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.”
Ecumen Named One of Minnesota's Best Workplaces for Ninth Time by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
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
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!
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.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Viola Miller
Ecumen honors Viola Miller, a resident of Ecumen of Litchfield, who is 101 today.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 100 th Birthday Leona Hanson
Ecumen honors Leona Hanson, a resident of Heritage Senior Living in Park Rapids, Minn., who is 100 today.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Albert Ruckelshausen
Ecumen honors Albert Ruckelshausen, a resident of Ecumen Meadows in Worthington, Minn., who turns 101 today.
Pelican Valley Health Center Receives $65,000 Grant for New High-Tech Alert System From Otto Bremer Foundation
The Pelican Valley Health Center, managed by Ecumen, has received a $65,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation to purchase a new state-of-the-art system to alert staff when residents need assistance.
The system operates with wireless technology and can be used throughout the care center. Residents wear a small pendant and simply press a button if they need assistance. The alerts sound on iPods carried by staff, giving the exact location of the caller.
“We are so very grateful to the Otto Bremer Foundation for making this new system possible for us,” said Executive Director Barbara Garrity. “It’s the very best technology available, and it will dramatically shorten staff response time and improve our quality of care.”
Garrity said the system, to be purchased from Intelligent InSites and installed in the next two or three months, promises to bring added security both to residents and staff. Residents can walk around freely, knowing that staff can respond quickly to a problem, she said, and staff can feel confident they can immediately find residents calling for assistance.
About the Otto Bremer Foundation
Created in 1944, the Otto Bremer Foundation assists people in achieving full economic, civic and social participation in and for the betterment of their communities. This mission is based on the intent of founder Otto Bremer. His vision and longstanding commitment to communities during and after the Great Depression are carried forward today through the Foundation’s work in the places that are homes and neighbors to Bremer banks. The Foundation strives to help build healthy, vibrant communities — communities where basic needs are met, mutual regard is prized and opportunities for economic, civic and social participation are within everyone's reach. The Otto Bremer Foundation owns 92 percent of Bremer Bank, and receives an equivalent share of the bank profits that are paid out as dividends. This means that a large portion of bank profit is invested back in local communities through grants and program-related investments. In 2013 the Foundation provided approximately $38 million in grants and program-related investments.
Ecumen Century Club: Guthrie Theater Legend Annette Garceau Celebrates Her 101st Birthday
Legendary Guthrie Theater costume designer Annette Garceau, a resident of Ecumen Lakeview Commons in Maplewood, Minn., is celebrating her 101st birthday today.
From Caring.com: So Your Parent Wants to Move in With You - Can You Afford It?
Families have many options to consider as parents age and their lifestyle and needs change. One of those options is having parents move into their adult child's home.
Caring.com senior editor Melanie Haiken shared seven financial tips when considering this type of living situation for your family, based on her friend's experience and suggestions from financial planning experts.
In her article, Haiken's suggestions include:
1. Create a "caregiving budget."
2. Figure out how much your parent can contribute.
3. Calculate a fair contribution for the parent to make to household expenses.
4. Call on siblings to contribute.
5. Keep track of additional costs and share those, too.
6. Don't be afraid to hire outside caregiving help and share that expense.
7. What about being paid for your time?
Click here to read the full article, "So Your Parent Wants to Move In With You - Can You Afford It?" by Melanie Haiken, Caring.com senior editor