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Resolving workforce challenges in our field is a multi-tiered strategy. One area to consider is recruiting retired workers and new Americans. Two LeadingAge Minnesota members piloted programs to work with tribal partners and the Somali community to improve their recruitment efforts. Read more for their stories, as well as thoughts on giving the growing number of Baby Boomers a chance to use their skills and make a difference in their community. 

A three-part webinar series helps your care center staff team maintain compliance with fire and life safety requirements and avoid the most common violations. Taught by popular and knowledgeable presenter Bob Imholte and designed for engineering, environmental services, maintenance, housekeeping, administrators, nursing and other key staff.  

Ask an adult day program provider their #1 challenge, and chances are you’ll hear about absenteeism and the unexpected loss of revenue it creates. A webinar on April 22 helps address this challenge and offers real tools, strategies and resources to reduce client absences. 

Learn from other providers who have implemented successful absenteeism policies and how you can do the same. Find details and registration here.

The popular Nursing Leadership Symposium begins in less than two weeks and time is running out to register – the deadline is Monday, April 1 (no fooling!) 

Don’t miss the deep-dive discussions at our April ALNET meetings. The agenda topics help the Assisted Living nurse answer these questions and more:  

Did you know LeadingAge Minnesota has nearly two dozen On-Demand Webinars available for your just-in-time staff development needs, with many more in development. 

New competition, the changing health care environment and other market pressures are causing not-for-profit providers to look to partnerships and mergers to grow, thrive and even survive. During last week’s LeadingAge Leadership Summit in Washington DC, Ziegler presented new data showing that scale and size are critical in today’s senior living marketplace and featured a series of examples of where not-for-profit providers are finding success. 

New competition, the changing health care environment and other market pressures are causing not-for-profit providers to look to partnerships and mergers to grow, thrive and even survive. During last week’s LeadingAge Leadership Summit in Washington DC, Ziegler presented new data showing that scale and size are critical in today’s senior living marketplace and featured a series of examples of where not-for-profit providers are finding success. 

Recent national media attention on care center closures in rural areas of the U.S. hit close to home, as six care centers have closed in Minnesota since 2017. The Governor’s proposed cuts to Value-Based Reimbursement could further contribute to this unfortunate trend. Gayle Kvenvold, President & CEO, LeadingAge Minnesota was recently interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio on care center closures and the impact it has on residents, families and the community at large. 

The OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program offers a compliance guarantee, meaning the OnTrack team makes edits to the curriculum in real time as new requirements and best practices are released. 

Information guides, sample policies and other materials relating to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 101, Life Safety Code® 2012 edition, are available to download at no charge from the LeadingAge Minnesota website (scroll down to Life Safety Code Documentation: Guides and Sample Forms).  

A busy week at the State Capitol is unfolding, with two hearings scheduled this week that are expected to advance major bills related to senior care budget and policy issues. Our Day at the Capitol was a success in setting the stage for solutions that will best meet the needs of the older adults we serve, but your advocacy will be needed in the days and weeks ahead as the Legislature gets down to business in advancing budget proposals and potential historic changes to senior living. 

A free webinar on April 16 will share new resources, tips and success stories in how the AgingServicesJobs.org board can help you address your hiring challenges. Sign up for the webinar.  

Patient Driven Payment Model, or PDPM, is the biggest change to care center reimbursement since RUGs, and it goes into effect in just six months – Oct. 1. Get your organization ready for the conversion through a series of training opportunities from LeadingAge Minnesota:  

President Trump submitted his administration’s fiscal year 2020 spending proposals to Congress last week – and they did not feature good news for aging services providers and the older adults they serve. 

Time is short to register for the 2019 Nursing Leadership Symposium – a comprehensive, five-part training series that prepares professional nurses for the challenging and exciting role of a nurse leader or director in long-term care. 

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is excited to offer over $33,000 in educational scholarships to eligible caregivers and other employees of LeadingAge MN member organizations. To qualify, applicants must: 

Kaiser Health News reported last week that care centers have seen their fines drop by about 31 percent during the Trump administration. 

Melanie (Mel) Sullivan, Ed.D., has been named Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Ecumen, effective April 1.  

Employer applications for the 2019 Summer Health Care Internship Program (SHCIP) are due April 12. Hospitals, clinics, care centers, home care providers and adult day services providers are encouraged to participate on behalf of qualified students in their community. 

Face Aging MN has launched a new, interactive map of caregiver stories from across the state to provides seniors, families, leaders and policymakers a glimpse of local caregivers in their own communities, demonstrate the essential work and value of these rewarding careers, and inspire positive change. 

Become an Early Adopter of Align’s Employee Engagement Solution (manager/supervisor evaluation and training), and/or two Customer Experience Solutions by April 15 and receive special pricing! 

Breaking fee-for-service habits is hard, and not just for providers of long-term services and support. Every sector in the health or human services field has had to adapt to a new world of managed care. The latest issue of the LeadingAge national magazine, sheds light on the change and disruption happening our field related to managed care and shares insight on a path forward. 

Care center occupancy is at an all-time low and the workforce situation is only getting more challenging, according to a new analysis we recently completed based on the 2018 occupancy survey and 2019 Long-Term Care Imperative legislative survey. 

The wait is over – registration is now open for the 2019 Assisted Living Certificate Program. You can choose either the Spring Series, which begins April 25, or Late Summer/Fall series which begins Aug. 6. 

Safety. Being around family. Having access to the outdoors. Affordability. These are just a few key findings in a new noteworthy study from LeadingAge and NORC. 

Now that you’ve made the Safe Care for Seniors pledge, it’s time to launch the program in your setting! To help you engage your staff, residents and families in our shared mission to prevent harm in the course of caregiving, we’ve developed a Safe Care for Seniors Campaign Kick-Off Toolkit and Online Resource Library.

Have you tried recruiting through LeadingAge Minnesota’s job board AgingServicesJOBS.org? Check it out! Email Jenna Kellerman for a promo code to post your first job for FREE!   

The Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference, which takes place April 15-17 in San Antonio, offers unmatched opportunities to connect with leaders and experts in our field, discover solutions to common challenges, stay abreast of key trends, explore innovative technology, and learn core strategies to advance business operations and careers. Argentum is offering a special promo code – STATE50 – for members to receive $50 off a full conference pass. 

Non-improving late adopters in the reduction in long-stay residents who were receiving an antipsychotic medication may soon be subjected to enhanced oversight and enforcement remedies, according to a notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).