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Quality impacts resident quality of life; how your organization succeeds in the marketplace, and your reputation and bottom line.

The 12th annual LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation Golf Tournament will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury.

In 2024, over 1,000 OnTrack nursing assistants attempted the state exam to be placed on the Minnesota Nurse Aide Registry. OnTrack learners’ pass rates continue to surpass the state average.

This week, lawmakers took significant steps on funding and policy for human services. On Monday, the House of Representatives heard HF2434, the Human Services Finance Omnibus Bill as well as HF2115, the Human Services Policy Omnibus Bill.

Quality not only impacts resident quality of life; it drives how your organization succeeds in the marketplace, impacting your reputation and bottom line.

On Thursday, May 1, 2025, aging care and services leader Saint Therese announced it is acquiring The Belvedere of Heritage Retirement Communities of Westlake, Ohio.

Are you a Licensed Assisted Living Director (LALD) or Licensed Health Services Executive (LHSE) with a heart for guiding others? If so, we invite you to become a volunteer mentor and support the next generation of leaders in long-term services and supports.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is pausing its appeal of court rulings that blocked the agency’s April 2024 overtime rule, which sought to increase the salary thresholds necessary to exempt a salaried executive, administrative or professional (EAP) employee from federal overtime pay requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

A recurrent question and citation for Assisted Living Facilities is offering meal plans that meet statutory requirements.

The LeadingAge Minnesota QUEST Report is now available for fourth quarter 2024. This quarterly analytic resource for association members focuses on key trends in the senior care sector.

Last week we launched the 2025 series of Nurse Lunch & Learn webinars. The April 16 recording – Charting Medications that Can’t Be Given – is now available for download in the Resource Center. This is a member benefit, so there is no charge to view this timely content (member login required.)

Thank you to everyone who attended the Independent Living Executives Networking Group on Wednesday, April 23. We are especially grateful to Rob Lahammer, vice president of engagement and advocacy at Presbyterian Homes & Services, for leading a thoughtful and engaging session on purposeful living in senior living communities.

With new changes in immigration enforcement policies, we have released a new free, member-only resource— Immigration Enforcement Guide: Preparing for ICE Activity — to help aging services organizations prepare to create safe, informed, and responsive environments in the event of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.

Quality care starts with understanding. EduCare is excited to announce several courses are now available in Spanish.

There is a lot going on these days. A lot. Organizations serving the senior community are facing a growing number of complex challenges and the path forward is not always clear.

Staff from HUD have announced publicly - at both the LeadingAge Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. and a recent NAHMA conference – that there will be a delay in requiring providers to comply with HOTMA (Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act).

Late on Wednesday afternoon the Department of Human Services (DHS) notified NETStudy 2.0 system users via a GovDelivery message that the NETStudy 2.0 system will be offline for a server upgrade starting on Friday, 4/25, at 7 p.m. and expected to return to normal operations on Monday, 4/28, at 8 a.m.  During this server upgrade, do not log into NETStudy 2.0 until you receive an all-clear message from DHS.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) uses the MN–ITS PRVLTR Mailbox as a primary method for communicating important updates.

Recent survey trends have revealed a notable uptick in deficiencies tied to the identification of resident changes in condition and the timely completion of follow-up comprehensive assessments.

In a shorter-than-usual State of the State address, Gov. Tim Walz cast Minnesota as a national model of bipartisan cooperation and progressive achievement. He emphasized the state’s leadership in education, labor rights, health care access and economic growth.

On-demand session content from the 2025 Institute & Expo is available for registered participants through April 30. This is convenient way to gain new knowledge and earn CEUs for LNHA members who still need them by this year’s renewal deadline.

Earlier this week, Vista Prairie Communities (VPC) is pleased announced the return of Kacey Kasel, RN, BSN, PHN, LALD as a Regional Director of Operations (RDO). In this expanded leadership role, Kacey will provide additional operational support to VPC’s communities, ensuring a continued focus on excellence in care, team development, and resident well-being.

The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care has opened the application period for the 2025 Workplace Safety Grants for Health Care Entities. Application submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on June 13. Long-term care facilities are eligible to apply for funding with awards up to $50,000.

Nursing homes must now submit off-cycle revalidations by August 1. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacted a final rule in November 2023 implementing portions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which added a section to the Social Security Act related to ownership, management, and related parties.

The slow developing HCBS workforce incentive grant program, which was created and funded by the 2023 Legislature, has still not reached the point of sending money to employers, despite a plan to have done so by the end of March.

Assisted living facilities that provide customized living (CL) services to people on the Brain Injury (BI) and Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) waivers must follow specific limitations based on the setting’s CL enrollment date.

Too often, the loudest voices in senior care focus on challenges and shortcomings. But across Minnesota, providers are demonstrating excellence, innovation, and high performance. Our new series, Quality in Action, aims to spotlight these success stories—highlighting senior care organizations that are achieving exceptional results through their commitment to quality and safety.

The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has been accepting grant request applications for its workplace Ergonomic Safety Grant Program since summer 2023. To date, 75 of 79 awarded grants have been provided to nursing home applicants with several more requests due to be awarded soon.

During a roundtable on Tuesday, April 15, Governor Tim Walz said: “If you think we’re in a crisis now, especially for seniors living in rural Minnesota, cut Medicaid and find out what happens. There’s no way the state of Minnesota can come close to back filing what’s lost.”

Nurse Lunch and Learn webinars offer quick, focused sessions for nurse teams, emphasizing staff and direct care nurses. Each virtual webinar begins with a brief presentation on key topics, followed by a small group exercise for hands-on application of the learning outcomes.