Changing Aging

Ecumen has released a new whitepaper on tips for finding the right senior housing management partner - the original news release and link to this whitepaper and others follows:

Latest whitepaper divulges 10 questions designed to ensure senior housing providers partner with the right management partners

SHOREVIEW, MN - May 8, 2008– http://www.ecumen.org – Aging services provider Ecumen, one of America’s largest non-profit senior housing companies, is helping senior housing owners, who are thinking of hiring a management firm, with the release of its latest whitepaper designed to help create the best possible partnerships.

“10 Questions to Ask When Selecting a Senior Housing, Nursing Home or CCRC Management Company” is based on Ecumen’s deep knowledge of the industry as not only a senior housing provider, but one of the country’s top senior housing development and management partners.

“In an industry that is as customer centric as senior housing, customers vote with their feet,” states Steve Ordahl, Ecumen’s Senior Vice President, Business Development. “What this latest whitepaper provides is answers to ten key questions that, if answered properly, will help housing providers create a home where customers want to be.”

Much of the advice offered in this latest paper centers around conducting detailed research on the company being considered as a partner, whether it be social or financial.

“Stop by a management firm’s current community unannounced and ask yourself – do the customers look happy? Are the employees helpful? Does the community look and feel good?” quotes the paper.

Beyond this diligent footwork, much can be learned about senior housing management firms by conducting diligent homework, especially when it comes to the firm’s financials.

“A good share of management firms also own their own properties,” continues Ordahl. “In cases like this, reputable firms are willing to share the history of their financial performance. The ones that do not are oftentimes the ones you have to be more concerned about.”

By heeding to the advice provided in this latest whitepaper, new senior housing providers are assured to live up to a simple, but powerful, mission of creating a home for older adults where these choose to, rather than have to live.

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Nationwide senior housing projects get easier with formation of new development partnerships

SHOREVIEW, MN June 18, 2007 — http://www.ecumen.org – Aging services provider

Ecumen, Minnesota’s largest non-profit senior housing company, has expanded with the launch of its senior housing development partnership TEAM Ecumen.Collaborating with Ecumen in this endeavor are Minneapolis-based Adolfson & Peterson Construction, who will serve as general contractor on Ecumen-led projects, and St. Paul-based Pope Associates, who will be the lead architect.

“This partnership is focused on creating senior housing that enhances the larger community,” says Steve Ordahl, senior vice president of business development services for Ecumen. “This partnership dramatically simplifies the senior housing development process for our clients.”

An early senior housing project by Ecumen, already in progress, is in Sandpoint, Idaho, which was recently named one of the country’s Top 10 Retirement Spots by U.S. News & World Report. Being developed in partnership with the First Lutheran Church of Sandpoint, the Luther Park at Sandpoint senior housing development will include independent and assisted living and be physically connected to the church.

Senior housing development projects designed in conjunction with faith communities represent a growth area in markets nationwide. Unfortunately the complexities and expenses of dealing with multiple vendors on a single development project keep many such projects from ever getting off the ground.

“TEAM Ecumen, by combining our partners’ proficiencies, reduces or eliminates many of the hurdles that organizations encounter when developing senior housing,” says Ordahl.

Ecumen also provides senior housing management services. Ecumen currently manages more than 40 senior housing and long-term care communities for other owners. In addition to its Idaho project, Ecumen is involved in several other senior housing development projects in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

About The Partners

Adolfson & Peterson Construction

Based in Minneapolis, Adolfson & Peterson Construction (A&P) (www.a-p.com) provides project delivery solutions for senior housing, religious and healthcare providers. With sales in excess of $425 million, Adolfson & Peterson is currently ranked 82 on the Engineering News-Record Top 400 General Contractors list. Adolfson & Peterson has offices in Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, and
Texas.

Pope Associates
Based in Saint Paul, Pope Associates Inc.(www.popearch.com) is one of the Upper Midwest’s largest architectural firms and maintains registration in 32 states. Pope’s extensive senior housing portfolio includes cooperatives, condominiums, rentals, independent and assisted living, memory care, health centers and continuing care retirement communities.

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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.

SHOREVIEW, MINN., (January 23, 2007) – Ecumen, Minnesota’s largest non-profit senior housing  company, has joined with Commercial Equity Partners, developer of Woodbury’s Tamarack Hills Business  Lifestyle CampusTM, to propose a new lifestyle community for seniors who want to live in Woodbury.

The proposed development, called Crestwood Creek, would focus on meeting people’s desires for  lifestyle housing that provides convenience, a strong sense of community, a variety of services, wellness  opportunities that energize mind, body and spirit, and easy access to leading medical care.  Crestwood Creek  would be built adjacent to Woodwinds Health Campus.  To advance a proposal, the City of Woodbury must  allow a lifestyle community for seniors on the 23-acre parcel, rather than a medical office building.  The land is  currently under a moratorium, which members of the City Council will examine in a February 27th City Council  workshop meeting.

“Our customers are telling us that they want housing that allows them to live life on their terms in  communities that they love,” said Steve Ordahl, Ecumen’s senior vice president of business development.   “They desire places to live that allow them to live independently and fully as possible, but that also provide  easy access to medical care when needed.  These are very different from retirement communities that have  been built in the past in Minnesota.  We envision a development that will fit very well with Woodbury’s strategy  of building a high-quality, well-planned, livable community for all ages. ”

As currently planned, the Crestwood Creek development would include independent living, assisted  living, a wellness center with fitness center, spa and aquatic therapy, transitional care and memory care.   Amenities would include concierge services, an on-site post office, bank, general store and regular  transportation to Woodwinds and other areas of the community.  The site also would feature a primary care  clinic/medical office building with an emphasis in geriatric medicine.

“We chose Ecumen because of a shared commitment to create a quality of life for seniors and provide  quality jobs in Woodbury,” said Bill Knutson, vice president, healthcare/senior living properties for Commercial  Equity Partners.  “Ecumen is a leader in this new approach to ‘aging in place’.  We believe that Healtheast’s  Woodwinds Health Campus has ‘set the stage’ for 21st century hospital care and, after hearing Woodwinds’  goals for future development of its campus, we are proud to partner with Ecumen to align Crestwood Creek  with that vision for the benefit of Woodbury residents.”

Ecumen (www.ecumen.org) is based in Shoreview.  It provides a variety of housing choices and  services for people 50+.  The name Ecumen comes from the Greek word for “home”, which is  “Oikos.”   Ecumen works to create “home” for older adults wherever they choose to live.  Ecumen, which is affiliated with  the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has 4,000 team members who provide housing options  and services in approximately 100 communities in the Upper Midwest.  It was named in 2005 and 2006 as one  of the “Great Places to Work” in Minnesota by The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Commercial Equity Partners a growing forward-thinking commercial  real estate developer based in the  Twin Cities offering  properties, services and consulting.  Commercial Equity Partners specializes in wellness based retirement communities and Business Lifestyle Campuses. For more information on Commercial Equity  Partners, visit www.cepcompanies.com .