Life Long Learning is the process of keeping your mind, body and spirit engaged - at any age - by actively pursuing knowledge and experience. Designed to help our residents learn and grow, Ebenezer’s Life Long Learning is a collection of coordinated arts and education programs that include:   

• Creative engagement: opportunity to imagine and to grow 

• Individual expression: sharing ideas in a safe and supportive environment 

• Community: working together to learn and to create 

• Legacy: sharing and passing on the work created  Research has shown that with opportunities for self-expression and discovery, seniors experience vibrant living, artistic growth as well as improved mental and physical health. Life Long Learning helps individuals stay connected to their world - both locally and beyond and it is an essential part of the Ebenezer experience.

Ebenezer’s exclusive Dimensions® program stresses the importance of understanding the needs of a person with dementia, and trains caregivers to respond to them with compassion and creativity. This program is designed to ensure that our memory care residents receive exceptional, compassionate care that meets them where they are. Using evidence-based practices including:  

• Wellness: person-centered, relationship-based care with an emphasis on    hydration and nutrition for all dementia patients to ensure their comfort and    well being 

• Training: delivering innovative, ongoing  hands-on education to our staff 

• Engagement: Fostering purposeful, pleasurable, creative interactions    activities 

• Environment: Creating calm, seeking psychosocial solutions/support 

• Education and Support: Providing education and support to families and    care partners  

Our Dimensions Coordinator oversees the multi-faceted program. Our goal is to make a dramatic difference in the life of your loved one.

At Ebenezer residents enjoy cuisine is that is always crafted with care. From our 5-star chefs, resident choices and made from scratch meals. Our signature culinary program is excellence in every way.  5-Star Chef-Prepared: Residents are sure to enjoy their dining experiences thanks to a skilled culinary team which combines nutrition that is pleasing to the palate as well as to the eye. We source our produce locally whenever possible and use high quality meats and seafood. Residents also love our scratch cooked daily using recipes from our 5 STAR Chefs as well as our special event Elegant Dinners within our communities.  Choices in Food: At Ebenezer-managed communities, we offer daily Chef’s Specials daily with an “Always Available” menu to ensure you always get your favorites or something that you enjoy. Additionally, we provide monthly opportunities for our residents to share their feedback about our meal offerings and dining experiences with our Chef and Culinary teams.  Restaurant Style Dining: We offer dining programs which feature restaurant-style menus with a perfect mixture of local and traditional favorites, with seasonal specialties. We offer a variety of options for each meal all of which are flavorful and use low-sodium, heart healthy techniques.  Dietary Considerations: For those residents with specific dietary needs, our team can offer specialized meals which ensure individualized nutrition needs are kept:  

1. No Salt Added - Our regular menu includes foods with plenty of flavor without extra salt. This menu uses low-sodium options when available.  

2. 3-4 Gram Sodium Diet - Residents with this dietary restriction follow our “No Salt Added Diet” with minor changes to replace higher sodium foods, such as bacon, ham and other pork products with lower-sodium alternatives.  

3. Consistent Carbohydrate Diet – Based off our regular diet, which has a consistent amount of carbohydrates at each meal. For those curious, we do allow smaller servings of desserts with this meal plan. 

4. Low Fat, Low Cholesterol Diet – Residents on this special diet do not receive fried or high-fat content foods. Skim milk and margarine are used. Meals with gravies and high-fat sauces are reduced or eliminated.  5. Thickened Liquids – Thick liquids are offered for residents who have choking problems with thin liquids. Thickened liquid diets are often paired with a pureed diet but are available separately.  

The “Ebenezer” Difference: At Ebenezer, our sites get the added benefits of having support from our Corporate Pastry Chef to assist with parties and special events as well as our Corporate Registered Dietitian to assist with specialty diets and offer 1:1 support to residents with all of the nutrition questions.  

Our Regional Chefs provide 1:1 monthly and as needed support to our Culinary teams within our communities. We also put our culinary teams through Ebenezer Chef Training and provide them with all of the knowledge and accreditations that they would need to become a Chef at any of our Ebenezer-managed locations.

Ebenezer began as a faith-based community of Norwegian immigrants back in 1917. We are proud of that heritage. The founders looked to their Lutheran faith to advocate for the poor, the newly arrived immigrants and especially for the forgotten seniors in their midst. They did so because their faith taught that all people, without exception, were created in the image of God.  We continue to intentionally ground ourselves in a faith-based mission. Even though the immigrants are no longer coming from Norway our mission remains rooted in the concern for the poor, care for the needy and a passion to support seniors in our midst. Our mission is shaped and nurtured by staff and residents from an ever-growing community of faiths. When we gather for a community Iftar, learn about Passover with one another, or welcome new residents with a smudging ceremony our community is blessed. The commonality of mission across faith traditions forms a firm foundation for our present and future work together.  Much of the faith-based programming currently offered at Ebenezer is ecumenically diverse and in response to the overwhelming percentage of residents who identify as part of the Christian tradition. We are blessed to continue to welcome residents and staff from a multitude of religious traditions. This diversity enhances our care for all people as well as providing new opportunities for both learning and sharing about faith traditions.

Our Person-Centered Care Cornerstone at Ebenezer is the coordination of personalized care throughout the continuum of integrated services. We serve our residents and their loves with genuine care, compassion, integrity, dignity, and love them like family.  

Customized Care Plans 

As a leader in the senior care industry, Ebenezer’s reputation of top-notch care is due in part to the detailed processes and customized plans that we create for our residents. Each resident that moves into our housing with services receives a resident centered plan of care that lists in detail what cares and support they need along with the time and frequencies of those needs. We also incorporate considerations of special preferences that person may have.  

Care Collaborations 

Helping your loved one decide on a senior living community can be a difficult decision. You want to trust that you made the right decision not just your parents, but that meets your busy lifestyle as well. Ebenezer has over 100 years of experience in the senior living industry and has been able to make a strategic partnership with Fairview Health System to further our expertise and ability to meet the diverse needs of our residents and families. Our Fairview relationship enables our communities to offer the best health resources, support, and care for the seniors we serve, including: 

• Onsite Visiting Nurse Practitioners and Physicians • In-home lab and x-ray services 

• Automatic refill and delivery of pharmaceutical services • Medicare certified therapy teams that provide in-home  

• Skilled Nursing needs, as well as Physical, Occupational, and Speech    therapy 

• Palliative and Hospice care

Ebenezer is proud to have Intergenerational Connections as one of our Cornerstones. Within this program we are committed to creating opportunities for our senior population to connect with children and youth of all ages. This helps to bridge the generation gap, create learning opportunities for both the seniors and children as well as enrich the quality of their lives.  

The Power Of Intergenerational Connections Through intergenerational connections, people of all ages share their talents and resources, supporting each other in relationships that benefit both the individuals and the community.  Benefits Of Intergenerational Connections 

• Enhanced Socialization  

• Learning and Ongoing Skill Development  

• Improved Emotional/Social Development and Wellness  

• Sharing Life Experiences and Knowledge  

• Deeper Understanding of Diversity  

• Enhanced Quality of Life for Seniors and Children/Youth  

• Increased Self-Esteem and Self-Worth  

• Mutual Respect  

• Children Develop Patience and Responsibilitya