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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.”
Last Week's Top 5 Blog Posts - May 19
In case you missed one, here are the blog posts our online visitors found most interesting last week:
Award-Winning Ecumen Communities Recognized at May Leadership Conference
Sweet Pea, the Ecumen Le Center Hospice Cat, Gains Notoriety in Mankato Magazine Article
Jim Klobuchar: The Dubious Hero of Mother's Day
What it's Like to be 100 Years Old, in 10 Charts
Ecumen Meadows in Worthington Gets Grant to Fund Strength-Training Program for Seniors
To read more Changing Aging blog posts or to learn morea bout Ecumen, please visit ecumen.org.
Award-Winning Ecumen Communities Recognized at May Leadership Conference
Twenty-three Ecumen sites with outstanding achievements in 2013 were recognized at a presentation ceremony at the Leadership Conference held on May 6 in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Key areas of recognition were customer satisfaction, job satisfaction and stewardship. 
“The three key areas of stewardship, customer satisfaction and job satisfaction are how we ensure that Ecumen is delivering on our mission, our values and especially our promise to ‘innovate, empower and honor,’” Shelley Kendrick, Vice President of Operations at Ecumen, said.
The customer and job satisfaction rankings were tabulated by Pinnacle – a research company that regularly and anonymously surveys Ecumen stakeholders for feedback. Ratings are based on a scale of zero-to-five, with five being the best possible score.
“The satisfaction ratings are tabulated in a way that levels the playing field between our smaller communities and our larger campuses,” Kendrick said. “It’s wonderful to see Ecumen locations from both rural and metro areas being recognized, as well as communities that are in Idaho and Tennessee.”
In the area of customer satisfaction, Ecumen Evergreens of Moorhead won first place in the Assisted Living category with a 4.72 rating (out of 5) and Ecumen Lakeshore won first place in the Skilled Nursing Facility category with a 4.73 rating. Ratings were based on Pinnacle survey ratings from customers and their families.
In the area of job satisfaction, Heritage at Irene Woods in Memphis took first place in Assisted Living with a 4.71 rating and Ecumen Pathstone Living won first place in the Skilled Nursing Facility Category with a 4.33 rating. Ratings were based on Pinnacle survey responses by employees.
In the listing that follows, all winners are shown by category:
Customer Satisfaction – Assisted Living
1st place: Ecumen Evergreens of Moorhead, Moorhead, MN
2nd place: Ecumen Parmly LifePointes, Chisago City, MN
3rd place: Ecumen Lakeshore, Duluth, MN (tie)
3rd place: Lakeview Senior Housing, Balaton, MN (tie)
Customer Satisfaction – Care Center
1st place: Ecumen Lakeshore, Duluth, MN
2nd place: Ecumen Pathstone Living, Mankato, MN
3rd place: Sunnyside Care Center, Lake Park, MN
Job Satisfaction – Assisted Living
1st place: Heritage at Irene Woods, Memphis, TN
2nd place: The Harbor at Peach Village, Norwood Young America, MN
3rd place: Ecumen New Richland, New Richland, MN
Job Satisfaction – Care Center
1st place: Ecumen Pathstone Living, Mankato, MN
2nd place: Ecumen Detroit Lakes, Detroit Lakes, MN
3rd place: Ecumen Lakeshore, Duluth, MN
Sixteen sites were recognized as “MVP Communities” for meeting their financial stewardship goals in 2013. They are Ecumen Bethany Community, Alexandria; Ecumen Centennial House, Apple Valley; Ecumen CountrySide, Owatonna; Ecumen Lakeshore, Duluth; Ecumen LeCenter; Ecumen Mapleton; Ecumen Meadows, Worthington; Ecumen Oaks and Pines, Hutchinson; Grand Village, Grand Rapids; Heritage Senior Living, Park Rapids; Ecumen Lakeview Commons, Maplewood; Luther Park at Sandpoint, Idaho; Ecumen Pathstone Living, Mankato; Ecumen Scenic Shores, Two Harbors; Ecumen Brooks, Owatonna; and The Harbor at Peace Village, Norwood Young America.
Sweet Pea, the Ecumen Le Center Hospice Cat, Gains Notoriety in Mankato Magazine Article
Back in January on the Changing Aging Blog, we told the fanciful story of Sweet Pea, a feral cat adopted by Ecumen Le Center in Le Center, Minn., who always seems to know when someone is ready to depart or needs special comfort.
Word of Sweet Pea’s exceptional sixth sense has spread to the surrounding area. In its May issue, the Mankato Free Press’s Mankato Magazine carries a touching profile of Sweet Pea by writer Leticia Gonzales, who gracefully tells the story of the cat who helps people in their time of greatest need.