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Shoreview, Minn., July 19, 2022 — CedarStone Senior Living, a new senior living community consisting of 88 carefree living and assisted living units, and 32 memory care units, is opening on July 18 and currently hosting tours of the community. A partnership between Ecumen, a nonprofit organization with 160 years of experience and more than 40 senior living communities throughout the Midwest, and Nelson Construction and Development, a real estate development and general construction company based in Des Moines, Iowa.

“We are excited to partner with Nelson Construction and Development to bring our mission of advocating for older adults by providing housing choices, compassionate healthcare and innovative services to the Cedar Falls community,” said Shelley Kendrick, Ecumen President and CEO. “CedarStone Senior Living will be a community where you choose what you need and want — from healthcare needs to amenities within CedarStone Senior living.”

CedarStone Senior Living will offer a premium or standard version of apartments with various floor plans. Apartments feature a full-size kitchen with solid surface countertops, and stainless steel appliances. In addition, premium apartments have ranges, dishwashers and washer/dryers. Along with beautiful apartments, CedarStone offers an amenity-rich community, including club rooms, lounges, a dining room, bistro, private dining room, wellness center, theater, salon and barber, art studio, outdoor dining, an outdoor putting green, patios and walking paths.

CedarStone’s Carefree Living is a lifestyle that is free from home maintenance, filled with opportunities within an amenity-rich community. As needs change, older adults can add customized quality care within the same apartment. No need to move; our assisted living services come to you as you continue to enjoy our vibrant community.

Memory Care at CedarStone delivers an enriching, supportive lifestyle with the security and compassion families want for their loved ones. At the heart of our Memory Care approach is the Ecumen-developed Awakenings™ Program. Nationally recognized, this Memory Care program replaces sedating drugs with sensory stimulation, aromatherapy, massage, cooking, art therapy and more. Awakenings™ helps to “reawaken” many residents whose physical and cognitive abilities have been masked by inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs.

While not a cure, Awakenings™ is collaborative care that puts the resident at the center while combining the knowledge, experience and abilities of the professional care team, physicians, pharmacists, and those whose lives are entrusted to us and their loved ones. Through this program, we recognize and empower each person’s abilities. We honor the resident for the unique individual he or she is. The result of Awakenings™ is better lives for our residents.

“The partnership between Ecumen and Nelson Construction and Development will bring innovative services and an amenity-rich community to greater Cedar Valley,” said CedarStone Senior Living Executive Director, Kersten Fisher. “We cannot wait for those who call us home to experience everything we have to offer. With a passion and heart for senior living, our experienced leadership team is working hard to make sure every detail, big and small, is perfect for our future residents.”

CedarStone Senior Living is located at 4715 Algonquin Drive, Cedar Falls, IA. For more information, visit cedarstoneliving.com or call 319-595-2060.

Ecumen is a nonprofit provider, developer and operator of award-winning living spaces and innovative technology and services for older adults. Mission-driven since its founding in 1862, Ecumen’s legacy of service is a reflection of a commitment to honoring those it serves. Ecumen is based in Shoreview, Minn., and operates properties and services in multiple states, and provides new development, management and consulting services. Housing options include cooperative living, independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care communities. Its diverse in-home and community-based services include home care, hospice, physical and occupational therapy, adult day services, technology products and an online durable goods medical store. For more information, visit ecumen.org.

McKnight Senior Living, July 18, 2022 — Proprietary software has helped senior living provider Ecumen to curb antibiotic use and halt viral outbreaks across 300 skilled nursing facilities. Now, the company is expanding the technology’s use to its assisted living facilities and other providers it services, it announced Friday.

The Shoreview, MN-based company began rolling out the first version of its Peerlytics Infection Management & ABX Stewardship software in 2018. The program has brought $2,000 savings on antibiotic drugs per 100-bed facility (estimated from the lowest-cost antibiotic), according to Brett Anderson, RN, chief ecosystem and operations officer. And it has helped care providers reduce the duration of time patients are on antibiotic therapy, he said.

Providers also have reported an estimated 25% and 40% reduction in staff hours spent tracking trending infections, eliminating survey deficiencies in infection control and antibiotic stewardship regulation. The software’s use is now in the pilot phase in Ecumen assisted living communities and in three external AL communities that it serves.

“We would anticipate the same savings in the assisted living provider space,” Anderson told McKnight’s Senior Living. The software is customizable, and Ecumen also has seen interest from a memory care facility that wishes to reduce resources spent managing urinary tract infections, he noted.

Search for stewardship solutions

The importance of antibiotic stewardship has continued to grow as bacteria increasingly find ways to outwit the drugs meant to keep them in check, close observers say. Widespread use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a 15% spike in deaths tied to antibiotic-resistant superbugs from 2019 to 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported.

Meanwhile, long-term care facility residents are highly vulnerable to severe outcomes from such infections. And provider interest in infection management tools has grown since the advent of COVID-19, Anderson told McKnight’s. … [read the full story here].

Shoreview, Minn., July 13, 2022 As it celebrates 160 years, nonprofit senior housing and health care provider, Ecumen, is expanding its investment in technology development. Ecumen just announced a new technology portfolio called Peerlytics, which builds on the success of the abxtracker software it acquired last year. The new portfolio will launch even more web-based solutions designed for care environments — designed by health care experts.

“Ecumen has been an industry innovator throughout our long history, and our mission compels us to help as many people as possible,” said Shelley Kendrick, Ecumen President and CEO. “We’re doubling down on our investment in technology because we know what a game changer it will be for our entire industry. These solutions will make a huge difference in quality of care for seniors around the globe.”

Infection Management and Antibiotic Stewardship — and Beyond

Peerlytics Infection Management & ABX Stewardship (formerly abxtracker) is the first technology tool in the new suite of technology solutions designed to improve quality of life and patient/resident outcomes, with additional technologies expected to be launched in the coming year.

Originally developed by two seasoned Minnesota-based senior care pharmacists, Infection Management & ABX Stewardship is an antibiotic and infection control tracking software designed for long term care and assisted living, and aligned with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations. It allows providers to electronically track antibiotic use in real time, with the ultimate objective of reducing the use of antibiotics in senior care.

“This was created out of a real need in the senior living space,” said Brett K. Anderson, RN, chief ecosystem and operations officer, Ecumen. “We know that the overuse and over prescription of antibiotics can lead to negative outcomes, including increasing bacterial resistance.”

“Providers in the senior care space are looking for solutions that improve quality and outcomes for those they serve. The deep knowledge we bring to these solutions sets us apart and gives us a great opportunity to build on the technology for our residents and for other providers in our space,” Anderson said.

Additionally, the technology has expanded to infection control surveillance, which allows clinical teams to identify infection trends in real time and implement precautions to reduce the chance of spreading infections — including COVID-19, as well as other viral, fungal or bacterial infections such as influenza and norovirus among residents and staff. The patented mapping technology maps infection on a facility-specific map in real time.

Real-Time Results and Better Outcomes

Over the past year, skilled nursing communities using the Infection Management & ABX Stewardship software have seen a reduction in antibiotic use, saving an estimated $2,000 on antibiotics, but more importantly, reducing the over-prescription of antibiotics among residents in skilled nursing communities. Providers using the software also saved between 25 – 40 percent of nursing time in tracking and trending infections, and received no deficiencies in infection control and antibiotic stewardship regulation on their surveys.

“There are many more opportunities for innovation to improve the lives of those we serve, and that’s our goal,” Kendrick said. “From our industry-leading Awakenings program — which established standards to eliminate unnecessary antipsychotics and improve care for individuals with dementia – to our new Peerlytics technology platform, we are excited to offer solutions that are created by providers that enhance care, quality and outcomes for those we serve.”

Ecumen is a nonprofit provider, developer and operator of award-winning living spaces and innovative technology and services for older adults. Mission-driven since its founding in 1862, Ecumen’s legacy of service is a reflection of a commitment to honoring those it serves. Ecumen is based in Shoreview, Minn., and operates properties and services in multiple states, and provides new development, management and consulting services. Housing options include cooperative living, independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care communities. Its diverse in-home and community-based services include home care, hospice, physical and occupational therapy, adult day services, technology products and an online durable goods medical store. For more information, visit ecumen.org.