News

If we know one thing to be true during this global pandemic, the media and public will continue to focus on the number of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths related to the virus in long-term care settings. The best way to counter inaccurate media stories and public perception is with consistent transparency of your COVID-19 responsem, including the number of people who have been afflicted by the virus or died from it in your setting.  

Testing continues to be a focus of our resource development over the past week, and we have also developed resources to help you facilitate discussions that may involve in advanced care planning, grief and bereavement. 

We've extended application deadlines for both LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation grant programs to allow for more members to participate during this chaotic and stressful time. We realize everyone is juggling many priorities and there aren’t enough hours in the day. 

Applications for grants to support staff (COVID-19 Courage Funds) and to fund virtual services for Adult Day Services (COVID-19 Adult Day Services Virtual Visits & Support) are being accepted from rural LeadingAge Minnesota members. The application deadline is June 4 at 5 p.m. 

This week’s COVID-19 Resource Round-Up features a new training video on specimen collection, an updated FAQ on testing and a link to the new process MDH is using for COVID-19 case management. 

The 27 fellows in our 2020 Leadership Academy kicked off the second decade of our leadership development program with a unique start: meeting via Zoom due to social distancing guidelines.  

In this week’s COVID-19 Resource Round-Up, we share new materials on guidance on compassionate care visits, resident transfers, recommendations for admissions, and employment law FAQS related to PPE and workplace accommodations.  

This week’s Resource Round-Up is all about sample policies and survey checklists. 

Each week we summarize and provide links to new tools and resources developed by LeadingAge Minnesota to help you respond to COVID-19. This week we feature tools in the area of workforce, testing and emergency staffing, as well as talking points and promotional materials for next week’s Long-Term Care week.  

LeadingAge Minnesota’s Leadership Academy 2020 Class of Fellows has been selected and will convene on May 13. In this extraordinary year when nothing is business-as-usual, this cohort will have the distinction of being the first to begin their journey via virtual conferencing technology.  

This week we share three links to resources we shared in the past week: Basic Care Aide, a Cohorting Messaging Toolkit, and Responding to Negative Views in a Pandemic.  

LeadingAge Minnesota is excited to announce that Kari Everson, RN, BSN, MSN, MHA, LNHA, has officially joined our team as our Director of Clinical Care and Nurse Consultant.  

This week we link you to six tools we provide over the past week: Surge Assessment; updated decision trees for the Confirmed Case Checklist and Managing a Resident Admission from a Hospital; a flow chart of E-FMLA and E-PSL; new guide for Independent Living and Housing with Services; and a messaging and letters to the editor for adult day providers. 

Investing in the professional development of the aging services workforce is more important now than it has ever been. The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is offering over $30,000 in scholarships to eligible caregivers and other employees of our member organizations for 2020. 

Lifesprk has raised a $16.1 million Series A round of funding that is plans to use to invest in an electronic-records system, step up hiring and create new partnerships. 

We’ve added three new resources in our COVID-19 Tool Library that focus on what to do when a family member wants to move a loved one home, care for people with Alzheimer’s during COVID-19 and tips to improve infection control compliance. 

Professional caregivers provide critical support to those most vulnerable to complications from COVID-19 – our seniors. They deserve our gratitude. Face Aging MN has launched a new #ThankACaregiver campaign to encourage Minnesotans to share a message of appreciation with a senior caregiver via a web portal.  

The American Red Cross will stop offering nursing assistant training courses in April. Organizations that utilized the Red Cross courses are encouraged to reach out to OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training to continue developing a pipeline of caregivers.  

Dr. Sharon Aadalen, a member of the Board of Directors for Jones-Harrison in Minneapolis, was recently named Board Trustee of the Year by LeadingAge Minnesota. 

Have you signed up for our annual Day at the Capitol yet? It's not too late! Join us at the Capitol on March 19 to show lawmakers that we are committed partners in our shared goal to assure access to safe, quality care for older Minnesotans in the communities they call home.