News

Need help in starting or enhancing intergenerational programs in your community? A new toolkit helps you plan, implement and evaluate programs and activities that connect older housing residents with young people in your community. The toolkit provides practical tools and tips to: 

The challenges faced by senior living providers are plentiful – oversupply pressures, broken capital structures, obsolete properties and inadequate payment models. But the greatest challenge continues to be workforce.  

Senior living and care organizations are facing a time of great uncertainty, and the speed and diversity of change seems unparalleled. Health Dimensions Group (HDG) recently published its Top Trends in Aging Services: Preparing for Historic Changes list for 2020.

Working side-by-side with frontline staff can help develop relationships between supervisors and direct reports and goes a long way in establishing trust and respect. Make 2020 the year you set the example. Walk the walk and model the behavior you expect to see from others.  

Do you offer enough praise to your team? When you compliment staff, you set a culture of positivity. 

The more staff receive authentic, timely, and specific praise from you, the more likely they are to pass on that practice to others. You are setting the example. Staff who praise one another instill confidence in one another. For more on this, read In Praise of Praising Your Employees.

Get more information in the Workforce Center. Questions? Contact Jenna Kellerman.

Who are the top influencers in your organization? Influencers may not be formal leaders, managers, or directors. In fact, it’s likely that your top influencers are frontline staff.  

Check your email! Organization leaders in our member settings this week received an email from Jenna Kellerman, Director of Workforce Solutions for LeadingAge Minnesota, with a link to a 5-minute survey about staff engagement practices in senior care.  

Technology is transforming senior living, from helping older adults stay connected, receive care and services at home, and stimulate physical and cognitive abilities to positively contributing to workforce recruitment and retention. What are the six themes helping providers choose their next tech steps?   

You can help people transcend their job titles by supporting both their personal and professional goals. 

Have 5 minutes? Want to know key insights into staff retention? Get ready to take a brief survey next week to help us and you better understand the state of employee engagement practices in our field.

Are you looking for ways to connect with your staff? Do you have a goal to build relationships with your team and to improve the culture of your organizations? 

The American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) has published Legal and Clinical Ethics in Serving LGBT+ Older Adults, authored by attorneys Robert Rodè and William McDonough of LeadingAge Minnesota business partner member Voigt, Rodè, Boxeth & Coffin, and Jane Danner of Volunteers of America National Services.  

There is a reason why the keynote speaker is always a standing-room-only session at LeadingAge Minnesota’s Institute and Expo...people need to feel inspired! 

It’s National Apprenticeship Week! As many organizations work to “grow their own” workforce, dual-training or apprenticeship models are excellent ways to provide workers with the skills they need to be successful in the long-term care profession, and specifically, the practices they need to be successful in your organization.  

Our workforce today often faces challenges and complications in their personal lives. Research by the National Human Services Assembly suggests that staff who have stable family lives are more effective at work, as they can focus on work without personal distractions or stress. The Bridging the Gap Toolkit assists you in implementing supports that are meaningful to staff in your organization.  

Minnesota ranks first in the nation for the most not-for-profit independent living and assisted living settings on the LeadingAge Ziegler 200 (LZ 200). The annual listing is a compilation of the country’s largest not-for-profit senior living multi-site organizations, government-subsidized housing multi-sites and single campuses. 

Receiving long-term care at home continues to rank as the number one preference for adults age 50 or older, but almost one-fifth said they would prefer an assisted living facility. 

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is excited to announce our 4th Annual Silent Auction that will take place at the 2020 Institute & Expo. Thanks to your generosity in previous years, we have raised over $25,000 to support the critical work of the Foundation. With your help, we can make this year’s auction even more successful!  

Focusing on an individual team member’s strengths is more effective than focusing on improving weaknesses. One study showed a stark difference in engagement scores: 67% were engaged when their supervisor focused on strengths, as opposed to only 30% being engaged when their supervisor focused on weaknesses.  

As Best Buy continues its push into healthcare, senior care remains a strong focus—and could make the company the leader in the space. Key to this expansion will be Best Buy’s ability to strike strategic partnerships with payers like Medicare Advantage and Managed Care Plans; but what shouldn't be lost in this push for a competitive advantage is the relationship with senior care providers.