News

The 2018 Day at the Capitol will be held on March 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join your fellow members and be an advocate for those you serve and their caregivers. REGISTER TODAY! 

Julie Fuchs, an LPN with Belgrade Nursing Home, was named Caregiver of the Year at last week’s LeadingAge Minnesota Institute & Expo.  

The first edition of our new The Essential Guide: Senior Housing, Housing with Services and Assisted Living in Minnesota is the perfect tool that every housing manager and campus administrator needs on their desk for handy reference!  

Benedictine Living Community of Duluth, Knute Nelson and Walker Methodist were recently recognized for their demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and advancing performance excellence. The Awards of Merit for Performance Excellence in Aging Services were presented during last week’s Institute & Expo. 

Two Minnesota Senate committees held a joint hearing last week regarding the state’s handling of vulnerable adult maltreatment complaints. LeadingAge Minnesota and its partner in the Long-Term Care Imperative (LTCI) testified at the hearing, and shared several recommendations for policy reforms that could be passed in the next legislative session to address ongoing concerns. 

This is your last chance to submit ideas to the Workforce Challenge! The Workforce Challenge is an opportunity for you to impact the educational experiences students have prior to entering the workforce. 

In the wake of last fall’s dramatic and disturbing Star Tribune series on the rising number of abuse and maltreatment reports in Minnesota, Governor Mark Dayton created a special work group charged with developing recommendations to improve the care and safety of older and vulnerable adults in nursing homes and assisted living and “strengthen the rights of residents and their families.” The workgroup,  delivered their report to the Governor on Monday, simultaneously releasing it to state legislators and the public. 

Almost two months have passed since the new skilled nursing facility survey went into effect and provider feedback and data trends reveal meaningful differences in the survey process and experience. Hear about the experiences and trends by joining a facilitated conference call on Feb. 19 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. 

We know it’s going to take a lot of us working together to best prepare Minnesota for the impact and opportunities of its fast-growing aging population. We need your help to start this important conversation in communities across the state. Join us in promoting the new Face Aging MN interactive map. 

The first step to quality improvement begins with recognizing that an opportunity for improvement exists. Do you know how to recognize opportunity? Watch our new Performance Excellence in Aging Services webinar to learn how to get started on a guided path to continuous quality. 

A few weeks ago in Advantage, we featured new Cybersecurity resources from LeadingAge with a cautionary note that providers of long term services and supports were especially vulnerable to ransomware. We have since learned of a ransomware attack that hit close to home right here in Minnesota, locking up files for nearly a week and forcing the provider to pay a fee – in bitcoin -- or risk losing their data with no way to replace or restore it. Are you prepared for a potential attack? 

We are getting ready to kick-off the next round of our Performance Excellence in Aging Services program. If you’re tired of the roadblocks and detours that prevent you from achieving positive outcomes, satisfied customers and an engaged workforce, join us on the path to continuous quality improvement. Sign up today and plan to attend our March 15 kick off meeting.