Ecumen’s Plans for Senior Housing in Downtown Minneapolis Reported in Business Journal

Ecumen submitted its plans to build apartments aimed at seniors in Downtown Minneapolis to the city this week, and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal picked up on the story shared here, along with an architect’s rendering of what the new project will look like.


Ecumen Celebrates National Senior Health and Fitness Day

Today is the 21st Annual National Senior Health and Fitness Day, which takes place every year on the last Wednesday in May. Across the country, this day represents the common goal of keeping older adults active and healthy. One of the best ways for older adults to stay healthy and prevent disabilities is walking, as this New York Times Well Blog post explains.


Ecumen Century Club: Happy 102nd Birthday Florence Hovda

Ecumen wishes a happy birthday to Florence Hovda, who is 102 today.  She is a resident of Ecumen Oaks & Pines in Hutchinson, Minn.

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Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Elrose Milverstedt

Ecumen wishes a happy birthday to Elrose Milverstedt, who is 101 today.  She is a resident of Ecumen CountrySide in Owatonna, Minn.

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Althea Maloney, Ecumen Detroit Lakes, Ecumen Century Club

Ecumen Century Club: Birthday Greetings to Althea “Babe” Maloney, Age 101

Ecumen wishes a happy birthday to Althea "Babe" Maloney, who is 101 today.  She is a resident of Ecumen Detroit Lakes.

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Althea Maloney, Ecumen Detroit Lakes, Ecumen Century Club

Honoring Our Soldiers on Memorial Day

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

 —President John F. Kennedy, Jan. 20, 1961, Inaugural Address

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Althea Maloney, Ecumen Detroit Lakes, Ecumen Century Club

Ecumen Proud to Help Minnesota Rank #1 In Country in Senior Health Study By United Health Foundation

Ecumen professionals in home care, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation services and care centers have helped Minnesota rank #1 in U.S. senior health.

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Althea Maloney, Ecumen Detroit Lakes, Ecumen Century Club

Ecumen Director Barbara Garrity Selected for Statewide Leadership Program

 Barbara Garrity, executive director of Ecumen-managed Pelican Valley Health Center in Pelican Rapids, Minn., has been selected to attend the year-long Aging Services of Minnesota Leadership Academy.

The academy, now in its fifth year, is a comprehensive development program to hone the leadership skills of emerging leaders in the aging services field.  Aging Services of Minnesota is the state’s largest association of organizations serving Minnesota seniors.

Garrity, who has been with Ecumen almost two years, will begin the year-long program May 20 and will spend 10-15 hours a month on academy activities.  She is one of 33 fellows selected from across the state in a wide variety of aging services occupations.

“Academy fellows represent a new generation of transformation leaders in aging services — leaders that will not just respond to the changing times but who will also drive positive change for their organizations and the aging services community,” according to Aging Services of Minnesota. “They will embark on a rigorous journey of self-reflection, leadership theory, critical skill development and action learning.”

Before becoming executive director at Pelican Valley Health Center, Garrity was admissions and marketing director at ManorCare in Fargo, N.D., a long-term and short-stay care center. She has also worked at Bethany Retirement Living in Fargo as a Certified Nursing Assistant and Certified Medication Assistant for two years and as a care manager for Sunrise Cottages, an assisted living for people with advanced Alzheimer’s disease in Rochester, Minn., for three years.

 Garrity also was a television reporter and producer for Valley News Live (KVLY) in Fargo.  She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota.

“I’m really looking forward to this program,” Garrity said.  “It’s an opportunity to learn from some of the best mentors in aging services and to focus on new and innovative ways of making life better for our residents.”