The Aging Revolution by Wesley Enhanced Living
I’m a revolutionary.' Those are the words Jeff Petty, CEO of Wesley Enhanced Living in Philadelphia opened up Wesley’s Aging Revolution Conference in Philly. What he meant by a revolutionary is that he’s part of an organization that is 'changing aging' and revolutionizing how we serve our customers and prepare for tomorrow.The thought-provoking event included breakout sessions on e-seniorhood of 2027, discussions of how to better deliver housing and services, a keynote by Senator John Glenn, and a presentation by U.S. Comptroller General David Walker of the need to deliver new solutions on Medicare and Medicaid spending. Here’s a look at other revolutionaries who spoke.One extremely innovative revolutionary was Tobey Gordon Dichter, founder and CEO of the non-profit Generations On Line. She has made the internet highly accessible and affordable for seniors who live in assisted living or nursing homes. Helping seniors cross the digital divide, she’s also shattering stereotypes. Look at the top terms (in no particular order) that seniors look for on the internet based on a study her company did. They don’t look much different from non-seniors' search terms.- Culture/history- News- Names- Travel- Hobbies- Religion- Sports- Food & Wine- Politics/Issues- Health/Fitness-Education/Employment- Sex- Personal finance- CarsKudos to Wesley Enhanced Living on being Leaders, Revolutionaries and hosting a great conference.
Senior Housing Development Tips
We get a lot of calls from people wanting to develop senior housing. Sometimes those calls turn into fabulous projects that truly help make communities places where people can grow up and grow old.A number of these calls, however, come from starry-eyed speculators who really don’t understand the complexities of building a high-quality, vibrant senior community. For those truly interested in learning more about senior housing development, we have a new white paper that you can download (It’s on the left-hand side of the page link above). It looks at key things to think about before delving into a senior housing project. We hope you find it helpful. If you have other tips that you’d like to add, please submit your comments below. Facing the age wave, our society has such an opportunity to make livable communities for people throughout their lives.
Commodity Care or People Care in America’s Nursing Homes?
If you get a second, read the large article that was in this Sunday’s New York Times, about the surge in private equity firms taking over nursing homes. Beneath the text is an underlying question for America: Should older Americans be cared for as commodities or as people? Interested to hear your thoughts on this article and what it says about the state of long-term care in America.
Ecumen Welcomes New Trustees
We’ve been very fortunate at Ecumen to have volunteers who want to share their experiences and leadership skills in creating home and changing aging. We’d like to introduce you to the four newest members of our Board of Trustees: Rev. Dean Johnson, Peggy Lucas, Robert Hoffman and Rev. Kris Linner.
Robert H. Hoffman: Robert earlier this year was named Minnesota State University’s first vice president for strategic business, education and regional partnerships. He served as chair of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) and was a longtime Thrivent board member. A former coach, principal and school superintendent, Robert also served nearly 20 years in a variety of executive roles with Taylor Corporation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in secondary school administration from Minnesota State University in Mankato, and a doctor of education from Utah State University. “I was drawn by the leadership of the organization, and I’m so energized by the opportunities presented by this social phenomenon of the aging populace. There is so much potential when you look at continuous learning and the skills and wisdom of seniors. This is such a huge part of our society’s future. Ecumen is a leader in that future, and I’m extremely excited to be part of it.”
Rev. Kris Linner: Kris is the pastor of care ministries at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minn. Her extensive experience as a chaplain includes service at Lyngblomsten Care Center in St. Paul and Gunderson Lutheran Hospice in LaCrosse, WI. She was working as a social worker with seniors, when she felt called to enter seminary. Today her work combines both callings. Kris is the author of the children’s book My Brother Dave: Living Through a Loved One’s Death, and her work has appeared in Thanatos, Lutheran Women Today, Connections and The Lutheran. She is a graduate of Bemidji State University and Luther Northwestern Seminary. “My love for ministry to the aging initially attracted me to Ecumen. I’m extremely impressed by the innovation, leadership and forward thinking that Ecumen exhibits. The long-term care system nationally needs change and Ecumen is really looking at and working on new ways to serve seniors. I’m looking forward to being part of that.” 
Rev. Dean E. Johnson: Dean Johnson was selected as a Regent of the University of Minnesota in 2007. He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he served from 1978 to 1982 and the Minnesota Senate (1982 to 2006), where served as minority and majority leader. A brigadier general in the United States Army National Guard, he was special assistant to the chief of chaplains, National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C. and received numerous awards and commendations, including the Legion of Merit. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Luther College, a master’s of divinity from Luther Theological Seminary and master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.“I have enormous respect for Kathryn Roberts and board chair Loanne Thrane. I was very interested in long-term care during my 28 years in the State Legislature. I see it as one of the major issues facing the Church and our Society, and this is an opportunity for me to continue to serve in this important area.”
Peggy Lucas: Peggy is co-founder of Twin Cities-based Brighton Development Corporation, which focuses on historical preservation and residential housing. Her leadership was instrumental in the redevelopment of the historic West Side Milling District near downtown Minneapolis and development of award-winning affordable housing. Peggy has been named one of the Twin Cities’ “25 Most Influential Women” by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Peggy, who once served in the Peace Corps in the Middle East, received her bachelor’s of arts in history from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. “I see Ecumen as being on the cutting edge. I’m drawn in by that and by Ecumen’s leadership. It is very energizing to see how Ecumen is stepping out front in its approach to aging and the services and housing products that it is developing.”
Technology, Aging and the Change Wave
Yesterday we were talking about how fitness is viewed by different generations. Soon we’re going to hit the first American seniors that embrace the computer. When we talked to boomers in our Age Wave study, most use the internet, and they expect it to help them live more independently and longer.Now you’re seeing a number of social networking sites geared toward baby boomers. Matt Richtel wrote about several of the emerging 'boomer' sites in a recent N.Y. Times article entitled 'The Graying of the Web.' Current sites include: rezoom (which bills itself for the ageless generation), Boomj, and Boomertown. One site that is probably going to be a success is agis, which looks like it’s still in a pre-launch phase and is designed for family caregivers who are trying to navigate long-term care. It has received significant venture capital funding. What’s appealing about it is that it focuses on family caregivers to be a one-stop online resource where they can find the information they need to care for a spouse or parent, and talk with others who are experiencing the same thing. The upcoming generations of seniors are used to using technology to help them get the information that they need, when they need it. Marriage between technology that answers questions and makes it easier to navigate the long-term care maze is a good one.
Fitness and The Greatest Generation
Congratulations to Ecumen team members at The Pines and The Oaks in Hutchinson. They were a recipient of an Ecumen Majestic Oak Award for Innovation, which they received for developing a new initative that improves the lives of the people we serve and is adapted at other Ecumen communities. For more on the Ecumen Innovation Station program, go here.(Pictured L to R: Peggy Sugheimer, Kathryn Roberts and Joyce Aakre after the planting of the Ecumen Majestic Oak in Hutchinson).While prevention and fitness are becoming more prevalent in the next generation of seniors, they’re not as prevalent in the Greatest Generation. The team at Hutchinson (and Shelly Sohre, who now leads another Ecumen community) have created a fitness initiative where residents at The Oaks and The Pines pick a destination and then measure their miles. They’ve walked to Sturgis, Chicago and Dallas. When they reach their destination, they have a huge themed-party. They also have had a philanthropic component tied to it where local businesses make donations based on the number of miles that our customers have walked. If you have other creative programs that engage today’s seniors in fitness, please share them.
The Senior Federation and the Age Wave
Last week was a pretty interesting action packed week related to changing aging' in Minnesota … you can feel people feeling an opportunity to transform aging …- There was the Department of Human Services Transform 2010 Summit in St. Paul. It was packed with more than 200 people looking at the future. If you want to attend one of these sessions in your part of the state, here’s a link to upcoming meetings this month and next. - Archbishop Harry Flynn came out on Friday with his first of a three-part column series in the Archdiocesean newpaper on the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis work in preparing for the Age Wave. You can read his recent Pastoral Letter on Aging here.- And then there was a fascinating discussion hosted by the Minnesota Senior Federation to discuss reframing the role and responsibilty of the Senior Federation as it enters the Age Wave. People of varied ages were there from diverse sectors, such as health plans, foundations, senior housing organizations, marketing, and elsewhere.What was especially interesting (and energizing) is how people of various ages all agreed on things that were on their mind as they think about Minnesota’s age wave. Here are a number of them in various categories:Economic- Not outliving income- Housing: staying or moving?- Legacy planning- Who will take care of Minnesotans?- Going from 'Working' to 'Lifework' (Remember, most boomers said in our Age Wave Study, they’re going to do work they enjoy)- Working on my terms, not someone else’s- Starting up businessesSocial/Community- Want to stay in community- Want social contact- Opportunities for civic and social engagement- Lifelong learningRecreation/Lifestyle- Say goodbye to the 'senior center'; will be replaced by community centers/all ages- Alternative housing options- 'Senior Needs' won’t be so much different from rest of the community; in other words seniors won’t be viewed as so different from the rest of the community- Need transportation to maintain lifestyle- Stay physically active- technology (social networking)Health and Wellness- Access to health services; doctor will see them- Be able to afford care- Proactive, preventive health care- Keeping seniors active- Enabling independence- Technology (sharing information, reach into rural areas)As Bob Dylan sang, 'The times, they are a changing.'
Are You Going to Stop Working?
Last night Kathy Adams, who leads Arlington Place of Oelwein, Iowa, an Ecumen-managed community, was elected to the school board in Oelwein. (Word is that Hillary wanted to meet a person in the heartland who represents America’s changing face of retirement.) Kathy is planning on retiring soon, but let’s get real, anyone who has met her knows she’s not really going to retire, she’s going to keep using her skills in building community. That school board job is going to be a lot of work. Kathy won’t be alone. Many others are joining her in redefining retirement.Today Dave Phelps had an interesting front-page article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune: 'Retirement Age Doesn’t Mean 65.' According to his article, U.S. Census data shows: - 23.2% of U.S. residents 65 to 74 are working. - In Minnesota, that percentage is higher, 26.3 percent. -Of Twin Cities residents in their late 60s and early 70s, more than one in four, or 27.4% are working. -Among the top 20 largest metros in the U.S., only Washington D.C., Boston, and Dallas-Fort Worth are higher.A lot of boomers don’t plan on retiring. We learned that in our Age Wave Study. Many of them also say they’re going to change jobs and do work that they enjoy. This is going to change the face of the workplace significantly, including different benefit structures, flexible scheduling, more entrepreneurial efforts and a whole host of other areas.How do you view retirement? Are you going to have a traditional retirement and stop working, or will you continue working/do some work?
What’s Up With This?
Not sure why nearly a 1/2 page in the morning newspaper was devoted to Britney Spears today , but check out this first paragraph from the Associated Press, especially the second sentence.As in most train wrecks, it was hard to focus on just one thing as the Britney Spears disaster unfolded on MTV’s Video Music Awards. There was just so much that went wrong … . Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home… . At times, she just stopped singing, as if even she knew nothing could save her performance. It’s like the congressional ad last year in Minnesota that featured a young person dressed up in a grey wig, sitting on a parking bench, acting all meek and confused - generalizing that old people' are ah, meek and confused. Or the high-speed internet ad that’s running nationally that shows the 'before' and 'after' with high-speed internet service. The 'before' is a photo of a senior woman, the 'after' is a young beauty queen. You get the message …Ageist advertising and media depictions that fuel stereotypes need to go, go, go away. Aging is about living, even at the end of life. If you see ageism at work in the media, please submit it here. We can share it and hopefully help get it extinguished.
A Question for you …
Let’s pretend for a second that you have two things:1. Nothing holding you back from your visions (no rules, all the money in the world, no one to say no, absolutely nothing but wide open opportunity).2. A magic wand.What change or changes would you make to long-term care or aging services?Please answer by clicking below on comment' (you get to be an inventor and adventurer here, be whoever you want to be, yourself, Thomas Edison, Amelia Erhart, Richard Branson, anyone … this is pretend time).