Ecumen Century Club: Happy 100th Birthday Henry (Hank) Niemiec
Ecumen honors Henry (Hank) Niemiec, a resident of Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, who is 100.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 100th Birthday Fern Ann Trierweiler
Ecumen honors Fern Ann Trierweiler, a resident of Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, who is 100.
Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood Chef Bill Evanoff Gets a High-Profile Assignment at the Super Bowl
Ecumen Chef Bill Evanoff has a key role at the Taste of the NFL Party with a Purpose, a charity event held on Super Bowl eve.
Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary
Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood celebrated its five-year anniversary last Thursday with a festive casino night.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 102nd Birthday Lorna Smith
Ecumen honors Lorna Smith, a resident of Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, who is 102.
Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood: Chuck McKiernan Gives His Fellow Residents the Gift of Exercise
Chuck McKiernan, a resident at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood, is done with treadmills. He stills has the scars where he fell off one. But when his good friend Millie did a treadmill face plant and sustained serious injury, that put him over the edge.
Chuck exercised his checkbook and bought a $6,500 NuStep recumbent cross trainer, which he donated to Seasons at Maplewood in honor of the McKiernan family.
“So many people going through rehab just can’t use a treadmill,” Chuck says. “They need low impact exercise.” And he should know.
While he was going through cardiac rehabilitation at a local hospital, he was walking on a treadmill and had another heart attack. When he fell, the treadmill didn’t automatically shut down, making a mess of his leg below the knee.
That’s how he first learned about the NuStep, whose inventor was specifically striving for a better, safer type of exercise for those managing heart disease. The NuStep gives a total body workout in a seated position.
This was all swirling in Chuck’s mind as the Residents Council at Seasons at Maplewood was dealing with a budget problem. They were debating priorities — a new security system versus new exercise equipment. Both were important, but the security system got the nod.
And that’s when Chuck decided to do what he could about the exercise equipment.
“This is such a generous and considerate donation,” says Hope Summers, the Housing Director at Seasons at Maplewood. “We are all so grateful to Chuck for his gift and for his concern for other residents. The NuStep meets a very real need. The residents are lining up to use it.”
“It’s about helping others,” says Chuck, a jovial guy who is enjoying telling fellow residents all about the new machine. “It’s easy-on, easy-off,” he says, showing a woman how to scoot out of her walker and on to the NuStep.
“I’m not using it as much as I should,” Chuck says. “But I’m spending a lot of time instructing others.”
To acknowledge the donation a group of grateful well-wishers assembled in the Fitness Center recently. Chuck and his cousin Dale Grambush gathered with Resident Council President Larry Bauer-Scandin, Council Secretary Betty Lundberg, Hope Summers, Ecumen Regional Manager Joe Signore, the former Housing Director here, Maintenance Manager Billy Flanagan, and Ecumen Director of Development Amy Williams.
As the group assembles, Chuck is flipping through a magazine. “Look here!” he says. “Here’s my next donation. It’s a Scrabble game with pieces that are 150 percent bigger. I know some people who have trouble reading those little pieces.”
Celebrating the new equipment in the Fitness Center, (front row, left to right) Resident Council President Larry Bauer-Scandin, Chuck McKiernan, Council Secretary Betty Lundberg and (back row, left to right) Housing Director Hope Summers, Ecumen Regional Manager Joe Signore, Maintenance Manager Billy Flanagan, and Dale Grambush, Chuck's counsin.
An Earful of Fun at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood: Home of the Melodious ‘Maple Nuts’
A spirited group of women residents at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood are belting out show tunes with conviction. “There’s nothing like a dame,” they sing.
Three Ecumen Communities Awarded Minnesota State Arts Board Grants To Enhance Creative Experiences for Seniors
The Minnesota State Arts Board has awarded grants totaling just over $46,000 to three Ecumen communities to encourage artistic development and creativity among older adults through the Partners in Arts Participation program.
Top 5 Blog Posts - January 19
Did you miss last week's most-read Changing Aging blog posts? Ecumen's online visitors found these articles most interesting:
Her shift starts at 6 a.m. Dawn Bolhuis, LPN, a long-term care nurse at Ecumen Pathstone Living in Mankato, Minn., will not be late. Her residents depend on her, and, like every other morning, she can't wait to see how they are doing today. And they can't wait to see her.
Oscar Contender "Still Alice" Dramatically Captures Alzheimer's
Critics are raving about the movie "Still Alice" and Julianne Moore's compelling performance as a 50-year-old mother, wife and college professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. In the clip below from NBC News, the actress talks about her determination to give an accurate portrayal of the disease that affects more than five million Americans.
An Extraordinary Act of Appreciation and Generosity at Ecumen Seasons at Apple Valley
On New Year's Eve, a family brought 82 sealed holiday cards to the frotn office at Ecumen Seasons at Apple Valley. Their Mom and Dad live there, and they asked the office staff to hand out a card to each employee.
Ecumen Centennial House Resident Charles Hearn Went to Battel on the Silver Screen
Charles (Chuck) Hearn was a good soldier who took a few bullets over the years. He was always comfortable on the battlefield - a place where he could feel connected to the memory of his relatives who fought in the Civil War.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 100th Birthday Eleanore Ebeling
Ecumen honors Eleanore Ebeling, who is 100.
You can read these articles and more at www.ecumen.org.
Top 5 Blog Posts - October 6
Baby Elsie, our youngest volunteer, topped Ecumen's list of most popular blog posts last week. In case you missed out, here are the stories our online visitors found most interesting.
Elsie Williams, 9 Months Old, is Changing Aging as Ecumen's Youngest Volunteer
"Smile" on Ecumen When You Shop on Amazon
Dr. John Brose on Dementia Care: It Doesn't Have to Be This Way
Adeline Carlson, a Gold Star Mother Living at Ecumen Detroit Lakes, Remembers That Day - Always
Star Tribune Highlights Ecumen's Efforts to Make Communities More Age Friendly
To read more Changing Aging stories or Ecumen news, please visit www.ecumen.org.