a person communicates and experiences the world.
Because sometimes, better care begins with a simple but powerful shift: instead of asking how we can get someone to understand us, asking how we can better understand them.
To learn more about Ecumen Detroit Lakes and the support available to older adults living with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their families, visit ecumen.org/detroit-lakes.
To schedule a tour, contact Charlie Newland at CharlesNewland@ecumen.org or 218-844-8340.
About Ecumen
Ecumen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing innovative housing, health care and community-based services that support older adults and strengthen communities. Mission-driven since its founding in 1862, Ecumen’s legacy of service reflects a commitment to honoring those it serves. Ecumen is based in Shoreview, Minn., and provides housing options such as independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care. Its diverse in-home and community-based services include home care, hospice, physical and occupational therapy, and adult day services. For more information, visit www.ecumen.org.
Ecumen Names Liz Hackenmueller as VP, Strategy & Enablement
Ecumen Names Liz Hackenmueller as VP, Strategy & Enablement
By Lisa Hawks | October 26, 2026
SHOREVIEW, MN (October 26, 2026) — Ecumen, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit providers of senior housing and health care services, today announced that Liz Hackenmueller will join the organization as Vice President of Strategy & Enablement.
In this executive leadership role, Hackenmueller will support the organization’s One Ecumen vision as it works to meet the changing needs of older adults through housing, health care, services and innovation. She will help Ecumen focus on the work that matters most, bring leaders together around shared priorities, and ensure major initiatives continue moving forward. Her role will help create greater alignment across the organization and support thoughtful decisions about where Ecumen invests its time, energy, and resources.
Hackenmueller is an enterprise transformation leader and operational strategist with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations execute complex change, strengthen performance, and build scalable operating systems.
She joins Ecumen from Allina Health, where she spent the past 10 years in progressive leadership roles, most recently as System Director of Improvement for Enterprise Operations. Across her career, Liz has led multi‑site health care operations, guided organizational redesign, and built cross‑functional structures that improve clarity, alignment, and execution. She brings to Ecumen experience building systems that enhance access, community partnerships, quality, workforce engagement, and operational reliability.
“Liz brings a strong ability to connect strategy with action and help teams turn shared priorities into meaningful results,” said Cyrus Batheja, Ecumen’s president and CEO. “Working alongside leaders and team members across Ecumen, she will offer a systems-thinking perspective to help us strengthen our services, advance sustainable growth, and respond to the changing needs of older adults. Her leadership will support our One Ecumen vision and our commitment to the people and communities we serve.”
Hackenmueller holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Bethany Lutheran College, and a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and School of Public Health.
The Impact of Spiritual Care: Helping People Find Peace and Purpose
The Impact of Spiritual Care: Helping People Find Peace and Purpose
For Michael Hedges, spiritual care is about meeting people where they are, helping families find peace, and making sure no one faces life’s most difficult moments alone.
By Melody Royse | October 21, 2026
SHOREVIEW, MN (October 21, 2026) — During Spiritual Care Week, October 18–24, we celebrate Michael and spiritual counselors across Ecumen who bring comfort and connection to people during life’s most challenging moments.
For 10 years, Michael has been a spiritual counselor at Ecumen, drawing on his 15 years of experience as a chaplain. He meets with patients and their families, leads services and hosts a grief support group twice a month. But perhaps his most important work happens in quieter moments: listening to a person’s life story, helping a family prepare to say goodbye or simply sharing a cup of coffee with someone who is grieving.
“I just fell in love with helping people one-on-one,” Michael says. “I think there’s a heavy taboo in being able to talk about death and dying. But at that point in life, many people feel a sense of release.”
While death can be difficult to discuss, Michael has learned that many people nearing the end of life have made peace with it.
“Many of the people I visit are ready. They’ve lived a good life and their friends are gone. Knowing that they can die well is a good way to say goodbye to this life.”
Spiritual care looks different for everyone. For some, it means prayer, Scripture or communion. Others may want to reflect on their lives, talk through their fears or reconnect with a faith community. Michael serves people of all religions and helps each person find the support that feels right for them.
“Dying is a spiritual process. It doesn’t mean it’s a religious one, but it’s a spiritual one,” he says.
His work extends beyond the patient to the people who love them. Sometimes, families need help accepting that a loved one is ready to die, even when they aren’t ready to let go. Michael helps them work through those feelings and find meaningful ways to preserve their loved one’s memories.
One way is through a legacy book, which gives a person the opportunity to share stories, experiences and wisdom with family members. These books become a lasting connection between generations, helping loved ones remember not only how someone died, but how they lived.
Spiritual care complements the physical and emotional support patients receive. Together, these forms of care help people work through questions about their future, their families and what gives their lives meaning. Spiritual care meets those deeper needs, offering comfort and support in ways that feel right for each person.
Michael knows that support doesn’t end when a patient’s life does. After a patient passes away, he makes condolence calls to family members. A few months ago, he reached out to a husband whose wife had died. Although the man seemed to be coping, Michael sensed he might benefit from a little more support.
Michael visited the man, and they shared a cup of coffee and talked. Later, the husband sent Michael a message to let him know he was doing well. For Michael, that follow-up was meaningful. Taking the time to sit together had helped the man find a sense of closure.
These moments are a reminder that spiritual care is not always about having the right words or answers. Sometimes, it’s about recognizing when someone needs support and being willing to show up.
Donor generosity helps make this work possible. Gifts can provide resources, such as legacy books and communion supplies, and help spiritual counselors offer personalized care that honors each person’s beliefs and traditions. Donor support can also fund continuing education, helping team members deepen their understanding of different faiths and cultures.
A serious illness, a health crisis or another unexpected change can leave people searching for purpose and reassurance. Your generosity helps ensure that, in those moments, people have someone to turn to.
This Spiritual Care Week, you can honor a spiritual counselor who has made a difference in your life, remember a loved one, or make a gift to help more people experience the comfort of spiritual care. Your support ensures that patients, families and team members receive the compassion and understanding they need, when they need it most.
About Ecumen
Ecumen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing innovative housing, health care and community-based services that support older adults and strengthen communities. Mission-driven since its founding in 1862, Ecumen’s legacy of service reflects a commitment to honoring those it serves. Ecumen is based in Shoreview, Minn., and provides housing options such as independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care. Its diverse in-home and community-based services include home care, hospice, physical and occupational therapy, and adult day services. For more information, visit www.ecumen.org.
Ecumen, University of Minnesota Establish Nursing Collaboratory
Ecumen, University of Minnesota Establish Nursing Collaboratory
By Lisa Hawks | October 20, 2026
SHOREVIEW, MN (October 20, 2026) — Ecumen, a leading nonprofit provider of senior housing and care for older adults, and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing announced the creation of a formal academic-practice partnership, or collaboratory, to generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge for the improvement of nursing practice, education, and patient outcomes.
Nursing collaboratories serve as incubators for creativity and innovation. They aim to develop new strategies to enhance nursing education and professional development, research, practice, diversity, inclusion and equity, and recruit top talent into nursing.
“This brings together the University of Minnesota School of Nursing’s research and educational expertise with the knowledge and experience of Ecumen’s nurses, team members, residents, and clients,” said Ecumen President and CEO Cyrus Batheja, EdD, MBA, RN, FAAN. “Together, we can translate knowledge into everyday improvements in care and quality of life, support our team members, and help prepare the next generation of nurses. We also see opportunities for older adults and students to share experiences, learn from one another, and enjoy meaningful connections.”
“This collaboratory with Ecumen reflects a shared commitment to whole-person care across every stage of life. It’s a powerful opportunity for us to learn alongside their residents and staff, truly understanding how housing, community, and health intertwine,” says Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP. “By bringing these insights directly into our curriculum and our research, we will be able to better prepare the compassionate, skilled nursing workforce Minnesota urgently needs.”
According to an American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and American Organization for Nursing Leadership task force, academic-practice partnerships are “an important mechanism to strengthen nursing practice and help nurses become well positioned to lead change and advance health.”
Ecumen becomes the School of Nursing’s 12th collaboratory, joining Allina Health, Children’s Minnesota, Essentia Health, Faith Community Nurse Network, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Fairview Health Services, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota Hospital Association, PrairieCare, and HealthPartners. In 2024, AACN awarded the school an Exemplary Academic-Practice Partnership Award for its “collaboratory of collaboratories,” which gathers leaders quarterly to discuss best practices, coordinate goals, share education and research initiatives, and strengthen lines of communication.
About Ecumen
Ecumen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing innovative housing, health care and community-based services that support older adults and strengthen communities. Mission-driven since its founding in 1862, Ecumen’s legacy of service reflects a commitment to honoring those it serves. Ecumen is based in Shoreview, Minn., and provides housing options such as independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care. Its diverse in-home and community-based services include home care, hospice, physical and occupational therapy, and adult day services. For more information, visit www.ecumen.org.
50 Years and Counting — Ecumen Lakeshore Team Member Celebrates Milestone Anniversary
50 Years and Counting…
Ecumen Lakeshore team member celebrates milestone anniversary
By Lisa Hawks | October 9, 2026
SHOREVIEW, MN (October 9, 2026) — In 1975, when Cathy Firth started at Lakeshore as a dishwasher working alongside her mom, Gloria, in the kitchen, she knew she was in the right place.
“When I started there, making $2.12 an hour, the ladies working in the kitchen just wrapped me in their arms and I knew I’d found home right away,” Cathy said.
What she didn’t realize then is that it would be her work home for the next 50 years, because Ecumen Lakeshore is still home to Cathy. With no immediate plans to retire, she recently celebrated her 50 years with her colleagues, family, friends, as well as Lakeshore residents and tenants.
“In 50 years and counting, Cathy’s impact goes far beyond the years she’s put in,” said Cyrus Batheja, Ecumen president & CEO. “It’s really about the lives she’s touched and the relationships she’s built over the years, which is evident in the people who are here celebrating her today.”
Over the years, she’s taken on a number of roles, including becoming the first woman to serve as Lakeshore’s Environmental Services Manager. Now the receptionist, Cathy has seen incredible changes during her tenure and she’s shouldered tremendous responsibility, such as helping to move residents to Central High School (the highest point in Duluth) during the benzene spill in 1992. Through it all, she has found people — both her colleagues and the residents she serves — that she considers family.
And speaking of family, in addition to her mom who worked at Lakeshore in the 1970s, Cathy’s son and grandson also worked there – marking four generations of her family serving the Duluth community at Lakeshore.
Due to her years of service and dedication to the organization, Cathy is known as Lakeshore’s historian, but as Ecumen Lakeshore executive director, Blaine Gamst said, “Cathy doesn’t just remember Lakeshore’s history. She helped write the story.”
“Ecumen has been really good to me,” Cathy said. “And it really is home for me. This is my family.”
About Ecumen
Ecumen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing innovative housing, health care and community-based services that support older adults and strengthen communities. Mission-driven since its founding in 1862, Ecumen’s legacy of service reflects a commitment to honoring those it serves. Ecumen is based in Shoreview, Minn., and provides housing options such as independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care. Its diverse in-home and community-based services include home care, hospice, physical and occupational therapy, and adult day services. For more information, visit www.ecumen.org.
Nurses Drive Better Senior Outcomes
Nurses Drive Better Senior Outcomes
By Ecumen | May 6, 2026
SHOREVIEW, MN (May 6, 2026) — When you or someone you love steps into a senior living community, you want more than care. You want reassurance. You want someone who notices the small changes, answers late-night questions, and treats every resident like an individual, not a patient.
In senior living communities, nurses don’t just deliver care. This is especially true in nonprofit communities where the commitment is guided by mission, compassion, and a focus on people over profit. Nurses build relationships, coordinate support, and help older adults live with dignity, purpose, and stability.
May offers a meaningful reminder of that impact. During National Nurses Week and Older Americans Month, communities across the country celebrate both the professionals who provide compassionate care and the older adults whose lives they support. Together, these observances highlight something powerful – when we invest in nurses, we also invest in healthier, more supported aging for everyone.
The Evidence Is Clear
Decades of research point to a simple truth – strong nursing presence leads to better health outcomes for seniors. The National Institutes of Health reports that:
- Top-performing senior communities provide about 20% more staff time per resident
- Higher registered nurse (RN) staffing links to lower infection rates and lower mortality
- Increased nurse staffing reduces emergency department visits and hospitalizations
Why Nursing Care Matters More Than Ever
More than 1.2 million people in the United States now live in assisted living communities, and many bring complex, ongoing health needs that require consistent clinical oversight.
Nurses act as the critical link between medical treatment and daily life. They assess subtle changes in health, manage medications, coordinate with physicians, and provide hands-on care to prevent minor concerns from escalating into serious complications. Nurses provide continuity, helping residents maintain stability while adapting care plans as needs evolve.
In today’s environment, where both demand for senior care and the complexity of care needs continue to rise, nursing care doesn’t just support outcomes. It shapes the entire aging experience and more time spent on what matters most. Things like sharing a meal, enjoying a conversation, or simply feeling at home.
For seniors and their families, this kind of care isn’t just better; it’s everything. And when you choose a community with strong nursing leadership, such as Ecumen, you’re not just choosing care, you’re choosing peace of mind, both now and in the years ahead.
Happy Nurses Week to all the nurses and caregivers across Ecumen communities, Home Care, and Hospice. The care you provide is essential to Ecumen’s mission and makes an undeniable difference in so many lives.
Are you a nurse interested in joining Ecumen? Find openings and apply online!
Looking for a senior living community, home care, or hospice? Find Ecumen locations and service area details on our website.
