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Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar — The Trail Less Traveled

No matter how old you are, there is always something to learn.  For Jim Klobuchar, travel fills a deep need to connect with the world at large, and this time he's headed back to the soul-stirring Himalayas -- remembering another time and other lessons learned.

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Media Around Minnesota Discuss Ecumen Scholars Nursing Program

Twin Cities Business Magazine, WJON-AM, Prairie Business Magazine, Duluth News Tribune and  Worthington Daily Globe look at Ecumen Scholars program that's funded with $1.9 million grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and features partnership with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU).  Additional information and media here.


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Her Cup Runneth Over: Ecumen Detroit Lakes Chaplain Vicki Marthaler Retires After 19 Years

Nineteen years ago, Vicki Marthaler became the chaplain at Ecumen Detroit Lakes — not quite sure what she was getting into. As it turned out, she got deeply into people’s hearts and souls, and they returned the favor, giving her riches beyond her wildest dreams.

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Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Anna Holst

Ecumen honors Anna Holst, a resident of St. Mark's Living in Austin, Minn., who is 101 today.

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St Croix Hospice Wins Annual Golf Outing, Helps Raise Money for Alzheimer's Care

Ecumen hosted its annual golf outing on Monday, Sept. 8, at Midland Hills Country Club in Roseville. Over 80 golfers came out to support Ecumen Awakenings, a nationally honored care approach that significantly reduces the “chemical restraints” and sedating medications often prescribed to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

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Ecumen and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Form Partnership to Address Rural Senior Care Shortage

New nursing education partnership and workforce development partnership launched by Ecumen and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities supported by $1.9 million Margaret A. Cargill Foundation grant.

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Ecumen New Richland Housing Manager Christina Cauble Has a Passion for Creating Home

Christina Cauble, the new housing manager at Ecumen New Richland, always knew healthcare was her calling.  She just knew it.  But the career tests she took in high school were not encouraging — nudging her more toward the business world.  So Christina found a way to walk both paths.

Her job as housing manager at an assisted living community is tailor-made for someone with a passion for healthcare and an aptitude for business. She has responsibility for making sure every aspect of life at Ecumen New Richland is the highest quality — fulfilling Ecumen’s mission of creating home for older adults.

Healthcare careers run in Christina’s family.  Her grandmother and her aunt were nurses, and her grandfather was a doctor.  As a child, she was inspired when they talked about their work and always assumed her career would move in that direction.  To this day, she keeps her grandfather’s stethoscope as a memento of the time she spent with him.

“I always knew that helping people was a driving factor for me,” Christina says.  “Throughout high school when everyone was figuring out what careers they were going into, I knew mine would be something in healthcare.”

Christina went off to college as a nursing major — still haunted by those career tests and not quite sure nursing was the right choice.  And, early on, she decided it wasn’t.

“Luckily, I found out my school, Concordia College ,was one of only a handful in Minnesota to have a healthcare administration program that combines healthcare with business,” Christina says. “I jumped into this program my second year and discovered that it was the perfect fit for me. I was able to put all of my business skills to work and stay in the healthcare field, which I was always so drawn to.”

At this point, Christina was sure she wanted to work in a hospital “where all the excitement happens.”  But she also was doing course work in long-term care that required an internship in a nursing home.

“That changed my heart,” Christina says. “Coming away from the nursing home internship it was clear that the busyness of the hospital was not what I needed.”

She realized that what she needed was just the opposite of the fleeting interactions in acute care.  She needed the deep relationships that can only be developed in a long-term care setting.

“I love that I can look out the window of my office and see our residents playing bingo, or decorating cookies and know that it is my privilege to work for them,” Christina says. “What drives me is a passion for connecting with others and helping provide the best home and best care possible to our seniors.”


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Ecumen Pedicab Provides New Lakeshore Ride in Duluth

A new Ecumen Bike Cab hits the Lakewalk in Duluth
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Last Week's Top 5 Blog Posts - September 8

In case you missed out on one of our most popular Changing Aging blog posts, here are the topics our online visitors found most interesting last week.

Follow the links below to read these great stories:

The Gift of GAB to Young and Old at Ecumen Scenic Shores

A Train-Ride Wish Come Truee for 96-year-old Ecumen Bethany Community Resident Evangeline Lund

Ecumen Century Club: Happy 104th Birthday Betty Sampson

Ecumen Named One of Minnesota's Best Workplaces for Ninth Time by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

National Senior Living Publication Highlights Ecumen Awakenings Program

To read more Changing Aging blog posts or to learn more about Ecumen, please visit ecumen.org!