The Millennials and Innovation in America and Aging Services
Do you think transformation of aging services in America is just about seniors … just about baby boomers … think again:
Still Sharing Amid Alzheimer’s: Bob Can Give Love and He Can Receive It
Copyright Photo by Laura Crosby
Changing Aging has featured several poems from St. Paul writer Anne Simpson, who wrote Growing Down, a book of poems and photography on she and her husband’s journey with Alzheimer’s. Please read earlier posts here in order: Growing Down: Poems for an Alzheimer’s Patient, Diagnosis, I’m Still Here, Bob Said He Was Growing Down.What is so beautiful about Anne’s work is that it doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of Alzheimer’s, but it also underscores hope, as with this excerpt from the third chapter called 'End Stage.'
' … . He would rejoice to know that 'blessings' of this disease still are unfolding: we are close to our families and we have reconnected with friends who have not seen him in years.Bob (a Methodist minister) is in ministry still, teaching us patience and acceptance. He is dying a gracious death. There were several years of high anxiety and constant chatter, but he is more peaceful now. He talks very little, but he says 'Good, good.' He says, 'Thank you' and 'I love … 'Even as he approaches the end of his long struggle with dementia, he can give love and he can receive it. He is still here!
Thank you, Anne, for sharing yourself and your poetry with 'Changing Aging.' Below is one more work of Anne’s called Visitation:In the Alzheimer’s homewhere the young mother has come to visit,her baby is crying.You hold out your arms.You sit on a cold, metal fold-up chairby the nurse’s desk,sit calmly as you hold the flailing bundle --purple screwed-up face,fists and feet pummelling the air,tiny lungs forming screamsthat pierce old deafened ears.Bent over the child, you sit,gently rocking,stroking her,speaking sounds no others understand.You murmur the language that comes before speechthat she, so recently arrived,and you, so close to return,can speak together.
St. Paul Pioneer Press Launches Age Wave, a Long-Term Care Blog
St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Jeremy Olson has launched a new blog called The Age Wave. Jeremy has received a fellowship from the Kaiser Family Foundation to look at long-term care today and its future and is writing a series of stories for the newspaper.In writing the series and the blog Olson says he’s taking his late grandmother’s advice:
'Take care of the corners and the middle always takes care of itself.' Sure, she was talking about spreading frosting, but it applies. By examining individual stories and struggles -- by highlighting the hidden corners of long-term care in Minnesota -- he intends to identify broader solutions.
Ecumen Names Brian Nelson to Lead The Ecumen Foundation
Ecumen is very pleased to welcome Brian Nelson as executive director of The Ecumen Foundation and vice president of philanthropy. His role is integral to our values of service, people, innovation, spirituality, wellness, collaboration and stewardship.
'We’re so pleased to have Brian joining the Ecumen team,' said Kathryn Roberts, Ecumen CEO and president. 'Brian’s leadership and talents are essential to our transformation work and helping our society view and understand aging in radically different ways.'
Brian joins Ecumen from Minneapolis-based Allina Hospitals and Clinics, where he headed fund development for Allina Home Care, Hospice and Palliative Care. Over his career he has helped raise nearly $100 million for leading Twin Cities organizations, including Memorial Blood Centers, Catholic Charities, Children’s Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Society.
'The unprecedented age wave is incredible opportunity for innovation in our society,' said Brian. 'I’m greatly looking forward to connecting people and their philanthropic investments to the creativity, passion and vision at Ecumen, and help fuel the future of aging in America.'
A native of Alexandria, Minn., site of Ecumen’s Bethany Community, Brian is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., where he received a B.A. in Communications and English. In 2000, he was named one of the Twin Cities' top '40 Under 40' leaders by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. He lives in Eagan with his wife Sue and sons Mack, Jake and Gabe.
Lessons from The Obama Campaign for Aging Services Transformation
Congratulations to President-Elect Obama. Not only did he make history last night, but he also won our Changing Aging poll (I’m kind of surprised the networks didn’t ask him about that last night.)No matter who you voted for, one thing you have to admire is the discipline and tremendous skill with which the Obama campaign ran their campaign. There are a lot of lessons there for aging services providers and others working on transformation. Here are several I took away. Please feel free to add others:- Have a Vision and Think Larger: Obama and his supporters went into Iowa last year with a vision. 'He could become President.' It was a pretty audacious goal at that time. We now know the rest of the story.- A Message That’s Easy to Get: Change … Yes We Can. Pretty easy to understand.- Everyone Feels a Connection: It’s evident that people felt a meaningful connection to Obama, the campaign, and each other. The social media use by this campaign - where people can talk directly with each other (instead of at each other) - was unprecedented. So were the number of small donors who were moved enough by the effort to make a contribution.- Celebrate: I was struck by the festive atmosphere conveyed by the Obama campaign over and over … from the rally in Denver to the victory party in Grant Park last night. The lesson: we have to take time to celebrate along the way in the transformation journey.- Stay on Track: The discipline of the Obama campaign was unbelievable. They had so many potential distractions, yet they never abandoned their vision for making it reality.- Embrace Change: Change is uncertain. Uncertainty can be scary. The Obama team made 'Change' their daily headline. They turned uncertainty into a positive, a rallying point, rather than a fear factor.- Work for Somthing Bigger Than Yourself: On the campaign trail, Obama repeatedly challenged people to go beyond themselves. That same spirit has to be present to drive innovation. One person can’t do it.- Always Continue Building: The really hard work now begins for President-elect Obama. He stressed that last night in his victory speech. There’s a lesson for all of us involved in transformation work: The building never stops.
Jean Marino Knows a Thing or Two About Forging New Paths
Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone to forge new paths. And what a rush it can be.We want to share with you a new Successful Aging profile from someone who knows about trying something new - Jean Marino, an Ecumen customer in Duluth, Minn. Discover through Jean’s own words below how she forged a new path in soaring (literally) towards her dreams:
Since I was a child in Esko, Minnesota, and watched airplanes fly over our farm, I’ve wanted to play in the clouds. And that’s exactly what I did this summer when, on my 80th birthday, I skydived for the very first time. (I’m even scared of heights.)The airplane took me up 11,000 feet on a gorgeous day over Duluth. The first 5,000 feet of my jump were especially a rush, because I was in a total free-fall. My jump partner and I fell through the sky at 120 miles per hour or about 180 feet per second.We pulled the cords on our parachutes at 5,000 feet and then made a smooth descent to the ground.From the time I jumped out of the plane to the time my feet touched the ground was about a total of 4.5 minutes. My son and daughter met me on the ground. In fact, my son plans to do it with me next year. People ask me €˜why the heck I jumped out of a plane?'The answer is simple. It was something I’ve always wanted to do, and I just said I’m going to finally do it.And it was wonderful!
Thank you, Jean!This month’s Successful Aging profile is sponsored by Ecumen’s whitepaper:'Long Term Care Financing Reform: An Incredible Opportunity for Candidates Who Desire Positive Change in America'. As you read this paper, we also remind you to vote on November 4th. Onward and upward!
Kathryn Roberts Named One of Minneapolis/St. Paul’s Best Brains
We throughout Ecumen and in the aging services profession knew this already, but it’s very nice to see it recognized by others …Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine this month named Kathryn Roberts one of the Twin Cities' 'Best Brains.' In the article, State Rep. Paul Thissen, who chairs the State House Health and Human Services Committee (and also was named as one of the 'top thinkers') said Kathryn is perhaps 'Minnesota’s leading thinker on how we will deal with the coming age wave.'We feel very fortunate to have Kathryn’s leadership, vision, energy and thinking working in the aging services profession for the betterment of our country.
Legacies Keep Us Moving Forward …
Legacies keep the world moving forward … .That was evident last evening when the family and friends of Shelley Joseph-Kordell celebrated her life and contributions to her community and aging services with the 4th Annual Shelley Joseph-Kordell Award. Shelley was a pioneer in geriatric care management and made professional advocacy and service for seniors her life’s passion before her life was tragically cut short in 2003. Shelley had to be proud of the words spoken by her daughter Jennifer and mother Geri Joseph, pioneering health care reporter and columnist at the Star Tribune and former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands.Jennifer and Geri presented the 2008 Shelley Joseph-Kordell awards to Anita Raymond and Mary McGurran, who work with a great organization Volunteers of America and have helped thousands of seniors navigate an extremely complex health care and services system. Charissa Eaton also received the Shelley Joseph-Kordell Memorial Scholarship. She is pursuing a doctorate in social services at the University of Minnesota.Legacies keep the world moving forward … . Tim Marx, commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency is leaving that position to become executive director of Common Ground, a New York-based housing and community development nonprofit. Today he wrote a Thank You to Minnesota in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Changing Aging wants to leave you this week with several quotations from his column who have also gifted our state and country with tremendous legacies:'Listen with the ear of your heart,' … be of service, and be a steward, as everything entrusted to us has a higher purpose (The Rule of St. Benedict)'Everything is related to everything else,'… so think and act integratively both locally and globally (Harlan Cleveland, who died this year, served as the first dean of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute)'Money and good intentions are not enough,' … focus on results and concentrate efforts on people and places with the greatest need and opportunity for the most impact (John Brandl, who died this year, served as a professor at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN and the Humphrey Institute.'Competition must be viewed as one of our most powerful tools,' . . within the context of advancing the broader public interest and satisfying basic human needs (John Brandl).'Get everyone in on the act and still get some action' … . by working from the center out to avoid gridlock (Harlan Cleveland)Legacies keep the world moving forward … .
Which Candidate Will Be Better for Changing Aging in America?
Take our U.S. Senate poll for Minnesota. You can also vote for the Presidential candidate whom you think will do the best job of changing aging in America (we’ve been running this poll for a couple of weeks). To read more about the various candidates ideas, positions on changing aging, go to our long-term care financing section.[poll id='7'] [poll id='5']
Coleman, Franken and Barkely: Thoughts on Innovation in Aging Services
A very close U.S. Senate race is occurring in Minnesota between Republican candidate Sen. Norm Coleman, the Democratic candidate Al Franken and Independence Party candidate Dean Barkely, who served in the U.S. Senate filling out the late Paul Wellstone’s term.How do these candidates stand on innovating in aging services?Here at Changing Aging we provide a glimpse through an AARP Magazine question answered by Coleman and Franken. Changing Aging also sought to interview all three candidates. Franken answered our questions, Barkely provided a statement and we haven’t heard from Coleman’s campaign although we’ve made several requests. If we receive information from the Coleman campaign, we will post it. You can read Barkley’s response here and Franken’s here.Below are the responses from Coleman and Franken to this question posed by AARP:How would you shift long-term care services and financing so that people can afford to stay in their homes and communities as long as appropriate?Sen. Norm Coleman:As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging I’ve strongly supported efforts to enable seniors to continue to enjoy the dignity of independent living, including more opportunities to remain in the workplace. In fact, I’ve introduced legislation to to bring together stakeholders to help build a vision in which older Americans can stay independent, live active and mobile lives, and contribute to their communities through employment opportunities. I’ve also cosponsored S. 1980, the Long-Term Care Quality and Modernization Act of 2007. This bill will enhance long-term care quality and will remove barriers to care for long-term residents.Al FrankenIt is imperative that we develop a long-term care system that allows seniors to make choices about the care that works best for them. We should give seniors choices that are consistent with their needs, while making long-term care more affordable for seniors and their families. No one is better equipped to ensure that seniors are treated with the dignity they deserve from their families. Current long-term care options are geared toward institutions that remove the patients from home. We must develop a program that allows patients to remain in their homes, and family members to become as involved as possible in care. Home-based care options are often more personal, comfortable, and affordable than caregiving institutions and must always be available.