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‘Care Can’t Wait’ in nursing homes December 6 |
| BL » News » ‘Care Can’t Wait’ in nursing homes December 6 |
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December 15, 2004 |
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State Sen. Cal Larson and Rep. Bud Nornes went the extra mile during a visit to Otter Tail Nursing Home Monday, December 6, by assuming roles as an assistant caregiver as well as guest resident as part of a public awareness event for the “Care Can’t Wait” campaign.
Care Providers of Minnesota and Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance have organized the “Care Can’t Wait” campaign in an effort to bring about public awareness of the need to address shortages in nursing home funding, including two consecutive years with no increase in state funding.
Tiffany Jennings, Otter Tail Nursing Home Activities Coordinator, administered an “Initial Activity Assessment” for Sen. Larson, who spent time as a guest resident. Among his background information, the senator listed participation in Rotary Club and Duluth Seaway Port Club. He also stated, “If I could do anything that I wanted, whenever I wanted, I would like to be a professional hockey player.”
Rep. Nornes spent time transporting residents to dinner as well as various activities. While he drew the line at personal cares, as far as participation in the event, due to respect for resident privacy, Rep. Nornes proved to be very personable in listening to resident concerns.
Glenn Pearl, Otter Tail Nursing Home Executive Director, noted, “Residents weren’t asking Bud about particular bills or challenges in the upcoming session. They saw him as a caregiver and asked questions accordingly.”
“We all had a lot of fun,” Pearl continued, “but there was an important purpose to this exercise. Our goal, which I think was accomplished, was to provide both legislators with some hands-on experience so that upon returning to St. Paul they can make more fully informed decisions about the people they represent—I’m including both residents and staff, alike.”
Sen. Larson is a member of several committees, including Capital Investment, ranking minority member; Commerce; Finance; Higher Education Budget Division; Rules and Administration.
In the House, Rep. Nornes participates in Health and Human Services Finance; Health and Human Services Policy; Higher Education Finance (Vice Chair).
Otter Tail Nursing Home provides quality healthcare for up to 56 residents, including those needing skilled nursing and rehabilitative care. The nursing home has been part of the Otter Tail Lake community since 1967. The nursing home is located at 28930 County Highway 145 on the west shore of Otter Tail Lake, and can be reached by calling 218-495-2992.
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