Ecumen Customers Tell City Council - Give Us Back Our Golf Carts
Jon Tevlin, columnist of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, had a great column today about Ecumen's customers in Alexandria, Minn., who are working to keep the city from taking away their ability to use golf carts for transportation in the neighborhood and around Alexandria.
At least 30 communities in Minnesota allow golf carts on residential streets. Also, The Economic Recovery Act encourages the use of alternative transportation. And, finally, America is aging and people don't want to be cooped up in their homes. Golf carts provide an affordable, easy transportation option. America is aging, and we need to think differently to create livable communities for all ages.
Jon's full column is here.
Join Ecumen for Twin Cities Memory Walk on September 23
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A wonderful day will be when we can close our Alzheimer's housing. That will mean a cure is here. Until that day we will empower and serve with honor those living with the challenges of this disease.
We invite you to join our Twin Cities team at the Alzheimer's Association memory walk on Saturday, September 26. If you can't join us, but would like to contribute to Alzheimer's research, please donate here.
Above are Ecumen Duluth team walkers Gina Palmi, Torie Mlodozyniec, Sarah Mlodozyniec and Allison Malec. Torie and Sarah are daughters of Ecumen colleague Jayne Malec, while Allison is their cousin. They joined Jayne and friend Gina in walking in honor of Jayne's mother, an Ecumen customer.
We hope you'll join us on Saturday or donate to help find the cure.
Thanks to Joyce Aakre, Sue Ferguson Julie Walton, Miriam Aaland, Dani Nicholson, Janis Rivers Jen Rasmussen, Andrea Nye and Nicole Behm-Koep for organizing the Ecumen team.
Ed Asner on Aging, VAN Leadership Classes, and Rev. Linner's Healing Work
- Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly is bringing Lou Grant (er, actor Ed Asner) to Mary Tyler Moore's hometown of Minneapolis on the evening of September 29th. A screening of the Disney-Pixar movie "UP" will be held at The Riverview Theater (it's a fun, poignant movie on aging, intergenerational friendships and living fully). Asner is the voice for the leading character Carl Fredericksen. TIME Magazine called the movie "A Triumph." After the screening, Warren Wolfe of the Star Tribune will interview Asner, which will be a lot of fun. Visit Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly for more information.
- Vital Aging Network's well-regarded ALVA "Leadership for the Rest of Your Life" classes are beginning in Mankato, Inver Grove Heights and White Bear Lake in October. ALVA is leadership development for people 50+ who want to provide leadership for the common good. Go here for more details.
- Helping people deal with grief is an incredible skill. Rev. Kris Linner is one of the talented people that improve lives. She has launched a web site - www.grief-training.com - that outlines a number of the topics on which she speaks on teaches. She's a popular pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minn., author and teacher. We're also fortunate to have her service on Ecumen's board of trustees. She author of the book My Brother Dave, a story of love, loss, grief and hope that will move the hearts of every age. It is written for grieving children and the people who care for them.
50 Tips for Aging Gracefully From Ecumen
50 TIPS FOR AGING GRACEFULLY FROM ECUMEN
1.Do something you enjoy every day. When you immerse yourself in things you enjoy, you can’t wait to do them again. And then you do them again, and again and again, and the enjoyment continues.
2.Work at friendships. Friendships are fuel, providing energy, love and feeding your emotions. You’re never too old for new friendships.
3.Congratulate yourself. Everyone has accomplishments: celebrate them and use them as inspiration for new ones.
4.Embrace change. Life is change. Resisting it wastes precious time and energy. Living for it can create adventures you never thought possible.
5.Learn. Exercise your brain continually.
6.Know yourself. You know best what you like and don’t like, and you have the power to emphasize the good.
7.Make your home your special place by personalizing it and making it comfortable. Everyone needs a refuge that’s uniquely theirs.
8.Realize that opportunities often express themselves in ways we’d never imagine.
9.Get a massage frequently. Touch feels good and it’s so relaxing.
10. Be gentle with yourself. Listen to your own inner voices and senses and do what makes you feel best.
11. Share happiness. Make a point to spread joy whenever possible. It feels good to make someone else feel good, and it’s very inexpensive to do.
12. Eat with friends and family. Prepare food together. Eat the things you like.
13. Eat smartly, but every once in awhile line up a row of warm chocolate chip cookies (or your favorite cookie) and dip them in milk.
14. Get sufficient rest. Living takes work; we all need a break. Take one whenever you need to.
15. Laugh and cry. But laugh a lot more. It feels good by releasing endorphins – the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.
16.Each morning before you get out of bed thank the Lord for 5 things for which you are grateful. It’s a nice way to start the day, and you’ll find yourself thinking about a lot more than 5.
17.Take control of how you react to things. Little things can really bring you down if you let them. But you don’t have to let them.
18. Smile a lot.
19. Pray daily.
20. Spend time with other generations. You can learn something new from someone of any age.
21.Write. Write a letter. Write a blog. Write a poem. Write a journal. Writing helps you think, express who you are, and generate new ideas.
22.Embrace technology. The internet can take you places you’d never otherwise see or experience.
23.Dress in current styles. By adding a trendy piece to a classic outfit, you will look and feel good.
24.Travel. Whether it is a trip to the mall, theater, a sports event or even a different state or country, little and big adventures can produce wonderful results.
25.Exercise. It feels good to get those endorphins jumping.
26.Drink and eat in moderation.
27. Get a yearly medical check up. While it’s no guarantee you’ll live longer, it can help you catch health issues early and fend off other potential health problems.
28.Get a pet. Animals can be great companions.
29.Simplify. Start with cleaning a closet. You’ll quickly see there is a lot of stuff that’s just clutter and serves no use. Next simplify other parts of your life.
30. Surround yourself with people who lift you up rather than bring you down.
31.Don’t try to be everything to everyone. It’s impossible.
32.Always have something to solve. Making progress feels good and often it helps someone else and brings them and you happiness.
33.Embrace the joys of old age. You’re smarter; you’re more experienced and you have more time to do the things you enjoy.
34.If you’re depressed, seek professional help. There are solutions.
35.Practice acceptance. Know that there’s a very good chance that your mobility will lessen as you age. Think about how you will deal with that so that when that time comes, you can still live fully.
36. Create milestones and work toward them. No matter how big or small, the journey is a growing experience.
37.Prepare for your death by having a living will and pre-planning your funeral. Dying is part of living. And having a plan is a gift to yourself and to your loved ones.
38.Realize that although your body deteriorates, your spirit grows stronger if you allow it.
39.Do not let yourself be diminished by anyone. You are you. No one else is, and that’s darn important.
40. When you need supportive services, partner with a senior services provider that empowers you to enjoy life on your terms. Pre-plan so that you have peace of mind that you will have the help you need in an environment you desire.
41. Keep death daily before your eyes; it will help you appreciate every day and get the most out of it.
42. Value your body. If you do, you’ll participate in less risky behavior that could harm your health.
43. Treat others with respect and dignity. You’ll find respect and dignity come back to you.
44. Have someone you can tell anything.
45. Maintain muscle mass, which will protect you from falling.
46. Cut down or eliminate multi-tasking. Research shows people don’t do it very well, and it often just causes undue stress.
47. Walk. Get a pedometer and take 5,000 to 10,000 steps every day. You don’t have to be a marathon runner to walk. If you can’t walk, work with an exercise professional, who can design a wellness strategy with you.
48. Keep your weight at a healthy level.
49. Don’t fear aging.
50. Grow to the very last breath.
Ernie Harwell Sees Inoperable Cancer Diagnosis as New Journey
Ecumen had the pleasure of working with Minnesota Twin Hall of Fame broadcaster Herb Carneal. The late broadcaster would frequently praise his friend and fellow Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell as a wonderful, warm and positive person. Herb was spot on.
Harwell, 91, was recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer. The legendary Detroit Tigers broadcaster shared the news in an interview with Bill McGraw of the Detroit Free Press. Talk about a a focus of living fully to the very end of life. Here are several interview excerpts:
"We don't know how long this lasts," Harwell said. "It could be a year, it could be much less than a year, much less than a half a year. Who knows?
"Whatever's in store, I'm ready for a new adventure. That's the way I look at it."
Asked what he wanted to have written about him, Harwell spoke about his fans and his faith.
"I don't want to make it too sweet because I don't want to get diabetes as well as this other stuff," he said, chuckling.
Speaking of his many admirers across North America, Harwell added: "I'd like to thank them for their loyalty and support over the years. And their affection, which I don't know whether I deserve or not, but I accept it.
"And also, I think that when I heard the news, that I had this cancer, that I had a feeling of security and serenity ... but I had a feeling of acceptance because of my belief in Jesus and the Lord."
Harwell said his wife, Lulu, remains strong and shares his belief in God. They celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary Sunday.
"We walk hand in hand wherever we go," Harwell said. "We still love each other. She's the best thing that ever happened to me."
For the first time, his voice wavered, slightly.
The Key to Longevity: Organ Reserve
The more lean muscle one maintains throughout life, the better his/her organs will function. Like muscles, our organs abide by the “use it or lose it” principle. Optimal organ function correlates with maximum longevity and excellent health, so says Mark Sisson. He states, “The aging process in America should really be called ‘the process of physical decline largely due to inactivity’”. Sisson, a healthy lifestyle guru, is the author of the Primal Blueprint and the blog marksdailyapple.com. He subscribes to the Paleo-style of nutrition (meaning meats, lots of veggies, fruit and avoiding grains, sugars and processed foods) and replacing typical cardio workouts with brief, intense strength sessions and occasional all-out sprints for better fitness benefits.
Sisson maintains that when we ask our organs to keep up with an active lifestyle, we’re strengthening them to better withstand the demands of daily life and the natural aging process. When our activity levels diminish, as often happens when we age, we’re sending signals that tell our muscles and organs to atrophy and decrease functionality. The unfit have lower bone-density, less lung capacity and heart stroke volume than the fit. Because organs and the systems of body rely on each other to function best, people are vulnerable to the often fatal effects of the weakest link. An accident victim or surgery patient who is unfit and has a heart operating at only 45 percent of potential capacity will often fare differently than a fit person with excellent heart enduring the same ordeal.
The good news is that we can continue to build muscle strength into advanced old age. The BBC reported that French researchers, writing in the Journal of Physiology, say adding the amino acid leucine to old people's diets could help them keep muscle. Leucine is found in meat, soy beans and legumes, among other foods. Emory University concurs that moderate program of strength training promises real-world benefits to everyone, including couch potatoes and even frail older people. Benefits include reduced risk of osteoporosis – since strength training is an excellent weight-bearing exercise that encourages new bone growth – as well as increased stamina. Stronger bodies mean better immunity, as well as more zest for other recreational activities and daily living tasks. ~Helen Rickman
Does Your Workplace Have Soul?
Ecumen was recently named for the 5th straight year as a Best Place to Work by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. At Ecumen, we believe in building our brand "from the inside out.," meaning that we have to have an innovative, empowering, honor-filled culture on the inside. Our brand (our culture) is our soul.
Below is an article that Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts wrote in 2005 for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. It's entitled "Does Your Workplace Have Soul?" It's as timely today as it was in 2005.
One of life’s enriching experiences is to work in an organization that has soul. While such places value and elevate people – not in a “who gets the employee of the month parking space” kind of way, but in a much more authentic way that exudes “we are human beings in this together.” At workplaces with soul, you don’t find dreaded cases of Sunday night anxiety or people arriving on Monday to step on others for personal gain. A workplace with soul doesn’t segregate profit and purpose. It sees them as mutually reinforcing, a way to a greater good. While even workplaces with soul aren’t perfect, such places are truly “Great Places to Work.”
So how can we nurture a workplace’s being and attract high-quality people who can continue enriching its value and contributions for the next generation? While financial reward and quality benefits are one component, gold loses its glitter quickly if there is no soul.
A Bigger Purpose: To be a workplace of choice, its people must intrinsically know they are making a difference and creating a legacy. At Ecumen, an affiliate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we work to enhance “home” and expand choices for those we serve – older adults and their families. Improving home and choice guides all that we do. Soul, however, isn’t just for faith-based organizations. At Medtronic, its employees are driven by the purpose of developing medical technologies that “alleviate pain, restore health and extend life.” And, at General Mills, a core value is building leading brands that their customers trust, and which make lives easier, healthier and more fun. All great workplaces are shaped by people driven by purpose beyond the bottom line.
Clear the Runway: Ideas improve outcomes. If you show me a workplace lacking ideas, you’re showing a workplace that teeters on emotional and financial bankruptcy. Without ideas, Saint Paul’s El Burrito Mercado wouldn’t have grown from a small store with a few employees to an organization of more than 100 people who share great Latino food and culture across the region. At Ecumen, we cannot transform elder housing and services without ideas. One way we have opened the runway to let people fly with ideas is through an on-line “innovation station.” Patterned after amazon.com, it lets people across our multi-state network share ideas and build upon them. It’s an incubator for progress in which everyone lends a
Listen, Learn & Act: Working in a place where your thoughts don’t matter is deflating. Great workplaces ask what their people think, they learn from that feedback and they act upon it. The Business Journal’s process of surveying employees of vying “Great Places to Work” companies is a great tool because it gathers information – not from a promotions department or marketing agency – but from employees themselves.
At Ecumen, we have an internal survey process to gauge how we are doing as a workplace of choice. Among the results that have flowed from that research are a recognition and reward program tied to innovation, enhanced benefits, and processes that make it easier for people to do their jobs. These aren’t top-down changes; they have occurred through two-way communication and collaboration. At great places to work you don’t see “suggestion boxes” gathering dust, or patronizing “leaders” who pat ideas and employees on the head, but never act on what’s presented. Rather you see people who contribute, collaborate, create and, consequently, flourish.
Have a Life: Creating positive change takes tremendous energy. To nurture the soul of an organization, I fundamentally believe that its people must have a nourishing life outside the walls of work. While I and many others in our organization gain tremendous satisfaction from our vocation, our vocation is not what defines our full being. That being has a great many other parts, such as family, faith, friends, and fun. If the other parts of life that make life worth living are neglected, not only do you suffer, but so do the people whom you serve and work with.
I am extremely proud to be part of one of the Business Journal’s “Great Places to Work.” But I am even more proud to work in an organization that has tremendous soul.
Older Workers and Reinventing Retirement
Do you think the traditional retirement marker society put out there of 65 is history? This writer thinks so.
America needs to keep talent in the workforce. A couple of years ago, we polled baby boomers, most told us that they plan to work beyond 65. The three main reasons: economics, socialization and intellectual growth. And, of course, the recession didn't help many with the economics of retirement.
Want to share with you two resources - one local and one national:
1. Ecumen alum Jill Evans who is with the Southern Initiative Minnesota Foundation has shared a great upcoming conference for our readers in Minnesota: The Older Workers Success Conference on September 23rd in Albert Lea, Minn. SMIF is headed by former U.S. Rep. Tim Penny and there's a tremendous line-up of speakers and content. Details here.
2. Encore.org offers a new job finder website that scours more than five million listings to find jobs in nonprofit, environmental, health, education, social service and governmental organizations.
Encore.org is published by Civic Ventures, a nonprofit think tank that is leading the call to engage millions of experienced individuals in becoming a force for social change. Civic Ventures focuses on creating pathways to encore careers that provide continued income doing work that is personally fulfilling and helps address some of society’s biggest challenges.
What do you think President Obama Needs to Say Tonight?
What do you think President Obama has to say in tonight's speech to help America turn the corner to meaningful, effective health care reform?
One thing I'd love to see the President introduce is several specifics that are easy to understand; the benefits to Americans of those specifics and the costs of not acting on those specifics. Right now the whole discussion is just too unwieldy and then the simplicity of inane soundbites takes over. As a If we have some key specifics, than we can move to a debate of ideas and further shape those ideas.
Senator Klobuchar Issues Support for The CLASS Act
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Kathryn Roberts, Ecumen CEO, (above with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar) recently participated in a town hall meeting on long-term care with the Senator. Minnpost.com had an interesting interview with Sen. Klobuchar on health care reform last week. In it, she spoke on innovation in long-term care. Kudos to her for supporting The CLASS Act:
MinnPost: What is something that is missing from this discussion right now?
Klobuchar: As Congress considers health care reform, eldercare is the elephant in the room. It needs to be better addressed. Both Minnesota and the nation will soon experience major changes as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age and as ever more Americans live into their 80s and beyond. By the year 2035, Minnesota's population over age 65 will more than double, as will our population 85 and older. The well-being and financial security of families depends not only on access to affordable medical services, but also access to affordable, reliable long-term care — including care that allows seniors to live independently as long as possible.
I would hope that Senator [Edward] Kennedy's CLASS Act, which provides an optional self-directed insurance plan for long-term care, would be included in health reform. The CLASS Act would help provide a safety net for individuals that need long term care, and save taxpayer dollars. I also have several proposals that help to provide better information and choices for long-term care insurance, making it easier for people to access long-term care services and understand their long-term care insurance policies.
We also know that most eldercare comes from informal, unpaid caregivers — and we must help provide resources and support for these caregivers. My bill, the AGE Act, helps provide a tax credit to these informal caregivers and establishes a National Caregiving Resource Center to provide better access to information for caregiving services. Making elder care a priority in health care reform is good for our seniors, our families and our businesses. And because providing care to seniors at home is far less expensive than in a nursing home, it's also good for all of us as taxpayers.