Annual Summer BBQ | June 17, 11:30am-1:30pm
When: June 17th, 2026 from 11:30am – 1:30pm
Where: Ecumen Lakeview Commons
Address: 1200 Lakewood Dr N, Maplewood, MN 55119
Lakeview Commons Annual Summer BBQ
Come and celebrate summer at our Annual Summer BBQ! Enjoy live music from the Backyard Band, delicious food off the grill, and socializing with friends.
RSVP by June 11th to: jenmcallister@ecumen.org | 651-770-1111
July 15 at 6pm | Managing Stress, Making Joy & Finding Meaning — Learning & Living Well With Dementia Series: Session 4
When: July 15th, 2026 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Where: Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
Address: 1670 Legacy Pkwy E, Maplewood, MN 55109
Managing Stress, Making Joy & Finding Meaning (session 4 of the Learning & Living Well With Dementia event series)*
Caregiving for someone with dementia can be stressful, but it can also include moments of joy and meaning. Learn positive approaches to cope, improve interactions, and strengthen relationships.
About the Speaker — Valerie J. Richards, MBA, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach:
Valerie J. Richards, MBA, empowers caregivers and families to live well through dementia, aging, and end-of-life transitions. Learn more about Valerie at familieswithdementia.com
RSVP appreciated as space is limited: christopherlarson@ecumen.org | 612-430-1412
*Learning & Living Well With Dementia is an event series brought to you by Ecumen Lakeview Commons & Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, presented by Valerie J. Richards, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach.
View all events in this series here:
- Session 1 (April 16): Caring, Coping & Community — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 2 (May 13): Effective & Encouraging Communication with Dementia — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
- Session 3 (June 11): Positive Approaches to Behaviors Related to Dementia — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 4 (July 15): Managing Stress, Making Joy & Finding Meaning — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
June 11 at 6pm | Positive Approaches to Behaviors Related to Dementia — Learning & Living Well With Dementia Series: Session 3
When: June 11th, 2026 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Where: Ecumen Lakeview Commons
Address: 1200 Lakewood Dr N, Maplewood, MN 55119
Positive Approaches to Behaviors Related to Dementia (session 3 of the Learning & Living Well With Dementia event series)*
Learn about behavior changes and practical strategies to respond positively, reduce challenging behaviors, and support safer, less stressful caregiving.
About the Speaker — Valerie J. Richards, MBA, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach:
Valerie J. Richards, MBA, empowers caregivers and families to live well through dementia, aging, and end-of-life transitions. Learn more about Valerie at familieswithdementia.com
RSVP appreciated as space is limited: christopherlarson@ecumen.org | 612-430-1412
*Learning & Living Well With Dementia is an event series brought to you by Ecumen Lakeview Commons & Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, presented by Valerie J. Richards, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach.
View all events in this series here:
- Session 1 (April 16): Caring, Coping & Community — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 2 (May 13): Effective & Encouraging Communication with Dementia — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
- Session 3 (June 11): Positive Approaches to Behaviors Related to Dementia — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 4 (July 15): Managing Stress, Making Joy & Finding Meaning — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
May 13 at 6pm | Effective & Encouraging Communication With Dementia — Learning & Living Well With Dementia Series: Session 2
When: May 13th, 2026 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Where: Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
Address: 1670 Legacy Pkwy E, Maplewood, MN 55109
Effective & Encouraging Communication With Dementia (session 2 of the Learning & Living Well With Dementia event series)*
Explore communication challenges and learn practical tips to improve interactions, reduce stress, and minimize negative responses.
About the Speaker — Valerie J. Richards, MBA, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach:
Valerie J. Richards, MBA, empowers caregivers and families to live well through dementia, aging, and end-of-life transitions. Learn more about Valerie at familieswithdementia.com
RSVP appreciated as space is limited: christopherlarson@ecumen.org | 612-430-1412
*Learning & Living Well With Dementia is an event series brought to you by Ecumen Lakeview Commons & Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, presented by Valerie J. Richards, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach.
View all events in this series here:
- Session 1 (April 16): Caring, Coping & Community — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 2 (May 13): Effective & Encouraging Communication with Dementia — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
- Session 3 (June 11): Positive Approaches to Behaviors Related to Dementia — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 4 (July 15): Managing Stress, Making Joy & Finding Meaning — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
April 16 at 6pm | Caring, Coping & Community — Learning & Living Well With Dementia Series: Session 1
When: April 16th, 2026 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Where: Ecumen Lakeview Commons
Address: 1200 Lakewood Dr N, Maplewood, MN 55119
Caring, Coping & Community (session 1 of the Learning & Living Well With Dementia event series)*
Explore how progressive dementia impacts individuals, caregivers, and families. Learn about common symptoms, communication challenges, and positive ways to cope.
About the Speaker — Valerie J. Richards, MBA, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach:
Valerie J. Richards, MBA, empowers caregivers and families to live well through dementia, aging, and end-of-life transitions. Learn more about Valerie at familieswithdementia.com
RSVP appreciated as space is limited: christopherlarson@ecumen.org | 612-430-1412
*Learning & Living Well With Dementia is an event series brought to you by Ecumen Lakeview Commons & Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, presented by Valerie J. Richards, Alzheimer’s Educator & Family Coach.
View all events in this series here:
- Session 1 (April 16): Caring, Coping & Community — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 2 (May 13): Effective & Encouraging Communication with Dementia — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
- Session 3 (June 11): Positive Approaches to Behaviors Related to Dementia — at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
- Session 4 (July 15): Managing Stress, Making Joy & Finding Meaning — at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood
Holiday Social | Dec. 9th, 4:30pm-6:30pm at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
When: Tuesday, December 9th from 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Where: Ecumen Lakeview Commons — 1200 North Lakewood Dr., Maplewood, MN 55119
Ecumen Lakeview Commons Holiday Social!
Please join us for our annual Holiday Social featuring appetizers, holiday music by Elliot, a festive sing-a-long to your favorite carols, and photo opportunities with Santa and Mrs. Claus!
RSVP before December 2 as space is limited.
For more information or to RSVP: JenMcallister@ecumen.org | 651-770-1111
Oktoberfest Celebration | Sep. 18th, 4pm-6pm
When: Thursday, September 18th from 4pm - 6pm
Where: Ecumen Lakeview Commons — 1200 Lakewood Drive, Maplewood, MN 55119
Raise Your Steins—It's Oktoberfest Time!
Join us at Ecumen Lakeview Commons for an Oktoberfest celebration!
Enjoy bratwurst, beer, and good cheer as you listen and polka with The Jolly Huntsman Trio.
Questions? Contact Jen at: jenmcallister@ecumen.org | 651-770-1111
Song and Prayer to Honor Our Veterans at Ecumen Lakeview Commons
Ecumen Lakeview Commons residents gathered November 9 for a Veterans Day service to honor people like 100-year-old Madeline Allen, who sat in the front row. She served in the Army in the South Pacific during World War II, at Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters.
Honoring World War II Veteran Katherine Schuller, a Resident of Ecumen Lakeshore
It’s been almost 75 years since Ensign Katherine Schuller was a U.S. Navy nurse caring for wounded sailors, but her memories remain vivid. “They were just boys,” she recalls. “A big population of hurt boys. And we nurses were just kids too. We called them boys, and they called us girls.”
She pauses. “I guess they were men when they came back.”
Katherine was only 18 when she received her Registered Nurse certification in Saint Paul, Minn., and enlisted in the Navy. That was 1944 and wounded soldiers were pouring into the Great Lakes Naval Hospital near Chicago, where she was stationed. The things she saw stay with her— especially the burn victims.
“I remember the burned boys, hit by kamikaze attacks,” Katherine says. “They were burned so bad. Their girlfriends would come and take one look and then didn’t want anything to do with them.”
Today Katherine, 94, is a resident at Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth. “I love it here,” she says. “I love the people.” She is one of more than 30 veterans who live here, but the only woman vet.
As she talks about her time in the Navy, her best memories are about the deep camaraderie. “These were the finest people I ever met,” she says, smiling. “We supported each other. I can still hear some of them talking.”
While Katherine was at Great Lakes, she was staying in touch with her childhood sweetheart, “a fine gentleman” who was now a Marine stationed in Hawaii. John was a tall, fit Marine with exacting standards, who “was nice, polite, and soft-spoken -- but he was no pussycat!”
He wrote her a letter suggesting maybe they should break up since they were so far away from each other. That was not what she wanted and soon they married – which abruptly ended her Navy career. In those days, married women could not serve, so she was honorably discharged.
Katherine and John settled down in North Saint Paul, where she continued her nursing career and he worked at Northwest Airlines, as they raised their three boys. Katherine worked at Bethesda Hospital, where she had trained and “witnessed the first penicillin shot in St. Paul.” She also worked at Mounds Park Hospital and as a private duty nurse. “I’ve done the whole gamut of nursing,” she says. When she retired in 1981, she volunteered with the American Red Cross.
“I always wanted to be a nurse,” she says. “I played nurse all the time as a kid.”
When Katherine reminisces about her wartime service, it stirs deep emotional memories that she can’t help but transfer to the present day. “I think about those veterans coming back now, and how horrible it must be. It’s so hard to see how they are treated when they come home now.”
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Ecumen salutes Katherine and all veterans, who have sacrificed so much for our freedom and our country. We sincerely thank you for your service.
Helping Seniors Who Struggle To Get Nutritious Meals
Ecumen employees heard the troubling statistic that “food insecurity” affects approximately one out of every ten Minnesotans -- including a large number of seniors.