Ecumen Regional Operations Directors Libbon and Barness Go To Washington To Oppose the American Health Care Act
Ecumen Regional Operations Directors Paul Libbon and Craig Barness joined a delegation of LeadingAge Minnesota members on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, this week to meet with the Minnesota congressional delegation to voice concerns about the impact of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) on seniors and their caregivers.
Spring-Clean Your Mind
In a recent article, AARP offers 3 can’t-miss tips for clearing away those cobwebs.
10 Ways to Make Healthier Restaurant Choices
In honor of National Nutrition Month, Ecumen is sharing 10 ways to make healthier restaurant choices, courtesy of the National Institute on Aging.
Top 5 Blog Posts — March 13, 2017
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Two Ecumen-Managed Communities Receive Workforce Grants for a New Program To Help Retain Employees
Two Ecumen-managed communities in rural Minnesota are teaming up to create a new program aimed at increasing employee retention by helping employees balance their work and personal lives.
Ecumen Scenic Shores Residents Feel the Beat
There’s something primal about beating drums that brings people together. At Ecumen Scenic Shores in Two Harbors, Minn., residents are participating in a weekly drum circle that’s simultaneously building self-expression and community – and offering some good exercise to boot.
Diversity and Inclusion Learning Event: An Introduction to Islam and Muslims
Do you know the distinction between Islam and Muslims? Or why Muslim women wear headscarves? Or how Muslims regard Jesus?
Grand Village Receives Workforce Grant To Help Recruit and Retain Caregivers for Seniors
Ecumen-managed Grand Village, a senior living and care center community in Grand Rapids, Minn., has received a $25,000 Workforce Solutions Grant from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation to help recruit new employees to senior care and to retain them after they are hired.
5 Low-Impact Exercises for Joint Pain
If your normal exercise routine is becoming too difficult due to joint pain, it does not mean you have to stop your active lifestyle. Here are five low-impact versions of exercises for those with joint pain.
Grand Village Receives Workforce Grant To Help Recruit and Retain Caregivers for Seniors
Ecumen-managed Grand Village, a senior living and care center community in Grand Rapids, Minn., has received a $25,000 Workforce Solutions Grant from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation to help recruit new employees to senior care and to retain them after they are hired.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org.
Ecumen Scenic Shores Residents Feel the Beat
There’s something primal about beating drums that brings people together.
Two Ecumen-Managed Communities Receive Workforce Grants for a New Program To Help Retain Employees
Two Ecumen-managed communities in rural Minnesota are teaming up to create a new program aimed at increasing employee retention by helping employees balance their work and personal lives.
Pelican Valley Senior Living in Pelican Rapids and Sunnyside Care Center in Lake Park each have been awarded a $25,000 Workforce Solutions Grant from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation to support the initiative.
“We sometimes lose good employees simply because they have a personal crisis and see no alternative but to quit working,” said Barbara Axness, Executive Director of Pelican Valley Senior Living. “We plan to create a supportive and proactive program that will help employees deal with their personal challenges.”
The grant money will help fund a new position called “Retention Specialist,” which will be shared by the two sites. This position will be an advocate and partner for employees, getting to know them personally, establishing trusting relationships, and providing resources and support when they need help.
“We envision the Retention Specialist assisting employees in navigating challenging life events and preventing small issues from becoming big issues that affect their employment,” said Danielle Olson, Executive Director of Sunnyside Care Center. “Also, the Retention Specialist will teach life skills to help employees be more successful at work and have healthier lives outside of work.”
Olson and Axness said they expect the Retention Specialist role to reduce employee turnover, increase employee satisfaction and help in recruiting new employees. Results will be carefully measured over the two-year grant period. They said the primary goal of the program is to increase the quality of care for residents by having a longer tenured and more engaged workforce.
The grant from LeadingAge Minnesota, the state’s largest association of aging services providers, was awarded through a program funded by the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP), a foundation that takes a strong interest in workforce issues in rural Minnesota. MCAP supported the $1 million Workforce Solutions Grant program to improve the experience of care for older adults by funding emerging and proven workforce strategies that increase the quality, quantity and capacity of the caregiving workforce.
5 Low-Impact Exercises for Joint Pain
AARP offers several exercises to help keep up an exercise routine, even with chronic joint pain.
Grand Village Receives Workforce Grant To Help Recruit and Retain Caregivers for Seniors
Ecumen-managed Grand Village, a senior living and care center community in Grand Rapids, Minn., has received a $25,000 Workforce Solutions Grant from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation to help recruit new employees to senior care and to retain them after they are hired.
While demand for senior care in the Grand Rapids area is increasing, the available workforce is shrinking. The Northeast region of Minnesota has the highest vacancy rate of nurses and nursing assistants in the state.
Grand Village is using the grant money to create a “peer mentor” program for newly hired nursing assistants to support them during their first 90 days of employment. Experienced employees will help train and guide them in a structured approach to becoming familiar with their new jobs. Also, becoming a mentor is a new path for established employees to grow their careers and compensation.
“We’ve found that most turnover in senior care happens in the first 90 days of employment,” said Kyle Hedlund, Executive Director at Grand Village. “One way we can stay ahead of issues that might prompt new hires to leave is by having experienced peers guide new employees through the adjustment process. Many of our new hires are younger, and research shows that members of the millennial generation are more likely to stay at a job where they have developed friendships and a support network at work.”
The grant from LeadingAge Minnesota, the state’s largest association of aging services providers, was awarded through a program funded by the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP), a foundation that takes a strong interest in workforce issues in rural Minnesota. MCAP supported the $1 million Workforce Solutions Grant program to improve the experience of care for older adults by funding emerging and proven workforce strategies that increase the quality, quantity and capacity of the caregiving workforce.
Grand Village is a non-profit skilled nursing community providing short-term and rehabilitation care, long-term care and memory care. It was founded in 1896 by Itasca County and continues to be owned by the county and managed by Ecumen.
Top 5 Blog Posts — March 6, 2017
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Ecumen Bethany Community Receives Workforce Grant To Help Recruit and Retain Caregivers for Seniors
Ecumen Bethany Community in Alexandria, Minn., has received a $25,000 Workforce Solutions Grant from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation to help recruit new employees to senior care and to retain them after they are hired.
Diversity and Inclusion Learning Event: An Introduction to Islam and Muslims
Do you know the distinction between Islam and Muslims? Or why Muslim women wear headscarves? Or how Muslims regard Jesus?
5 Great Immune-Boosting Foods
Finish out winter with a boost to the immune system from these five foods.
Mark Ritchie Shares the Story of Minnesota’s World’s Fair Bid with Abiitan Mill City Residents
Former Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie paid a call on a welcoming audience of Abiitan Mill City residents this week to talk about his current job promoting Minnesota’s bid to host a three-month long World’s Fair Expo in 2023. “This will be like hosting a Super Bowl every day for 90 days,” he told the Abiitan residents, many of whom are well-known Minnesota boosters.
Wednesdays with Genny, Ecumen Hospice Volunteer
Hospice volunteers know a secret. The common perception is that they do the sad work of helping people die. The truth is, they do the joyful and fulfilling work of helping people live – right to the very end. Genny Swanner of Chisago City knows the rewards of that work.
You can read these articles and more at ecumen.org.
Diversity and Inclusion Learning Event: An Introduction to Islam and Muslims
Do you know the distinction between Islam and Muslims? Or why Muslim women wear headscarves? Or how Muslims regard Jesus?