Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Jim Klobuchar - The Rebellion of Women Reaches His House

Football season has ended: Perfect timing for this story from Ecumen blogger Jim Klobuchar:

I want to be the first to announce the arrival of an exciting shift in the vocabulary of professional football, direct from the lips of an original woman.

My wife Susan glows with the auras of the emancipated American woman. She is Harvard-educated with an intercontinental range in taste and action. She adores books written by Nobel-prize winning authors from Egypt and Latin America, and cooks with an easy sophistication that rolls the eyes of gourmets. Further, she regrets the absence of women from the lineups of big league baseball because as a star of her fourth grade team in Washingon D.C. she envisioned a career as a right-handed pitcher in the American League, having perfected a wicked slider.

I tell you these things to explain my wife’s bizarre behavior a few Sundays ago when the professional football regular season, defying all odds, actually approached its end.

I settled in my basement study, working the TV control to adjust the sound. The game had just begun, surviving the usual five-minute agony of the national anthem as it is mauled in the stadiums of America today. My wife walked in and plopped a hammer and a heavy screw driver on the cabinet top next to my desk.

After studying this scene uneasily for a few moments, I said, “welcome. That was a fine lunch. What are your intentions with these violent instruments?”

Her response: “You’ve been telling me for years that football when it’s watched at home is a communal game, where families can gather and cheer or groan together. So when I come downstairs to join you, the game starts and the conversation ends. For the next three hours you’re the transplanted Sphinx. I like to be near the action so I’m going to re-hang some pictures in the family room.”

The family room is next door to my office. The game was on and a hellish hacking and hammering soon broke out from the adjacent walls. It didn’t take long to decode my wife’s strategy. “Won’t you join me,” I said sweetly. “Feel free to ask any questions to get caught up with the game.” She said, “I remember your telling me that you used to teach a football clinic for women.”

“Right. We held class every other Tuesday. More than 200 women would gather to decomplicate the mysteries of football. It was a landmark in the field of higher education.”

“Did you ever talk about tight ends?

“Right. Bad jokes aside, the tight end is one of the bigger pass receivers. He is big enough to double as a blocker so he lines up close, or tight, to the linemen.”

“All right, “ my wife said, “if there are tight ends, who are the loose ends?

“The what...?

And then the light flashed, boldly and inescapably. My wife had scored. She had cut through the football gobbledygook about wideouts and flankers who spread out near the sidelines. The female instinct for common sense and clarity had done it again. My wife had cut to the bone. If there are tight ends, there have to be loose ends. I’m going to petition the football arbiters to change the gobbledygook. No more wideouts. From now on they are tight ends and loose ends.

And in at least one one household, it’s better than sorry ends. I may ask you to sign the petition.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

10 Lessons in Innovation From 3M

Participants in Velocity, which is an intensive yearlong leadership development program for 20 Ecumen employees, recently spent the day at 3M.  The focus of the visit was innovation.  Among the many highlights was time spent with Alex Cirillo.  To say Alex has a diverse background would be an understatement.  In his career, among other things, he's been a monk, elementary school teacher, prison guard, scientist, CEO of 3M Canada and now head of 3M's foundation.  He also was actually at Woodstock (Yes, the Woodstock.)  Here are 10 Lessons Velocity participants picked up from Alex and 3M regarding innovation:

1.  Just because you can doesn't mean you should.  (3M has the capability to make a couch come out of a Swiss Army knife.  So what?)
 
2. Resign yourself to the fact that there is no such thing as a LTQF (long-term quick fix).
 
3.  Be "multilingual" – this means be able to speak with other areas of your company/world, share knowledge, build collaboration.
 
4.  Be clear about the context in which you're working. (Fish swimming in a fishbowl might think they're in the Atlantic Ocean and the biggest fish in the world.  They're not.  They're missing the context.)
 
5.  Keep your perspective.
 
6.  Know when to think in Black and White and when to think in Color.  (Oftentimes simple is the very best.)
 
7. The thing you should work hardest at is to build confidence in your people.  Innovation is a "contact sport," people have to be confident in collaborating and working with others.
 
8.  Be a teacher.
 
9.  Be personally committed to making yourself and those around you excited about innovating.
 
10. Be positive, open to change and hungry to learn.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

There Has to be a Better Way to Provide Veterans' Long-Term Care

                   

Here's another egregious example of why America needs to transform how we pay for long-term care.  NOW on PBS recently had a show that looked at the question:  "Who's helping our wounded vets?"  Much of that help is coming from family members working to exhaustion and financial ruin to provide long-term care for their loved ones who have returned from the Middle East with life altering injuries.  It's brutally sad, and it makes inaction in Washington D.C. among members of Congress all the more infuriating.

Above is a photo of American heros Anthony Thompson and his wife Ivonne Thompson.  Ivonne has a blog chronicling the progress of her husband who suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Amid this difficulty, check out Sunday's Saint Paul Pioneer Press story on an innovative Veterans Affairs initiative that is working.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Veterans Get Empowered Outside of Nursing Home With Foster-Care

"You're seeing a bit of a culture shift in understanding how care can happen.

                                       - Kathryn West, who operates the Veterans Affairs Foster Care Program for Seniors

Interesting story in yesterday's Saint Paul Pioneer Press by Jeremy Olson about how the Department of Veterans Affairs has a new foster care program that is empowering seniors who need assistance, but not the intensive care of a nursing home, to live with foster care families.  It looks at how one particular veteran Fred Gaertner has thrived.  So interesting how a little different thinking can improve lives.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

A Michael Jackson Tribute for the Ages - It Will Make Your Day

Ecumen co-blogger Helen Rickman sent over this YouTube videol today with the the title "It will make your day."  It does.  Enjoy.  It's courtesy of three residents at Leisure World in Seal Beach, Calif.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

The 20 Basics From Ritz-Carlton - Have You Experienced Them?

Ritz-Carlton has a brand promise - "Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen" -   and their 20 Basics of Service.  I've never stayed in a Ritz-Carlton.  Has any Changer Ager stayed there?  Did you feel that they delivered on their commitment to service?

BRAND PROMISE

At The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., "We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." This motto exemplifies the anticipatory service provided by all staff members.

THREE STEPS OF SERVICE

1. A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest name, if and when possible.

2. Anticipation and compliance with guest needs.

3. Fond farewell. Give them a warm good-bye and use their names, if and when possible.

20 BASICS

1. The Credo is the principal belief of our Company. It must be known, owned and energized by all.

2. Our Motto is "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen." As service professionals, we treat our guests and each other with respect and dignity.

3. The Three Steps of Service are the foundation of Ritz-Carlton hospitality. These steps must be used in every interaction to ensure satisfaction, retention and loyalty.

4. The Employee Promise is the basis for our Ritz-Carlton work environment. It will be honored by all employees.

5. All employees will successfully complete annual Training Certification for their position.

6. Company objectives are communicated to all employees. It is everyone's responsibility to support them.

7. To create pride and joy in the workplace, all employees have the right to be involved in the planning of the work that affects them.

8. Each employee will continuously identify defects (MR BIV) throughout the Hotel.

9. It is the responsibility of each employee to create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so that the needs of our guests and each other are met.

10. Each employee is empowered. For example, when a guest has a problem or needs something special you should break away from your regular duties, address and resolve the issue.

11. Uncompromising levels of cleanliness are the responsibility of every employee.

12. To provide the finest personal service for our guests, each employee is responsible for identifying and recording individual guest preferences.

13. Never lose a guest. Instant guest pacification is the responsibility of each employee. Whoever receives a complaint will own it, resolve it to the guest's satisfaction and record it.

14. "Smile - we are on stage." Always maintain positive eye contact. Use the proper vocabulary with our guests. (Use words like - "Good Morning," "Certainly," "I'll be happy to," and "My pleasure.")

15. Be an ambassador of your Hotel in and outside of the work place. Always talk positively. Communicate any concerns to the appropriate person.

16. Escort guests rather than pointing out directions to another area of the Hotel.

17. Use Ritz-Carlton telephone etiquette. Answer within three rings and with a "smile." Use the guest's name when possible. When necessary, ask the caller "May I place you on hold?" Do not screen calls. Eliminate call transfers whenever possible. Adhere to voice mail standards.

18. Take pride in and care of your personal appearance. Everyone is responsible for conveying a professional image by adhering to Ritz-Carlton clothing and grooming standards.

19. Think safety first. Each employee is responsible for creating a safe, secure and accident free environment for all guests and each other. Be aware of all fire and safety emergency procedures and report security risks immediately.

20. Protecting the assets of a Ritz-Carlton Hotel is the responsibility of every employee. Conserve energy, properly maintain our hotels and protect the environment.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

What Does Avatar Have to Do With Aging in Place?

Longtime Forrester Research analyst Liz Boehm and contributor to Aging in Place Technology Watch ponders the question.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

New Poll on Health Care Provides Lesson for Going About Change

One of the details of health care we've been focused upon at Ecumen is The CLASS Act.  It's a good idea that will come back even if health care reform goes away.  There are other good ideas wrapped in the health care bills, too.  But few of us know about them.

Where would health care be today if we actually would have had a national discussion of those ideas rather than a free-for-all shoutfest?  What if there were 5 points for us to focus upon instead of vagueness?  Chances are the President would be highlighting the passage of health care reform in tonight's State of the State Address.

A new poll by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Americans are divided over congressional health reform proposals, but also that large shares of people, including skeptics, become more supportive after being told about many of the major provisions in the bills.  The poll also finds that even after a year of substantial media coverage of the health reform debate, many Americans remain unfamiliar with key elements of the major bills passed by the House and Senate . . .

Information . . . made easy to understand . . . and shared with people . . . is a powerful thing . . .


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Putting the Wide Angle on Aging - A New Speakers' Series at Minneapolis Library

Ecumen greatly enjoys working with the neighbors on the Minneapolis Riverfront who have created the Mill City Commons community.  They've started a cool new speakers series in partnership with the Library Foundation of Hennepin County.  It's called age: wide<ngle

The series begins Tuesday, Feb. 2nd at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:15 p.m.) and occurs every Tuesday evening at Pohlad Hall at the Central Library on 300 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.  Here's a brief sketch on the Feb. 2nd speakers. Read more about upcoming speakers here:

Feb. 2, Mary K. Baumann & Will Hopkins, Visual Trends

The extensive portfolio of design firm Hopkins/Baumann includes magazine work with LIFE, LOOK, PEOPLE, ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, FORBES, FOOD & WINE, BODY & SOUL, L'EXPRESS (France) and CLAUDIA (UK).  Hopkins and Baumann have been tracking popular graphic trends and will discuss what it takes to keep pace with our fast-moving visual culture.


Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

How to Help Older Adults in Haiti

A horrid description follows of the plight of a older adults in Haiti from Michelle Faul of the Canadian Press  . . . Below is information on how you can help

On the grounds of the Municipal home for the elderly in Port Au Prince, Haiti last Thursday, old people lay listlessly in beds out in the open with sheets smeared with excrement, surrounded by hundreds of people living in makeshift tents. One man wore just a T-shirt, his private parts exposed. A woman, just skin and bones, held her head. A body lay in the debris of the nearby nursing home.

"What can you say?" said Louis Belanger, a spokesman for Oxfam Great Britain. "It is very often the case that the strongest and fittest get help. ...

The older people of Haiti are still in dire need of help and will be for the foreseeable future. If you haven’t given already, please consider donating to HelpAge International (HAI).

The International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (IAHSA) and HAI are global collaborative partners dedicated to helping elders in the developing world. HAI is the only relief and development organization focused on the needs of older persons in developing countries and has had a presence in Haiti for eight years. They work with local partners to support local people and use local resources to build long term capacity and reduce dependency.

HAI is uniquely situated to meet the needs of Haitian older people on the ground, right now. That is why IAHSA and Ecumen's national trade association AAHSA are joining forces with HAI. Their efforts will address the specific needs of older people – food, water, medicine and mobility aids, emotional support and shelter.  HelpAge partners with several nonprofits on the ground in Haiti to help older adults. Their partners help Haitians receive all sorts of resources, from water to healthcare.

You can learn more and contribute here.