News

Nominations are now open for two elected Director-at-Large positions on the LeadingAge Minnesota Board of Directors. The terms begin on Jan. 1, 2020 and run for three years with eligibility for re-election to a second, three-year term.  

Did you take the Safe Care for Seniors pledge and find yourself asking “now what?” Get that answer and more at our final in-person Safe Care for Seniors workshop on Monday, Aug. 5 in Saint Paul. Register Today!   

The deadline for the annual salary survey, which is a joint project of LeadingAge Minnesota, Care Providers of Minnesota, and the Healthcare Human Resources Association of Minnesota, has been extended until the end of July for those members who have not returned it yet. 

Despite a continued trend of improved financial performance in care centers that started in 2016, new data from the Nursing Facility Financial Indicators survey makes clear that providers continue to face significant financial challenges.   

Stay Interviews are a great way to connect with staff. These structured conversations can help leaders touch base with new staff to ensure the onboarding process is a positive experience and also be used with long-standing staff to find out what your organization does well. What keeps loyal staff coming back each day?  

LeadingAge national has launched new tools to enhance and expand our aging advocate network.   

Over the past eight months, a diverse group of stakeholders from across the state have created a pathway of drug diversion prevention safety interventions based on learnings from drug diversion cases reported to the State and review of current research and practices. The result of this collaborative process will be unveiled at our Drug Diversion Prevention Seminar on Aug. 13 in Saint Paul.  

Have you ordered your Safe Care for Seniors pins? Don’t wait. Time is running out. LeadingAge MN is placing its final pin order. We need to receive all pin requests by Friday, July 12. Send your pin request to Jodi Boyne at jboyne@leadingagemn.org. 

The Elder Care and Vulnerable Protection Act of 2019 will bring forward the next generation of assisted living and changes in vulnerable adult protection for all providers of aging services. As we’ve been traveling the state and fielding calls and emails, we know you have questions, concerns and ideas on the challenges and opportunities presented by the new regulations. We are here…at your side…ready to help.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expecting a three to 10-month nationwide shortage of APLISOL®, which is one of two purified-protein derivative tuberculin antigens that are licensed for use in performing tuberculin skin tests. This shortage will impact assisted living, home care, boarding care, care centers, supervised living facilities, and supplemental nursing services. 

In case you missed it, MPR last week featured a one-hour program focused on the care and housing needs of Minnesota’s rapidly-growing population. Kari Thurlow, Senior Vice President of Advocacy for LeadingAge Minnesota, was a featured guest on the program that also touched upon the new package of legislative reforms to protect elderly and vulnerable adults.   

By popular demand, we will hold a Safe Care for Seniors workshop on Monday, Aug. 5 in Saint Paul. Register Today! 

The OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training progam continues to see success in its second year of operation, and we see many different types of organizations deploying OnTrack onsite. Does your organization qualify to offer OnTrack? 

A maltreatment compensation fund has been established effective July 1, 2019 as a new section of the Comprehensive Home Care Law. The fund, which will be funded by fines for Level 2 through 4 violations, will be available to home care clients with a finding of substantiated maltreatment until it closes on July 31, 2021 when the new Assisted Living Licensure becomes effective.  

Allison Floberg, Social Services Director at Fair Oaks Lodge in Wadena, has received the Make Zero Harm Possible Award from LeadingAge Minnesota. 

To help you learn more about the new Assisted Living Licensure law and stay informed about the rulemaking process, we’ve created a one-stop web page where you can easily access information about the new law, how it impacts you, ways to engage in the rulemaking process, and resources to help you comply with the new requirements.  

The 2019 version of our annual salary survey was recently emailed to all members and human services contacts. The survey, a project of LeadingAge Minnesota, Care Providers of Minnesota and the Healthcare Human Resources Association of Minnesota, results in two comprehensive reports on employee compensation in care centers and senior housing settings.  

A team of program assistants from the Minnesota Veteran’s Home – Minneapolis Adult Day Center are the first recipients of the Make Zero Harm Possible award from LeadingAge Minnesota. Olubunmi Gbadamosi, Mary Falkowski, Maggie McGown and Gloria Smith were recognized for their work to reduce falls among clients who attend the Adult Day Center.  

Not sure how the outcomes of the 2019 legislative session affect you, your staff and the people you serve? Then you won't want to miss June District meetings. 

The special session that was required to complete work on the state budget ended in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 25. Given all the challenges of the session, with its focus on addressing elder abuse and assisted living oversight and an unexpected proposal to cut funding for senior care, our successes were only made possible by the tireless and unprecedented grassroots advocacy of our members. In the end, we were able pass the historic Elder Care and Vulnerable Adult Protection Act of 2019 and hold off rate cuts for care centers and reductions to Elderly Waiver caps. We also know that there is significant work ahead and issues that were largely unaddressed this year, including Elderly Waiver funding reform and addressing the caregiving workforce shortage.