Ecumen To Receive National Award for Excellence in Dementia Care
Ecumen will receive a national honor March 17 as the winner of the Excellence in Dementia Care Award presented by LeadingAge and EMA at the Great Minds Gala in Washington, D.C.
Ecumen is receiving the award for its Awakenings program, which over the last five years has significantly reduced the use of antipsychotic drugs on dementia residents in its communities by implementing non-pharmaceutical approaches to managing challenging behaviors associated with dementia.
"Alzheimer's Disease affects more than 5 million people, many of whom are cared for by our members or informal caregivers," said Larry Minnix, LeadingAge's president and CEO. "We hope that the examples set by this year's honorees highlight the work that is being done to care for those affected while we search for a cure."
The awards gala will be held in conjunction with the PEAK Leadership Summit of LeadingAge, the national trade association for not-for-profit aging services organizations, focused on education, advocacy and applied research. EMA is a nationally recognized leader in dementia and memory related illnesses with its Copper Ridge Model of Care© and The Copper Ridge Institute affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. It is a leader in the research, education and treatment of dementia and memory related illnesses.
Along with Ecumen will be three other honorees, all selected for their “exceptional leadership in the quest to improve the lives of those affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.”
Country music entertainer Glen Campbell and his family will receive the Senator William Proxmire Award for their advocacy for research, education and support related to Alzheimer’s disease since 2011, when the disease was diagnosed in the country singer. Sharing the award will be film director/producer James Keach and producer Trevor Albert, whose documentary about Campbell's career and experiences with Alzheimer's disease is expected to be released soon.
The award is named for the late U.S. Senator, who had Alzheimer’s disease and lived at an EMA facility. "The Great Minds Gala is the realization of the vision of Ellen Proxmire, wife of the late Senator William Proxmire, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994 and spent the last 5 years of his life at Copper Ridge," said Jackie Harris, president and CEO of EMA. "We're delighted to bring Ellen's passion for supporting caregivers to a national platform through this partnership with LeadingAge."
The Family Caregiver Award will be presented to Kathy Ritchie of Phoenix, a dementia advocate whose mother has dementia and who writes a blog for young caregivers.
Proceeds from the event will be benefiting the LeadingAge Innovations Fund and the Copper Ridge Institute (CRI) for the creation and advancement of dementia programs.
Ecumen Bethany Gets Creamed in Slapstick Fundraiser
The staff at Ecumen Bethany in Alexandria, Minn. got all whipped up about the annual Ecumen Employee Giving Campaign this year. When the event planning committee first got together, there was polite grousing.
As reported by Carla Nienaber, the adult day services coordinator and committee chair, the planners were insisting on fresh new ideas.
A strong sentiment to do something that didn’t require eating drove the discussion. “Have you ever noticed that fundraising is always around food?” Carla said.
And so the brainstorming began. A dunk tank? No, it’s just too darn cold for a dunk tank. A staff lock- up? No, too hard to take staff off the floor. And so on…
Finally, the breakthrough came: How about enticing the staff to give by allowing them to throw cream pies at selected colleagues. Eight staffers were chosen to be targets of pie tosses based on their willingness to be good sports and the likelihood that other people would pay to cream them.
Then there were the logistics. How do you make a big whipped-cream mess without destroying the chapel. Easy. Just wrap the room in plastic, as if it were about to be painted.
And how do you construct the pies? It turns out that throwing whipped cream in pie shells is cumbersome, and the shells are a little rough around the edges. But lots of whipped cream spewed on 9-inch foam plates works pretty well.
Then the whisper campaign began. Wouldn’t you like to get some revenge on that person who was crabby to you yesterday or has been hovering over your every move? Here’s your big chance… (A little devious, maybe. “But it worked, didn’t it?” Carla said.)
Enthusiasm grew quickly and the day of the event came. Pent-up desire to heave whipped cream turned out to be overwhelming. This was an employee event, so the residents didn’t participate, but Carla said they were positively giddy, seeing the staff wallowing in whipped cream. So much so that the Residents’ Council is considering organizing its own version of the event.
When the fling was over and the creamy mess cleaned up, the Ecumen Bethany Employee Giving Campaign event raised $1,633.
Ecumen Foundation Specialist Alex Hiniker, who runs the Ecumen Employee Giving Campaign company-wide, put the results in perspective. “That’s a ton!” she said. “Especially for one event.”
And how much whipped cream did they go through? “A lot,” Carla said. “To tell the truth, I was afraid to ask.”
Then Carla set her sights on the future. “This worked so well, I think we’ll refine it for next year. I have this idea that we could do a dunk tank — filled with whipped cream.”
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Ecumen’s annual Employee Giving Campaign grew out of a “Family Helping Family” program that provided loans and grants to employees in need, financed by company-wide employee contributions. In recent years, the Employee Giving Campaign has been extended to allow employees to give to any charitable cause of their choice. In 2013, the campaign raised about $78,000 and 85 percent of the contributions went to Ecumen programs. Family Helping Family received 37 percent; another 30 percent was given to individual Ecumen communities; and 18 percent went to Ecumen’s Greatest Needs program, which funds initiatives such as helping residents stay in their homes when their money runs out. The remaining 15 percent went to outside charitable organizations. Ecumen is proud of the generosity of its caring employees, who work every day to help our residents live life to its fullest.
An Award-Winning Role Model for Successful Aging Works and Works and Works
Isiah Moore, 87, of Minneapolis knows the secret of successful aging, and he is willing to share. It has something to do with the fact that he still actively works three jobs but is never too busy to help somebody out. People rave about him as an awesome role model, and his accomplishments recently were recognized when he was given the Spirit of Aging Award at the Aging Services of Minnesota 2014 Institute and Expo.
The video below gives you a look at Isiah in action. And this blog by Larry Minnix, President and CEO of LeadingAge, puts Isiah’s accomplishments in perspective.
Ecumen Detroit Lakes Cited by Gov. Dayton for Its Worksite Wellness Program
Ecumen Detroit Lakes recently was recognized as one of the initial participants in the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Year of Worksite Wellness program.
At a recent kickoff event, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton issued a proclamation declaring 2014 as the “Year of Worksite Wellness” and mention Ecumen Detroit Lakes among a group of model employers already actively engaged in creating healthy workplaces. Among others called out for special mention were LifeTime Fitness, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and The Schwan Food Company.
Janet Green, executive director of Ecumen Detroit Lakes, said her campus has been engaged in a number of initiatives to support staff wellness including office exercise programs, fitness challenges, healthy food options and a quit-smoking program. She said the campus will be going totally smoke-free June 1, 2014. (Currently there are designated outside smoking areas.)
“We value our employees, and we want to do all we can to help them stay healthy and fit,” Green said, pointing out that Ecumen’s company-wide “Wellness Works” program is a foundation supporting many of the Detroit Lakes activities.
Workplace wellness is a growing movement according to Susan Bishop, Minnesota Department of Health Worksite Wellness Planner. “Businesses are excited about worksite wellness for two very good reasons,” Bishop says. “First, employers care about their employees. They are your friends and neighbors, and we all want the people in our lives to be strong and healthy. Second, it saves money.” Bishop points out that poor employee health is correlated with an over 50 percent decrease in overall productivity, costing companies nationally an estimated $225.8 billion annually, or $1,685 per employee per year.
MDH is involved in worksite wellness in several areas, including through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP). SHIP works to improve health by encouraging healthier eating, more physical activity and avoiding commercial tobacco use and exposure. SHIP works with local public health agencies to make healthy choices more available to more people. Throughout the state, local SHIP staff are available to help businesses with their own wellness programs. More information about SHIP can be found at http://www.health.state.mn.us/ship, and worksite efforts at http://www.health.state.mn.us/worksite.
The First Openly Gay Generation Moves Into Its Elder Years
We like to think of ourselves as a society that respects our elders. Right?
But what if those elders are gay?
The first generation of Americans to live openly gay in large numbers is now moving into old age. Two items recently caught our attention on LGBT elders encountering prejudice and discrimination rather than honor and respect they deserve.
Minneapolis Star Tribune Columnist Gail Rosenblum tells about the struggles some LGBT elderly are facing as they move into senior living communities, both from staff and other residents. Rosenblum’s column is a preview to the screening of “Gen Silent,” a documentary about the unique challenges of six older members of the LGBT community trying to navigate the healthcare system. “It is a reminder,” Rosenblum writes, “that not everybody is receiving safe, quality and equal care as they age.”
Coincidentally, the Columbia University School of Public Health just issued a study documenting that LGBT people tend to die earlier in communities where citizens are less accepting of same-sex relationships. In communities with high anti-gay stigmas life expectancy of gays is shortened by as much as 12 years.
In another twist, the study’s lead author found in an earlier study that straight people with high levels of anti-gay prejudice died about three years earlier than straight people without strong anti-gay prejudice.
The study concludes: “The findings contribute to a growing body of research suggesting that reducing prejudice may improve the health of both minority and majority populations.”
Honor, especially in elder services, does not discriminate.
Actor-Comedian Seth Rogen's Quest to Teach Young People About Alzheimer's
Actor-Comedian Seth Rogen had a personal experience with Alzheimer's that changed his thinking and focused his attention on educating others. When his mother-in-law was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, he saw the "ugly truth" about the disease and created "Hilarity for Charity" to educate younger people and mobilize support for finding a cure. In this testimony before a Senate Committee, Rogen tells his story with passion, conviction and humor.
How Does This Amazing 94-Year-Old Woman Set World Athletic Records?
Olga Kotelko is off-the-charts amazing. She took up track and field at age 77 and at age 94 she holds 26 world records including age-group bests in the high jump, the hammer throw and the 200-meter run. But how did she do that? And how is she aging so well?
Writer Bruce Grierson wanted to find out and got Olga’s cooperation to work with him because, as he put it: “Whatever was happening with her was the opposite of what was happening to me.” Together they consulted researchers in gerontology, exercise physiology and genetics looking into the mystery of Olga’s youthfulness. It turns out she is neither a genetic freak nor a health nut.
Read about what makes Olga run in this summary of Grierson’s book on The New York Times “Well” blog.
Ecumen Names Terry Mahar Regional Director of Home Care, Hospice and Adult Day Services
Terry Mahar, a healthcare executive with more than 34 years of experience, has been named to the newly created post of regional director of home care, hospice and adult day services at Ecumen.
Mahar comes to Ecumen from Eide Bailly, where for the past 15 years he was a healthcare consulting senior manager in the Sioux Falls, S.D., office, specializing in home health, hospice, private-duty care, acute hospital care and skilled nursing.
Prior to his job at Eide Bailly, Mahar worked for the Altru Health System in North Dakota as manager of their home care, hospice and personal care group, where he grew the business and improved its financial performance. He began his career as a registered nurse at United Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D., then moved into United’s home health and hospice division, first in direct care and then as a hospice patient care coordinator. He has clinical experience in skilled nursing, home health, hospice, personal care services, and coronary and intensive care.
“Terry’s mandate is to grow and develop Ecumen’s in-home services at a time when many more seniors are opting to age in place,” said Shelley Kendrick, Ecumen vice president of operations.
Currently, Ecumen has four home care agencies — in Duluth, Litchfield, Mankato and the Twin Cities. Kendrick said in addition to growing and improving the current agencies, Mahar will also be evaluating opportunities to open new home health care agencies at other Ecumen sites.
Mahar has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of North Dakota. He served as president of the North Dakota Hospice Organization for seven years and on the board of directors of the Grand Forks Senior Citizens Association for eight years. Mahar and his family live in Brandon, S.D.
This Painfully Realistic Dementia Simulation Lets You Feel What It’s Like
A newly patented program lets caregivers experience firsthand what it’s like to have dementia. Watch how this Virtual Dementia Tour quickly builds empathy by vividly simulating the deep sense of confusion associated with dementia. ABC News reporter Cynthia MacFadden tells about the “12 minutes that changed by life.”
Ecumen Promotes Matt McNeill to Director of Business Development
Matt McNeill has been promoted to director of business development at Ecumen.
McNeill joined Ecumen a year ago as regional sales and marketing manager. Prior to that, he was corporate director of marketing for Walker Methodist and has worked at StoneArch Creative in Minneapolis, Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin and University of Chicago Hospitals. He has over 10 years of strategy development, marketing planning and sales team leadership, as well as advertising agency and business development background.
“At a time when Ecumen is looking to expand its new developments, we are fortunate to have someone of Matt’s diverse experience and capabilities already on staff,” said Julie Murray, Ecumen vice president of sales, marketing and business development. “This past year, Matt has done an outstanding job working with Ecumen communities to develop and improve our sales and marketing programs and implement successful marketing plans while also working on some of our new developments.”
McNeill has a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations and a minor in marketing from Marquette University.