A Pastor’s Vision and Senior Housing Development
Pastor David Olson of the First Lutheran Church in Sandpoint is someone with vision. Here in a Finance and Commerce article by Brian Johnson, he talks about his and his congregation’s foray into senior housing development:
David Olson will never forget his first pastoral visit to a nursing home.
'I was greeted with the words, 'Pastor, I am being held against my will and I need your help to escape,'' recalled Olson, a Lutheran minister with Minnesota connections who now has a congregation in Idaho.
'That is the nightmare of senior care for people: that they will end up essentially being housed against their will. '
Olson’s experience was part of the inspiration for a senior housing project that’s about to break ground in Sandpoint, Idaho.
His congregation, First Lutheran Church at Sandpoint, is developing the $14 million, 87-unit facility with help from Ecumen, a Shoreview-based nonprofit that manages and develops senior housing.
When it’s completed next year, the project will offer 60 units of 'catered living' for seniors and 27 units of 'memory care and enhanced assisted living' in a structure that will be physically attached to the church and spiritually attached to the greater community.
Olson said the goal is to create senior housing that 'avoids being an elder ghetto and provides positive, stimulating environments in which people will choose to live, as opposed to consenting to being placed there. '
Ecumen, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), will manage the Idaho facility after it opens.
The Shoreview firm believes the project could become a model for other churches that have land for development. It sees senior housing projects developed with faith communities as a national 'growth area. '
'We are getting calls all the time from would-be clients who want to talk with us,' noted Steve Ordahl, Ecumen’s senior vice president of business development services.
Ecumen is counting on a recently announced partnership with two other major senior housing players - St. Louis Park-based general contractor Adolfson & Peterson and St. Paul-based design firm Pope Associates - to help those projects move forward.
Other church-connected senior housing projects are popping up closer to home.
In Minneapolis, for example, Spirit of the Lakes Church plans to create 41 units of senior housing on church-owned property at 1238 E. Lake St. Its development partner is Powderhorn Residents Group.
Hennepin County recently approved a $37,150 grant for the project, which could begin this fall.
And in Prior Lake, Presbyterian Homes is partnering with Shepherd of the Lake Church to create 156 units of senior housing (82 independent living, 56 assisted living, and 18 memory care) on the church’s 80-acre campus.
Adolfson & Peterson and Pope Associates are part of that project team, as well. It’s nearing completion after a year of construction, and the first residents are expected to move in by mid-July.
The campus includes short-stay apartments for homeless teenagers, and a 'town center' with a restaurant, a convenience store, a gift shop, a book store, barber and beauty shops, exercise and dining areas, and a 120-seat theater.
Future phases will bring an 80-bed skilled nursing home and 45 apartments for people 55 and older. The nursing home will be attached to the church, and the apartments will be in a series of five unattached brownstone buildings.
Construction will start next spring on a YMCA, also attached to the church.
Kermit Mahlum is the chief operating office for the Prior Lake development, known as Shepherds Path.
During his 10 years of planning the project, Mahlum spoke with other large churches in the metro area.
'I believe this is going to be the next wave of church facilities, where they do campus settings,' he said. 'We are hopefully on the leading edge. There are two or three other campuses like this around the Twin Cities, but this is the first we are aware of where the senior facility and a YMCA are both attached to the church. '
Eric Schubert, Ecumen’s director of communications, said the senior housing industry is 'just touching the cuff' of innovative development, including projects that link 55-and-older housing with college campuses.
'It’s a new way of looking at senior housing,' Schubert said. 'It really fits in with larger community development, as communities look to use space well and connect resources rather than just isolate seniors on the fringe of town. '
Olson said the faith community has the resources and knowledge to become a leader in senior housing development. The Lutheran church, for example, has been involved in senior care for more than 100 years, he noted.
First Lutheran in Sandpoint sowed the seeds for its project back in 1960, when the church purchased its current 6-acre site. At the time, the site was on the outskirts of town, but it’s now in the center of activity.
As Sandpoint became a hot spot for retirees, developers pressured the church to sell its 4 acres or so of developable land.
Rather than sell to a third party, Olson and the congregation opted to do their own development. He said there’s sufficient collateral in the land and in the existing church building to do the project without raising additional funds from the congregation.
Residents in the new development won’t have to be members of First Lutheran or any other church, Olson emphasized.
But he does see the project as an opportunity for the church to extend its ministry.
'We view it as a ministry and an extension of the congregation, offering not only housing, but a Christ-centered community open to all, caring for the spiritual needs of our residents as well as physical and emotional needs.
'We feel that for many of the residents, that is a central ingredient in terms of what they look for in quality of life. '
Ecumen’s Lakeview Commons Wins Awards
Above are just a few of the team members at Ecumen’s Lakeview Commons who have helped Lakeview Commons be recognized by the readers of the Maplewood/Ramsey County Review newspaper as the Maplewood community’s top assisted living and senior retirement community for 2007. This is the third year in a row that the team at Lakeview Commons has received this honor. Congratulations!
A July 4th Wish for the Minneapolis Veterans Home
July 4th , of course, celebrates our country’s independence. Many of the people we and our colleagues serve around the country in assisted living and nursing homes are the ones who put their lives on the line to ensure that we have that independence.Last week I sat in on testimony given by family members and others before Governor Pawlenty’s Veterans Home commission, which has been charged to come up with recommendations on how to fix what has been a debacle at the Minneapolis Veterans Home. (Ecumen leader Kathryn Roberts is a member of the commission.)I was saddened and horrified to hear one vet’s daughter share of how her father who lives there doesn’t always get water when he needs it. I heard a husband share how he’d like to leave his wife at a nursing home he loves, but soon he won’t be able to afford her care there and so he has her on a waiting list for the Vets Home. (How incredibly stressful it must be to hear about the problems at the Vets Home when you are considering putting the person you love the most there.) Then there was the story of the veteran who is depressed living in a crummy nursing home and wants to be put in the Mpls. Vets Home, so he can be with other vets. He has made his cousin promise him that he will make that wish come true.I also heard testimony from members of AFSCME, one of the unions at the Vets Home. Caregivers at the Vets Home have taken some lumps. They could have used this forum to tee off on the administration. Those from AFSCME who testified that day were long-time caregivers at the Vets Home. And they were absolutely excellent. What was so clear and so genuine in their voices is how much they care about the people at the Vets Home and that they want solutions. In fact, everyone who testified there that day underscored that the status quo won’t cut it.My hope is that the work of this task force doesn’t simply become a set of recommendations that then gathers dust on a shelf somewhere. What a complete waste and charade that would be. But that’s exactly what happened to the last task force that met about 20 years ago on problems at the Minneapolis Veterans Home. We’re all well aware of finely tuned, innovative long-term care settings where the people who are served and the people who provide that care find their experience extremely rewarding and nourishing. My hope this July 4th is that there are recommendations that help innovation replace dysfunction at the Veterans Home and that Governor Pawlenty then sees that those recommendations move from ink on paper to reality.In Minnesota, we’ve already been down the road called status quo,' … it doesn’t work.Eric Schubert, director of communications
Ecumen’s Kathryn Roberts Named to AAHSA Board
Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts has been named to the board of directors of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA). AAHSA is a national trade association that represents nearly 6,000 non-profit senior housing and services organizations.Kathryn will serve a three-year term on the board of directors. AAHSA’s board of directors is responsible for the governance of the association, providing strategic direction, fiduciary oversight and policy development.'I am extremely honored to be joining the AAHSA board of directors and I look forward to joining others from across the United States in the work of transformation and helping shape our country’s and profession’s future,' said Kathryn.
AgeWell - Great Name, Cool Approach
Several of us went to a great event last evening at the Minnesota History Center sponsored by AgeWell. They are doing a number of interesting things with their focus being on 'the best retirement home is your own.' They provide home care, but they really look at it as 'life care management.' When they meet with a client they develop a 'lifecare plan' in conjunction with the customer. The plan gathers the customers' insights and feedback in a number of areas, including:Fun/passionSocialHealthCognitiveSpiritualFinancialEnvironmental (home/surroundings)What this does is look at aging and serving a customer in a much more holistic way, not simply medically. It is all about the person. This type of holistic approach is a great opportunity for senior housing and long-term care professionals looking to make their expertise mobile. Like Detroit Lakes' Emmanuel Community is doing.
Changing Aging
Yvonne Severson, director of nursing at Clarkfield Care Center, sent this video clip. She said in her email, 'Maybe if you start skating now, you’ll be this good when you get to be 81.' RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. Not a Chance. Check out the video . This person shows that age is simply a number.
Senior Housing Development Story
The Minneapolis Star Tribune highlighted Ecumen’s new senior housing development partnership yesterday. Below is the text from the Inside Track' column:Senior BoomA trio of Minnesota construction heavyweights are joining forces to create a senior housing development team that will take advantage of increasing demand for senior housing facilities built in conjunction with churches and faith-based communities.The Twin Cities-based partnership includes Ecumen, Minnesota’s largest nonprofit senior housing company; Adolfson & Peterson Construction, and Pope Associates.Ecumen will provide management services, Adolfson will be the general contractor and Pope will provide architectural services to the team, which will be known as Team Ecumen as it pursues projects nationwide.This partnership began as an interal partnership for our own projects, but we see how it can be beneficial to others who want to develop senior housing, e.g combined expertise, efficiencies, etc. There have to be a lot of other ways that senior housing, aging services and other organizations can partner to better serve customers.
Aging Series by USA Today and ABC News
Interesting series by ABC News and USA Today begins today. It’s called 'Role Reversal.' Looks at children taking care of their older parents. This 'sandwich generation' presents a great opportunity for senior housing and aging services organizations to serve a much younger clientele and more broadly share its expertise.The first story today looks at how senior care is moving away from nursing homes. Looking at our Age Wave Study, it’s clear that baby boomers want to continue this direction. Another interesting story is about technology, which we are users of here.Also note in this article that people want more options to care for their parents at home. Minnesota has worked hard to get such an option. It’s called Consumer Directed Community Options. Too bad no one knows about it. This needs to change. There are about 11,000 seniors in Minnesota eligible for this program; only about 100 are in the program. You would think that with the power of the internet, we could completely change that and create a culture where we help people meet their desire to live at home and save the state money.
One of the Good Guys
He recently did a story on technology being used at Ecumen. He enjoyed the people he met at Lakeview Commons in Maplewood as part of the story. He is producing a short film called Willie 1.17 that is going to be entered at Sundance and other film festivals. Last week 15 people who live at Lakeview Commons got to participate in the filming of the movie’s closing scene. That was pretty cool, but then according to Wendy Traffie, the leader at Lakeview Commons, there were a couple of other surprises.
Bud Kraehling, (former WCCO-TV weatherman) who is one of Minnesota’s most beloved TV personalities played the main character in the movie. Don Shelby, current WCCO-TV anchor and drivetime radio host on WCCO-AM did the make up and and Dennis and Jeanette Trompeter acted in the film.
Dennis is going to hold a special screening of the movie at Lakeview Commons.
Congratulations to CaringBridge
Technology is such a tremendous opportunity for the senior housing and aging services professionals in helping people connect and learn from each other. The applications are endless -- and they don’t have to be expensive. It’s a great area for our profession to be entrepreneurial. Our Age Wave Study, shows that baby boomers (the next generation of seniors) are all about technology to stay connected. On that note, we want to send our congratulations to CaringBridge, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Millions of people have stayed connected with loved ones experiencing injury and illness.CaringBridge began with one person. Today 250,000 people connect on it every day. It’s a product that is all about the power of human connections, people and personal stories. Elements that are in our profession every day and that we can build upon to make even better and stronger. It’s all apart of 'It' that others have been talking about in Debbie Manthey’s post below.