Good Shepherd Foundation Inc 100 South Second Avenue

Programs: The good shepherd lutheran foundation is a nonprofit organization serving good shepherd lutheran home of sauk rapids, minnesota. The foundation is dedicated to the growth of services and enhancement of facilities for functionality, effectiveness, and esthetic beauty. We devote our efforts and resources to making our community a home for all residents and tenants while supporting good shepherd lutheran home of sauk rapids, minnesota's mission of senior adult ministry in keeping with the values of the organization. The good shepherd foundation will proactively and completely meet the needs of all individuals cared for through good shepherd community services. We will continue to grow through innovative and effective programming, continually increasing the level of invested and expendable resources, and creating a "top of mind" public recognition of our mission and purpose. We will be a leader in the care and enhancement of life among the aging while being led by christian ideals and the word which serves as our guide and recourse. Generous financial support and the dedicated partnership of businesses, organizations, individuals, and families sponsor our ministry with much-needed funds to enhance and enrich the lives of the people and families we serve. The foundation is privileged to work closely with good shepherd staff, residents and volunteers to take that extra step in helping residents feel truly at home. The following is a partial list of examples of the foundation's influence and impact through programming, sponsorship, and implementation:holistic health & wellness program:while this program includes more "mainstream" therapies such as massage therapy on our sauk rapids campus, healing touch therapy has identified us as a trailblazer in effective, non-traditional care. Healing touch therapy is a complementary, energy-based approach to healing. The goal of healing touch is to restore balance to the human energy system with the use of contact and non-contact touch. While healing touch is an alternative treatment, it is becoming more accepted at hospitals and long-term care centers. Similar to acupuncture without the needles, the healing touch practitioner facilitates the healing process by clearing and balancing the bio-electromagnetic field surrounding the human body. The belief is all healing is self-healing and the balance of energy helps the body achieve the greatest ability to heal. Clients describe the experience as relaxing with a sense of warmth around them. Many clients experience a profound sense of relaxation following a healing touch therapy session. The use of one's hands to heal has a significant and rich history often combined with religious practices. Today, most energy therapies are administered without religious attachment with a common aim of balancing the body's energy while introducing favorable energy to enhance the healing response. The chinese call it "qi" (chi), the tibetans call it "lung, and the lakota sioux call it "neyatoneyah. " regardless of the name, it is a vital energy and life force within each of us and the unimpeded flow of that energy is essential to health, healing, and happiness. The matter of balance program will acknowledge the risk of falling and emphasize practical strategies to reduce fear and create the confidence needed to maintain prudent independence and healthy social interaction. Among these strategies are: promoting the concept that a participants' view of falling and the fear of falling is controllable; setting realistic goals for increasing activity and social interaction; creating "support groups" of like-minded and like-afflicted individuals; changing the environment to reduce risk factors for falls; promoting exercise and consistent activity to increase strength and balance to include identification of specific exercises and their intended purpose. The workshops are conducted in three eight-session programs meeting weekly for 2 hours each session. All sessions are led by two trained and certified leaders/lay-leaders that have successfully completed the leader training program conducted by a master trainer in the matter of balance curriculum. The problem: more than 1/3 of all adults age 65 and older fall each year; among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury death; falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury; most fractures among older adults are caused by falls; many people, who fall, even those who are not injured, develop a fear of falling which leads them to limit their activities which, in turn, causes reduced mobility and physical fitness which then leads to a heightened risk of falling; the cost of falls among older americans is estimated at $19 billion annually nationwide; 90% of hip fractures among adults age 65 and older, are the result of a fall; falls are more common in long-term care and senior housing facilities than in the overall community. The goal of the connected resident project is to offer, promote, educate, and support technological connectivity among our residents with ongoing education and guided interaction. Outcomes and impact:through access to computers and the internet, each involved residents will have the opportunity to increase or maintain their independence and be afforded the opportunity to better "age in place. " it is expected that: 80% will display better overall health; 30% will have a decreased need for regimens of pharmaceutical treatment; 50% will experience decreased symptoms of depression; 100% will have increased social interaction and physical activity; 100% will have greatly enhanced connectivity to family and friends; 60% will utilize the enhanced ability to manage one's own welfare. The parish nurse program is an "integration" of faith with nursing manifesting through direct care and intervention. Parish nurse interventions for psycho-social-spiritual concerns often address quality of life issues which are at the heart of parish nursing where connections with one's faith community lend support to those who are facing physical decline. According to recent studies, two-thirds of the psycho-social-spiritual concerns addressed by parish nurses pertained to worry or anxiety, despair, and loneliness. Loneliness itself has been linked to higher medical services utilization by a study showing that people who are lonely use emergency services 60 percent more often than those who are not lonely. Depression has also been linked to an increase in falls and death in the elderly (geller, 2000). The parish nurse program, in collaboration with existing services of assisted living, long-term care, memory care, and outreach services, empowers our organization to effectively treat body, mind, and spirit thereby reducing the debilitating symptoms associated with chronic conditions. Among our goals for each individual are reduced pharmaceutical dependence, reduced pain and general discomfort, reduced symptoms of depression and loneliness, and providing tools for relaxation. The overall outcome is enhanced mental stability, reinforced spiritual health, consistent health counseling, and creation of overall wellness through this unique and vital ministry. The good shepherd foundation continues to enrich and enhance the lives of those we care for through capital purchases such as: multi-passenger van primarily used by the shepherd of grace campus to transport residents to various appointments and allow them to continue to be productive members of their community; bariatric beds that meet the specific needs of residents within our care. These specialized beds allow for safe transfer, rest and recuperation to those whose physical limitations require such equipment; serenity garden outside our main entrance provides a place for reflection, prayer, conversation, and remembrance. This garden area includes a central water feature, annual and perennial plantings, and both shade and sun seating surrounded by the greenery and color of grass and various trees and shrubs. We are committed to offer supportive services that provide the best quality of life possible with special emphasis upon the changing needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities. We believe in a holistic approach to health and healing and that the longer people can retain their autonomy and independence the better able they will be to deal with their changing physical need