Ecumen Names Brian Nelson to Lead The Ecumen Foundation
Ecumen is very pleased to welcome Brian Nelson as executive director of The Ecumen Foundation and vice president of philanthropy. His role is integral to our values of service, people, innovation, spirituality, wellness, collaboration and stewardship.
'We’re so pleased to have Brian joining the Ecumen team,' said Kathryn Roberts, Ecumen CEO and president. 'Brian’s leadership and talents are essential to our transformation work and helping our society view and understand aging in radically different ways.'
Brian joins Ecumen from Minneapolis-based Allina Hospitals and Clinics, where he headed fund development for Allina Home Care, Hospice and Palliative Care. Over his career he has helped raise nearly $100 million for leading Twin Cities organizations, including Memorial Blood Centers, Catholic Charities, Children’s Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Society.
'The unprecedented age wave is incredible opportunity for innovation in our society,' said Brian. 'I’m greatly looking forward to connecting people and their philanthropic investments to the creativity, passion and vision at Ecumen, and help fuel the future of aging in America.'
A native of Alexandria, Minn., site of Ecumen’s Bethany Community, Brian is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., where he received a B.A. in Communications and English. In 2000, he was named one of the Twin Cities' top '40 Under 40' leaders by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. He lives in Eagan with his wife Sue and sons Mack, Jake and Gabe.
Lessons from The Obama Campaign for Aging Services Transformation
Congratulations to President-Elect Obama. Not only did he make history last night, but he also won our Changing Aging poll (I’m kind of surprised the networks didn’t ask him about that last night.)No matter who you voted for, one thing you have to admire is the discipline and tremendous skill with which the Obama campaign ran their campaign. There are a lot of lessons there for aging services providers and others working on transformation. Here are several I took away. Please feel free to add others:- Have a Vision and Think Larger: Obama and his supporters went into Iowa last year with a vision. 'He could become President.' It was a pretty audacious goal at that time. We now know the rest of the story.- A Message That’s Easy to Get: Change … Yes We Can. Pretty easy to understand.- Everyone Feels a Connection: It’s evident that people felt a meaningful connection to Obama, the campaign, and each other. The social media use by this campaign - where people can talk directly with each other (instead of at each other) - was unprecedented. So were the number of small donors who were moved enough by the effort to make a contribution.- Celebrate: I was struck by the festive atmosphere conveyed by the Obama campaign over and over … from the rally in Denver to the victory party in Grant Park last night. The lesson: we have to take time to celebrate along the way in the transformation journey.- Stay on Track: The discipline of the Obama campaign was unbelievable. They had so many potential distractions, yet they never abandoned their vision for making it reality.- Embrace Change: Change is uncertain. Uncertainty can be scary. The Obama team made 'Change' their daily headline. They turned uncertainty into a positive, a rallying point, rather than a fear factor.- Work for Somthing Bigger Than Yourself: On the campaign trail, Obama repeatedly challenged people to go beyond themselves. That same spirit has to be present to drive innovation. One person can’t do it.- Always Continue Building: The really hard work now begins for President-elect Obama. He stressed that last night in his victory speech. There’s a lesson for all of us involved in transformation work: The building never stops.
Jean Marino Knows a Thing or Two About Forging New Paths
Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone to forge new paths. And what a rush it can be.We want to share with you a new Successful Aging profile from someone who knows about trying something new - Jean Marino, an Ecumen customer in Duluth, Minn. Discover through Jean’s own words below how she forged a new path in soaring (literally) towards her dreams:
Since I was a child in Esko, Minnesota, and watched airplanes fly over our farm, I’ve wanted to play in the clouds. And that’s exactly what I did this summer when, on my 80th birthday, I skydived for the very first time. (I’m even scared of heights.)The airplane took me up 11,000 feet on a gorgeous day over Duluth. The first 5,000 feet of my jump were especially a rush, because I was in a total free-fall. My jump partner and I fell through the sky at 120 miles per hour or about 180 feet per second.We pulled the cords on our parachutes at 5,000 feet and then made a smooth descent to the ground.From the time I jumped out of the plane to the time my feet touched the ground was about a total of 4.5 minutes. My son and daughter met me on the ground. In fact, my son plans to do it with me next year. People ask me €˜why the heck I jumped out of a plane?'The answer is simple. It was something I’ve always wanted to do, and I just said I’m going to finally do it.And it was wonderful!
Thank you, Jean!This month’s Successful Aging profile is sponsored by Ecumen’s whitepaper:'Long Term Care Financing Reform: An Incredible Opportunity for Candidates Who Desire Positive Change in America'. As you read this paper, we also remind you to vote on November 4th. Onward and upward!
Kathryn Roberts Named One of Minneapolis/St. Paul’s Best Brains
We throughout Ecumen and in the aging services profession knew this already, but it’s very nice to see it recognized by others …Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine this month named Kathryn Roberts one of the Twin Cities' 'Best Brains.' In the article, State Rep. Paul Thissen, who chairs the State House Health and Human Services Committee (and also was named as one of the 'top thinkers') said Kathryn is perhaps 'Minnesota’s leading thinker on how we will deal with the coming age wave.'We feel very fortunate to have Kathryn’s leadership, vision, energy and thinking working in the aging services profession for the betterment of our country.
Legacies Keep Us Moving Forward …
Legacies keep the world moving forward … .That was evident last evening when the family and friends of Shelley Joseph-Kordell celebrated her life and contributions to her community and aging services with the 4th Annual Shelley Joseph-Kordell Award. Shelley was a pioneer in geriatric care management and made professional advocacy and service for seniors her life’s passion before her life was tragically cut short in 2003. Shelley had to be proud of the words spoken by her daughter Jennifer and mother Geri Joseph, pioneering health care reporter and columnist at the Star Tribune and former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands.Jennifer and Geri presented the 2008 Shelley Joseph-Kordell awards to Anita Raymond and Mary McGurran, who work with a great organization Volunteers of America and have helped thousands of seniors navigate an extremely complex health care and services system. Charissa Eaton also received the Shelley Joseph-Kordell Memorial Scholarship. She is pursuing a doctorate in social services at the University of Minnesota.Legacies keep the world moving forward … . Tim Marx, commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency is leaving that position to become executive director of Common Ground, a New York-based housing and community development nonprofit. Today he wrote a Thank You to Minnesota in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Changing Aging wants to leave you this week with several quotations from his column who have also gifted our state and country with tremendous legacies:'Listen with the ear of your heart,' … be of service, and be a steward, as everything entrusted to us has a higher purpose (The Rule of St. Benedict)'Everything is related to everything else,'… so think and act integratively both locally and globally (Harlan Cleveland, who died this year, served as the first dean of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute)'Money and good intentions are not enough,' … focus on results and concentrate efforts on people and places with the greatest need and opportunity for the most impact (John Brandl, who died this year, served as a professor at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN and the Humphrey Institute.'Competition must be viewed as one of our most powerful tools,' . . within the context of advancing the broader public interest and satisfying basic human needs (John Brandl).'Get everyone in on the act and still get some action' … . by working from the center out to avoid gridlock (Harlan Cleveland)Legacies keep the world moving forward … .
Which Candidate Will Be Better for Changing Aging in America?
Take our U.S. Senate poll for Minnesota. You can also vote for the Presidential candidate whom you think will do the best job of changing aging in America (we’ve been running this poll for a couple of weeks). To read more about the various candidates ideas, positions on changing aging, go to our long-term care financing section.[poll id='7'] [poll id='5']
Coleman, Franken and Barkely: Thoughts on Innovation in Aging Services
A very close U.S. Senate race is occurring in Minnesota between Republican candidate Sen. Norm Coleman, the Democratic candidate Al Franken and Independence Party candidate Dean Barkely, who served in the U.S. Senate filling out the late Paul Wellstone’s term.How do these candidates stand on innovating in aging services?Here at Changing Aging we provide a glimpse through an AARP Magazine question answered by Coleman and Franken. Changing Aging also sought to interview all three candidates. Franken answered our questions, Barkely provided a statement and we haven’t heard from Coleman’s campaign although we’ve made several requests. If we receive information from the Coleman campaign, we will post it. You can read Barkley’s response here and Franken’s here.Below are the responses from Coleman and Franken to this question posed by AARP:How would you shift long-term care services and financing so that people can afford to stay in their homes and communities as long as appropriate?Sen. Norm Coleman:As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging I’ve strongly supported efforts to enable seniors to continue to enjoy the dignity of independent living, including more opportunities to remain in the workplace. In fact, I’ve introduced legislation to to bring together stakeholders to help build a vision in which older Americans can stay independent, live active and mobile lives, and contribute to their communities through employment opportunities. I’ve also cosponsored S. 1980, the Long-Term Care Quality and Modernization Act of 2007. This bill will enhance long-term care quality and will remove barriers to care for long-term residents.Al FrankenIt is imperative that we develop a long-term care system that allows seniors to make choices about the care that works best for them. We should give seniors choices that are consistent with their needs, while making long-term care more affordable for seniors and their families. No one is better equipped to ensure that seniors are treated with the dignity they deserve from their families. Current long-term care options are geared toward institutions that remove the patients from home. We must develop a program that allows patients to remain in their homes, and family members to become as involved as possible in care. Home-based care options are often more personal, comfortable, and affordable than caregiving institutions and must always be available.
Last Titanic Survivor Sells Treasures to Finance Long-Term Care
Some have compared long-term care financing in America as the equivalent to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Well, above is a photo of the last Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean, age 96, who sold her Titanic keepsakes at auction recently, so she can afford care in England. When she was two-months old, she arrived in New York with her mother and brother after surviving the Titanic sinking. City residents gave them a suitcase full of donated clothing to help rebuild their life.Now, more than 96 years later, that gift is helping her pay for care. Dean sold the small wicker suitcase, along with other mementos of the doomed ocean liner, at auction last two weeks ago to help pay her nursing home fees. The sale raised $53,906 - ten times the amount she had hoped to make. The suitcase alone sold for $18,650.In the U.S., that amount would pay for just a year of assisted living. Just think how many seniors will have to give up their most cherished items to pay for care. We can do better as a country than having people give up lifelong keepsakes to pay for their care and simply rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.
To learn more about potential long-term care financing solutions, go here.
Long-Term Care Financing: U.S. and States Have to Look at This Differently
So a new stat comes to Changing Aging today … and Changing Aging asks what’s wrong with this picture?
According to new analysis by the American Health Care Association, Medicaid is underfunding state long-term care efforts by $4.2 billion this year. ACHA president Bruce Yarwood and other health care advocates have called on Congress to include an increase to state Medicaid as part of any stimulus package. At the same time Yarwood also noted that Medicare’s continued cross-subsidization of Medicaid could have serious negative repercussions on the long-term care profession. According to the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee, the combined average margin on payments to nursing homes by the two programs was negative 1.8%.
Why This Picture Needs A Different Frame
On first glance there is nothing wrong with this picture. Bruce Yarwood is absolutely right. We have a horrible underfunding of long-term care in America. It’s a big, big problem.
But let’s take another look. There is no mention of a solution or that we need a new solution. So how do people read this who have no clue that our national long-term care financing system is beyond broken?: They read it as 'spending more government dollars … huge government dollars … spending that is never-ending and will only get larger.'
We in the aging services profession need to change the frame on this issue and talk about a new way to finance aging services. Every time there is a sentence for increased government funding, every time we say there is a crisis, there should be an immediate declaration that says: This isn’t sustainable; we have to develop a new solution in how we finance long-term care. We’re all aging. This is about all of us.
We need to make this case and have others with us at the table to forge solutions … citizens (experts and non-experts) … business … education … and more. The old way of addressing these kind of problems was episodic and isolated. Used to be you’d hire a lobbyist and just cash in on one-to-one relationships and get some more funding and patch budgets. This problem is too big for that.
Effective public affairs today has a different frame - note the emphasis on public and effective. Shared agendas, collaboration and widespread public support are how things move most effectively. You simply can’t have major change until you’ve done the work to build allies and consensus. Think common good. Arisotle highlighted it years ago, but the common good isn’t a relic. For us to solve these issues, it can’t be.
The future of aging in America demands a new frame in which everyone can see themselves.
Our Vision for Changing Aging
At Ecumen, we envision a world in which aging is viewed and understood in radically different ways. It’s our vision for 'changing aging.' Ecumen customer Joyce Denning is one example of giving life to that vision. As Joyce mentions in this Saint Paul Pioneer Press article:
'Remaining independent,' 'That’s the main thing.'
She is staying independent through the use of sensor technology. Just a few years ago there was no such thing being used in aging services. Now it’s a norm in our communities and other aging services providers. It’s just one example where innovation can change how we live in this country. Read the Pioneer Press' full article here.
Want More Technology Information?
For more information on new technology visit our technology area here. Also, download our technology in aging services white papers.
