News

The next monthly HUD Member Regional Meeting featuring Linda Couch, Vice President of Housing Policy and Juliana Bilowich, Director, Housing Operations and Policy at LeadingAge, is scheduled for next week via zoom.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Nominating Committee has finalized its slate of candidates for election and/or re-election as officers and directors-at-large on the Board of Directors.

The deadline for submitting 2021 Stars Among Us Awards nominations has been extended to January 11, 2021. As mentioned previously in this newsletter

This election year, LeadingAge Minnesota encourages all Minnesotans, including those living and serving in long-term care settings, to actively engage in the election process by practicing their right to vote. But before you can vote, you must register.

As we have pivoted in the past several months to focus on COVID-19 and put practices in place to combat this virus, we are reminded of our Safe Care for Seniors pledge for respect, safety and dignity and the shared commitment we made together to prevent harm in the course of caregiving.

With the release of the Minnesota Department of Health guidance on visitation modification on Monday, you’ll find new tools in our COVID-19 Resource Library.

The results of the Long-Term Care Imperative’s annual nursing facility financial indicators survey were recently prepared by CliftonLarsonAllen. The 2019 data shows that financial performance continued a trend of improvement

LeadingAge MN is working on a new resource to help members plan, implement and communicate visitor modifications based on guidance the Minnesota Department of Health is the process of finalizing,

eMenuCHOICE®, a leading dining management and point of sale (POS) application for senior living communities, now offers a time-saving integration for its customers who use the electronic health record solution ECS from American Data.

eMenuCHOICE, a leading dining management and point of sale (POS) application for senior living communities, now offers reservation features that support communities’ efforts to reopen communal dining. eMenuCHOICE is a valued partner in the LeadingAge MN Savings & Solutions Center. 

After nearly eight outstanding years as our Vice President of Public Relations, Jodi Boyne is leaving LeadingAge Minnesota for an exciting new opportunity. She is returning to the public sector — where she worked for 16 years before joining us — to become the Director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Judicial Branch effective Aug. 10. 

Project for Pride in Living (PPL), a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis is looking for employer partners who are interested in working together to customize a NEW training opportunity to help fill CNA positions within long-term care settings in the Twin Cities metro area. 

Stratis Health is conducting occasional brief surveys to capture snapshots of the expanding telehealth use in Minnesota. This telehealth snapshot focuses on telehealth policies, specifically the Medicare 1135 waiver. 

Telehealth has been embraced by senior living providers during COVID-19 and changes in federal policy and flexibilities from insurance have made it easier to implement and pay for it. Accompanying this positive progression is the operational demands it has placed on providers and the continued lack of reimbursement.

During COVID-19, we have witnessed some needed and long-awaited changes that have been accelerated as a byproduct of our response to this global pandemic. Some of these changes, especially with respect to the use of technology, will most likely reshape our future.  

LeadingAge National is hosting the Basic Care Aide through its Learning Hub. All non-EduCare users should have new students login through this portal beginning June 15. EduCare users should continue to access the training through their own EduCare library. 

Families and older adults may be confronting end-of-life questions that they have not prepared for before the COVID-19 pandemic. Advance Care Planning and POLST (Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment) are commonly talked about in our field, yet people may still be surprised when the situation arises when they may need to be used to make decisions. Or, the COVID-19 pandemic may be the trigger for them to complete the documents.  

LeadingAge National is hosting the Basic Care Aide through its Learning. All non-EduCare users should have new students login through this portal beginning June 15. EduCare users should continue to access the training through their own EduCare library.  

A new guide from the National Center for Creative Aging, the Creative Caregiving Guide©, is a free, web-based resource specially designed for family and professional caregivers of adults who live with Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive disorders.  

You have PPE needs. Value First has solutions that will help you prevent and detect COVID-19 in your setting. From reusable gowns and face masks to test kits and alarm systems that prevent anyone with a temperature from entering your building, check out these solutions: