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The Gift of GAB to Young and Old at Ecumen Scenic Shores

Michelle Carlson, the recreation director at Ecumen Scenic Shores in Two Harbors, Minn., kept hearing a common theme when she talked to residents: They wished they could be more active in the community.

This was especially true of the residents who are not Two Harbors natives. They said they would love to go to games at the high school, or be involved in other community activities. But they didn’t feel comfortable going alone. 

Michelle had been working with the high school on other things, and she knew that high school kids also were looking for ways to be more involved and give back to the community.

She was also working with “Age to age,” a program supported by the Northland Foundation  that funds a summer intern program to promote intergenerational relationships in the community, including sending interns to Ecumen Scenic Shores.

In meetings about the intern program, Michelle mentioned the desire of residents to go places and do things.  Everybody started talking, one thought led to another, and in July a new program called GAB was born. GAB stands for Generations of Ages Bonding, and it’s designed to match high school students with Scenic Shores residents and accompany them to activities and events at the school and in the community — including art and music, as well as sports.

Michelle currently is in the process of explaining how GAB will work to each of the 43 residents individually.  Her goal is to match every resident with a student who is eager to be part of the program.  She says enthusiasm is high among students, teachers and residents.

When school starts this week, there will be a table for students to sign up and a student-produced video [see below] will be showing in classrooms to recruit volunteers.  The first football game is in two weeks, and undoubtedly Scenic Shores residents will be cheering in the stands.

Plans also are underway to have quarterly events that gather all participants to celebrate, take stock and just get to know one another, Michelle says.

See the recruiting video below, urging prospective student volunteers to sign up and “learn from the most experienced generation in the community.”


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A Train-Ride Wish Come True for 96-Year-Old Ecumen Bethany Community Resident Evangeline Lund

Ecumen Bethany Community resident Evangeline Lund waited 96 years to have her simple wish come true.

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Last Week's Top 5 Blog Posts - September 2

In case you missed out on the latest Changing Aging news, here are the blog posts our online visitors found most interesting last week, including: Best Place to Work, Ecumen Awakenings, Cleveland Clinic Approval. Happy 101st Birthday and Thrifty White Pharmacy.

Follow the links below to read these great stories:

Ecumen Named One of Minnesota's Best Workplaces for Ninth Time by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

National Senior Living Publication Highlights the Ecumen Awakenings Program

Plans Approved for Ecumen-Managed Senior Living Community Near Cleveland Clinic in Avon, Ohio

Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Lorna Smith

Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Viola Miller

To read more Changing Aging blog posts or to learn more about Ecumen, please visit ecumen.org!


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Ecumen Century Club: Happy 104th Birthday Betty Sampson

Ecumen honors Betty Sampson, a resident of Ecumen Evergreens of Fargo, who turns 104 today.

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Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Lorna Smith

Ecumen honors Lorna Smith, who is 101 today.

Born: August 28, 1913, in Boyceville, Wisc.  Lived as a child and young adult in Clayton, Wisc., but lived most of her adult life in Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Residence: Seasons at Maplewood in Maplewood, Minn.                           

Hobbies/Interests: Reading — especially history, biographies, mysteries and thrillers.  Also, loves following golf and other sports.

Occupation: Worked in retail as a buyer at a sporting goods company, as an administrative assistant at an office machine manufacturer and as a copy editor at West Publishing.

Secrets of Longevity: “No secret other than having the right attitude. I never thought of myself as old or thought that I would be old.  I have a very active, curious mind, many interests, wonderful friends and a very supportive family.  I am a truly fortunate person.” 

Interesting Facts: Lorna still drives, and she just recently bought a new car.

Congratulations on your 101st birthday, Lorna! Ecumen honors you.


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National Senior Living Publication Highlights the Ecumen Awakenings Program

Senior Housing News (SHN), the leading source for news and information about the senior housing industry, recently highlighted the Ecumen Awakenings™ approach to dementia care that focuses on reducing the inappropriate us of antipsychotic drugs to address behavioral issues.

Read how Awakenings has improved lives and, at the same time, saved significant Medicare/Medicaid costs in the story headlined How Ecumen’s Dementia Care Program Ditched Meds and Saved Millions.”


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Ecumen Named One of Minnesota's Best Workplaces for Ninth Time by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

Ecumen has been named for the ninth time among the 2014 Best Places To Work in Minnesota by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. 
 
Ecumen is one of 53 companies that received the honor, out of about 200 companies vying for the award. Ecumen, the only senior housing and services company on this year’s list, was honored in the large-company category along with organizations such as U. S. Bancorp, Polaris Industries, Ameriprise and HealthPartners. Rankings are based on employee surveys in a variety of categories such as work environment, teamwork, embracing innovation, people practices, and personal growth and development.
 
“We are so pleased that our employees voted Ecumen a Best Place To Work for the ninth time, especially because our workplaces are the homes of the thousands of residents we serve and are major employers in many of their local communities,” said Robin Dunbar Balck, Ecumen’s senior vice president of human resources and strategic alignment. “Caring for our residents is such important work, and our dedicated employees fully embrace the Ecumen culture of innovation, empowerment and honor.”
 
Ecumen employs nearly 4,000 people, primarily in Minnesota and also operates in Wisconsin, North Dakota, Nebraska, Michigan, Tennessee and Idaho, serving more than 10,000 seniors. Click here to see the Business Journal’s profile of Ecumen
 
Jobseekers are encouraged to learn more about Ecumen and to view current job openings at ecumen.org/careers
 
 
 

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Last Week's Top 5 Blog Posts - August 25

In case you missed out on the latest Changing Aging news, here are the blog posts our online visitors found most interesting last week, including: How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's, Bremer Grant at Pelican Valley, Art at Lakeshore and Century Birthdays.

Follow the links below to read these great stories:

TED Talk Video: How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's

Pelican Valley Health Center Receives $65,000 Grant for New High-Tech Alert System from Otto Bremer Foundation

Ecumen Century Club: Guthrie Theater Legend Annette Garceau Celebrates Her 101st Birthday

Ecumen Century Club: Happy 102nd Birthday Muriel Swenson

The Pure Enjoyment of Art at Ecumen Lakeshore

To read more Changing Aging blog posts or to learn more about Ecumen, please visit ecumen.org!


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Plans Approved for Ecumen-Managed Senior Living Community Near Cleveland Clinic in Avon, Ohio

Ecumen is teaming up once again with senior housing developer Edward Rose and Sons on a new community near the Cleveland Clinic in Avon, Ohio, that will have 175 units for independent and assisted living and memory care.

The Avon Planning Commission this week approved the development plans, and construction could start as early as October.

Dena Meyer, Ecumen director of business development, said talks are underway with the Cleveland Clinic to develop health care partnerships with the new community.

Michigan-based developer Edward Rose and Sons is currently partnering with Ecumen on Heritage at Irene Woods in Memphis, Tenn., and Rose Senior Living in Clinton Township, Mich. 

The Avon Chronicle-Telegram covered the story on the new Ohio development, which is reprinted below:

Avon OKs plans for senior living center

Filed on August 21, 2014 by Jon Wysochanski

AVON — Construction of a senior living facility along Nagel Road near the Cleveland Clinic could begin in October, officials said.

The Planning Commission Wednesday night approved general development plans for Michigan-based Edward Rose Properties to construct a 189,314-square-foot, three-story senior living facility on 32 acres.

Phase 1 of the project calls for construction of a three-story, 175-unit building consisting of memory care, independent and assisted living wings, while Phase 2 of the project includes the construction of 76 congregate care town homes.

According to Paul Mott, Edward Rose and Sons director of asset acquisition, when completed the facility will offer 80 full-time jobs. Mott said the entire project will cost $30 million to $34 million.

Ground could be broken for Phase 1 of the project in October, he said, with both phases being complete in less than two years.

Mott said the Rose Senior Living facility will consist of a variety of structures connected to common areas. There will be chapels, exercise rooms and dining areas, he said.

There will be raised garden beds outdoors for residents who enjoy gardening, an outdoor dining patio, golf putting greens, bocce ball, horseshoe pits and a dog park for residents with pets.

Dena Meyer, director of business development for Ecumen, a partner company who will run the day-to-day operations of the facility, said Rose Senior Living values the “aging in place philosophy.” Seniors can take advantage of transportation services, meals and help with household activities, she said.

“Residents can move in independently, and as they age or need assistance, they can stay within the community,” she said. “Generally Rose Senior Living can take care of a resident through the end of life.”

Meyer said the facility also is working on developing and nurturing partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic for hospice care and doctor visits.

Mott said most residents living in the facility will not require full-time nursing care, but residents who do have memory problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia will be able to take advantage of living in a secure and monitored area.

“This is not a nursing home, but it is something people can come to just prior to going to a nursing home,” Mott said.

Mott said Edward Rose and Sons did a market study and determined Avon and the surrounding areas have a significant need for this type of facility.

Mayor Bryan Jensen said the project is a perfect fit for the entire health campus being developed near the Cleveland Clinic.

“They’ve definitely done their homework because this is going to be a needed facility,” Jensen said. “This is not the nursing or care facility of our parents’ generation, and I think people embrace this kind of living now.”

Contact Jon Wysochanski at 329-7123 or jwysochanski@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JonWysochanski.


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Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Viola Miller

Ecumen honors Viola Miller, a resident of Ecumen of Litchfield, who is 101 today.

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