Furless Fred, Part 2: Fred Grows Into His Fur

Remember Furless Fred at Ecumen Lakeview Commons? He's not furless anymore.  One year later, he's back in the game.

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Most Everything You Think You Know About Dementia Is Wrong, Prominent Geriatrician Asserts

Dr. G. Allen Power, a pioneer in dementia care, has just published a new book challenging most of the conventional wisdom about caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

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Holiday Visits Often Reveal Seniors Needing Help

The holidays can be a time of joy but also a time when adult children see changes in their aging parents that concern them.

In a recent Northland’s NewsCenter story, Rita Walker, Memory Care Director at Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth, says calls about assisted living increase this time of the year as families visiting relatives are alerted to needs for assistance.

"Often we see an influx of calls following the holidays," Walker says, as adult children seek guidance about the options for help.

Although the discussion may be difficult for families, especially this time of year, experts advise taking immediate action when concerns arise. 


NPR Series Probes Dementia Care: What’s Wrong and What’s Right

National Public Radio Correspondent Ina Jaffe, who covers the aging beat, recently took a deep dive into the issue of overmedicating elderly nursing home residents in a revealing  three-part series.

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Secret Santa Comes To Ecumen Bethany Community

Wrapping paper and grins were flying last Tuesday afternoon as each of the 58 long-term care residents of Ecumen Bethany Community opened a present from a Secret Santa.

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Not Your Grandmother’s Long-Term Care: Some Things You Need To Know

Long-term care is not what it used to be.  There are many more options and therefore more complex choices to make.  Plus, there’s the challenge of increasing costs.

A recent Today Show segment tees up some of the issues facing the nearly 70 percent of Americans who will need long term care and offers some basic facts, figures and expert advice.

 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


Ecumen Century Club: Happy 100th Birthday Mildred Solem

Ecumen honors Mildred Solem, a resident of Lakeland Shores Apartments in Duluth, who is 100.

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At Ecumen Bethany Community: A Winter Wonderland Where the Ice is Icing

Ecumen Bethany Community Adult Day Services in Alexandria, Minn., created a luscious Winter Wonderland Village to celebrate the holidays.  The buildings are constructed completely with delicate royal icing. Day Service clients worked with staff and used candies, cookies, goldfish crackers and many other colorful accents to create a village for all to enjoy.    

 


Top 5 Blog Posts - December 22

Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:

Top 10 Gifts for Seniors: Ecumen Staff Offers Advice
We recently polled staff at several Ecumen communities for their advice on holiday gift-giving for seniors, particularly those who are in assisted living or care centers. Here are the top 10 suggestions. Read more...

Ecumen Lakeview Commons Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Ecumen Lakeview Commons in Maplewood, Minn., celebrated its 20th anniversary December 16, 2014, at a festive holiday gathering of more than 100 residents, community leaders and Ecumen staff. Read more...

Policy and a Pint Event Brings Aging Issues to the Millennial Generation
Millennials crowded into a downtown St. Paul bar recently to have a few drinks, socialize and talk seriously about aging. yes, you read that right. Aging. Read more...

Ecumen Centennial House Named "Best of Assisted Living" by National Senior Housing Listing Service
Ecumen Centennial House of Apple Valley has received a SeniorAdvisor.com award for "Best of Assisted Living" in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Read more...

A Child's Heavenly Christmas Surprise - by Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar
I grew up in a mining town in northern Minnesota a few miles from the Canadian border. In winter the cold was no mystery to us; nor was the spectacle of the blazing starlight on clear nights. We grew up able to identify the formations of the Milky Way, the Big Dipper, Orion's Belt and the rest. Read more...

You can read these articles and more at www.ecumen.org. 


A Child’s Heavenly Christmas Surprise — By Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar

An astonishing gift in the Christmas Eve sky almost 80 years ago keeps on giving.

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