Minnesota Northstar GWEP News
April 2025
Dr. Steve Shuman is noted as "The Guest of Honor" at the upcoming annual meeting of the Minnesota Dental Association. He is honored in recognition of reinforcing the essential connections between oral health and quality of life for aging populations. Dr. Shuman leads a number of important initiatives, including Dementia Friendly Dental Practices and the UMN program Oral Health Services for Older Adults.
March 2025
This film on aging and caregiving is from the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Center for the Art of Medicine and Hippocrates Cafe Productions. It was chosen to premiere at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. This documentary film was supported by the Minnesota Northstar GWEP by an award from the Health Resources and Services Administration in 2024.
January 2025
Understanding How Delirium Affects Older Adults
"Professor aims for 87 counties" with the Dementia Educational Experience Roadshow - Minnesota GWEP co-director Joe Gaugler, PhD.
December 2024
This article about the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team features faculty member, Dr. Cliff Whetung whose research uses the concept of allostatic load to measure how stressful experiences in life can change your physical health. Dr. Whetung is a member of the GWEP leadership on the Interprofessional council.
November 2024
As nursing homes prep for new staffing mandates, optimizing the role of the RN should be considered: Mueller’s article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society encourages a broader focus. -Featuring Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN.
“Exemplary Clinical Experiences in Nursing Homes” is a toolkit designed to help faculty to create nursing student clinical experiences. It contains 30 assignments that faculty can use. The author, Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, is a nationally recognized nurse scientist with expertise in the quality of care and life for residents and patients in nursing homes and the organizational factors that influence these critical outcomes, such as staffing and leadership.
Reaching out across Minnesota, from Ada to Zumbrota: Joe Gaugler, PhD (Co-Director of the MN GWEP) is traveling to every Minnesota county to share the latest information on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Team Takes Home Top Prize for the 2024 Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition
October 2024
View a visual summary of the activities of the MN GWEP 2019-2024, from HRSA Award Number U1QHP33076.
Sharon Kimble, PT, DPT, is director of the geriatric residency at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a member of the Interprofessional Geriatrics Coordinating Council for the MN GWEP, discusses overcoming barriers to physical activity for older adults.
Manka Nkimbeng, PhD, MPH, BSN has been awarded a Bush Fellowship! Dr. Nkimbeng is using research and policy to address health inequities in African immigrant communities, and is the activity director for the African Immigrant Dementia Education Project in the MN GWEP.
September 2024
School of Public Health launches center to test and implement dementia care -- featuring MN GWEP co-director Joe Gaugler, PhD, leading 'Establishing Mechanisms of Benefit to Reinforce the Alzheimer’s Care Experience' (EMBRACE) AD/ADRD Roybal Center.
GWEPs Partnering with Departments of Public Health on Dementia Education. This session featured presentations about opportunities available for dementia education in primary care and explored how GWEPs can partner with public health departments, community-based organizations (CBOs), and primary care clinics. This webinar included Minnesota GWEP's leaders Joe Gaugler, PhD, and Kris Talley, PhD, CNP, RN, FGSA
"BOLD AND GWEP-CC WEBINAR: GWEPs Partnering with Departments of Public Health on Dementia Education" was a presentation about the combined work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy Brain Initiative via the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving (PHCOE-DC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA.gov), HHS's Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program through the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (MN GWEP). The webinar recording can be viewed here.
Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, author of an GWEP Educational Toolkit, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award from the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Dr. Mueller is a nationally recognized nurse scientist with expertise in the quality of care and life for residents and patients in nursing homes and the organizational factors that influence these critical outcomes, such as staffing and leadership. Read more.
Talking healthy aging with U of M - featuring MN GWEP Activity Director Teresa McCarthy, MD.
From the Administration for Community Living, see this progress report on federal implementation of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. This features MN GWEP co-director Dr. Joe Gaugler and the work of the Minnesota PHCOE-DC: Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving.
Read about our efforts Supporting Dementia Care in African American Communities with the Alter Program, featuring GWEP leaders Robbin Frazier and Ashley Millenbah.
August 2024
How to Prevent Age-Related Muscle Loss a.k.a. Sarcopenia - featuring Sharon L. Kimble, PT, DPT Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy, MN GWEP expert.
Minnesota needs to help older adults live well. Is a Department on Aging the answer? - featuring experts from MN GWEP: Joseph Gaugler, PhD, and Christina Cauble, MBA, LNHA, HSE.
July 2024
Anishinaabe artist exhibit features Knowledge Keepers from Mnidoo Mnising - featuring Kristen Jacklin, PhD, expert with MN GWEP and the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team.
Clinical Tool Aims to Improve Older Adult Healthcare - Partnership with Trellis Leads to a New Way to Serve Older Patients
Building Collaborative Futures: Interprofessional Case Competitions and Communities of Practice
See this article about Reframe Aging, a partnership between the MN GWEP, the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging, the Minnesota Board of Aging, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health’s Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation, and Age Friendly Minnesota.
June 2024
Congratulations to Dr. Manka Nkimbeng, PhD, who won Bush Foundation’s prestigious fellowship to advance community leaders’ education and training!
The Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (MN GWEP) at the University of Minnesota received $5 million in renewed funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to improve the health care and health of older adults across the state. Read more.
Featuring MN GWEP experts Dr. Rajean Moone, PhD, and Teresa McCarthy, MD Minnesota Geriatrics ECHO Offers Online Educational Community | U of M
May 2024
Joe Gaugler, PhD, is honored as the 2024 Distinguished Ambassador in Aging by the Aging Life Care Association. Dr. Gaugler is co-director of the Minnesota Northstar GWEP and Director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation.
See this article on dementia education within African immigrant communities in Minnesota, by Dr. Manka Nkimbeng in collaboration with Immigrant Memory Collaborative and African Career, Education and Resources (ACER), Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation and the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.
February 2024
When a Spouse Goes to the Nursing Home - featuring MN GWEP Co-Director: Joseph Gaugler, PhD
December 2023
Winners of the 2023 Minnesota Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition
November 2023
Addressing the Needs of an Aging Population Through Health Professions Education: Proceedings of a Workshop (2023) is a book published by National Academies of Science Engineering Medicine, and features MN GWEP expert Teresa McCarthy, MD MS. The National Academies Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education hosted a Fall 2022 workshop, with speakers Teresa McCarthy and Teresa Schicker. Discussions included the composition of the intended health workforce, training requirements for each level of care provider, who would provide the training and education, and in what setting the training would take place. Dr. McCarthy and Ms. Schicker presented to NASEM in a workshop on December 7, 2022.
October 2023
Promising Treatment for Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease featuring MN GWEP expert Joe Gaugler, PhD and the Families and Long-Term Care research team
September 2023
Local Educational Event Seeks Sponsors
August 2023
Minnesota policymakers plan for a rapidly aging population, featuring MN GWEP expert Dr. Joe Gaugler
June 2023
UMN Geriatrician Receives Prestigious Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA) - the recipient is Dr. Ben Rosenstein.
May 2023
Opioid Use Disorder in Older Adults
March 2023
A Path to Hope: New Toolkit Offers Resources to Assess and Prevent Suicide in Older Adults
January 2023
What Older Americans Need to Know About Taking Paxlovid - featuring MN GWEP expert Brian J. Isetts, PhD, BCPS, FAPhA
December 2022
Aging Veterans with Dr. Ed Ratner MD: a podcast interview from the Aging Studies Interdisciplinary Group at the University of Minnesota. This podcast is available on this website and wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on the Aging Studies Interdisciplinary Group and the University of Minnesota Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation, visit: https://bit.ly/UMNASIG
November 2022
Talking family caregivers with U of M, featuring MN GWEP expert Joe Gaugler, PhD
Aging Well: an article featuring the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation, including GWEP leaders Joe Gaugler, Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, Rajean Moone, and Robbin Frazier. The article is at https://advances.umn.edu/fall-2022/aging-well/
UMN Team Wins 2022 Inter-university Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition
October 2022
Art + Medicine: Healthy Aging is a film which explores healthcare through story, song and the arts, hosted by Drs. Jon Hallberg and Tseganesh Selameab. This series is a co-production of TPT-Twin Cities PBS and the Center for the Art of Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, in academic partnership with the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.
Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition Seeks Sponsors for the First Time, featuring MN GWEP expert Kristine Talley, PhD, CNP, RN, FGSA.
Workforce Enhancement and Support: GWEP + MAGIC by Teresa M. Schicker, MPA.
A student-led team published a wonderful article in the journal Gerontology and Geriatrics Education titled "Effect of a Dementia Friends information session on health professional students’ attitudes and knowledge related to dementia". See more about Dementia Friends at the University of Minnesota.
Community members will attend a film premier of "Art + Medicine: Healthy Aging." This explores healthy aging with Dr. Jon Hallberg and Dr. Tseganesh Selameab through the 4Ms framework of Mobility, Mentation (more commonly thought of as mood and memory), Medication and What Matters to older adults, all through an artistic lens. This is a co-production with the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Center for the Art of Medicine, Twin Cities Public Television, and the John A. Hartford Foundation, with additional support from Tom and Meredith Olson and in academic partnership with the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.
September 2022
Dr. Talley was invited to speak about the MN-GWEP Educational Tools and Age-Friendly Care and Education Collection to the national leaders of the network of Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program - Coordinating Council. Here is the recording featuring MN GWEP expert Kristine M. Talley, PhD, CNP, RN.
August 2022
Minnesota's home health care industry and the growing labor shortage, featuring MN GWEP expert Joe Gaugler, PhD
See this story about the Effective Medication Self-Management Toolkit! This toolkit contains resources for teaching older persons and family caregivers how to conduct a medication self-management assessment. It contains introductory material appropriate for undergraduate- and graduate-level learners and is intended to help older persons confidently manage their medications. Authored by MN GWEP expert Brian J. Isetts, PhD, BCPS, FAPhA.
A tool useful for patients and caregivers, the Medication Management Self-Efficacy Checklist is here.
Here is a wonderful interview, “Talking with the U of M,” in which Dr. Isetts, a University of Minnesota expert, answers questions about the Effective Medication Self-Management Toolkit. Featuring MN GWEP expert Brian J. Isetts, PhD, BCPS, FAPhA.
Geriatric Toolkits Offer Specialized Knowledge to Healthcare Educators, featuring MN GWEP expert Kristine M. Talley, PhD, CNP, RN.
The Caring for People with Memory Loss Conference Provides a Supportive Space for Families and Researchers, featuring MN GWEP expert Joe Gaugler, PhD.
July 2022
Dr. Manka Nkimbeng offered a wonderful interview in the podcast "Immigrant Experiences of Aging" in Voices of Aging with ASIG. Dr. Nkimbeng leads the MN GWEP project Immigrant Memory Collaborative Project.
May 2022
Minnesota group leads effort in dementia-friendly oral health care
April 2022
Listen to a podcast on the Dementia Friends Program: Teresa McCarthy Voices of Aging with ASIG, featuring MN GWEP expert Teresa McCarthy, MD, MS
March 2022
The quality, cost and and future of long-term care in Minnesota
Featuring MN GWEP expert Dr. Rajean Moone, the faculty director of the Long-Term Care Administration for Professionals in CCAPS
February 2022
4 (Imperfect) Ways Retirees Can Pay for Dental Care, featuring MN GWEP expert Stephen Shuman, DDS
Grassroots, Volunteer-Led Dementia Friends Offers Interprofessional Learning Opportunities for Future Clinicians
Featuring MN GWEP experts Teresa McCarthy, MD, MS, and Brian Isetts, PhD, BCPS, FAPhA.
January 2022
Los requisitos de pruebas para visitar las residencias de ancianos dejan a las familias atrapadas en ‘otro confinamiento’
MN GWEP expertise in the News: Joe Gaugler, PhD, co-investigator in the Minnesota Northstar GWEP.
December 2021
Congratulations to Dr. Kristine Talley, who led a project included in the journal Innovation in Aging, Dec. 2021: "An Inter-University Virtual Geriatric Case Competition to Build Interprofessional Collaboration Skills"
Understanding Ageism: Prejudice Against Our Future Self, by Dawn Simonson, MPA, CEO of Trellis and a member of the Community Advisory Board for the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program
November 2021
Spotlight on the Volunteer Coaches and Judges for the Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition
Congratulations to the Winning Team of the 2021 Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition
2021 Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition: Top Three Teams Announced
October 2021
Get Your Dental Care Back on Track: What’s also suffered during the pandemic? Our teeth. Dentists share what you must know now
MN GWEP expertise in the news: Stephen Shuman, DDS, in the Minnesota Northstar GWEP.
How to deal with dry mouth, featuring Dr. Stephen Schuman, professor & director, Oral Health Services for Older Adults Program, School of Dentistry - University of Minnesota, and member of the Interprofessional Geriatrics Coordinating Council, Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.
September 2021
Gratitude for the legacy of Dr. Jean Wyman and congratulations on her retirement: Jean Wyman, PhD, RN, GNP, FGSA, FAAN, a former leader of the Minnesota Northstar GWEP, retired from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in August 2021. Dr. Wyman offered 24 years of service to the University as professor and Cora Meidl Siehl Chair in Nursing Research, including serving as a co-director for the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (MN GWEP).
Voices of Aging with ASIG UMN podcast featuring MN Northstar GWEP project manager Teresa Schicker, who discusses the UMN Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition (episode one and episode two).
August 2021
Working Together to Improve Geriatric Health: The Minnesota Northstar Geriatric Enhancement Program (MN GWEP) is a leader in collaboration and outreach with GWEPs across the country
July 2021
The importance of 'deprescribing' medications for older adults, featuring MN GWEP expert Jon Hallberg, MD
June 2021
Elder care advocates weigh in on next steps for MN seniors amid coronavirus - Pioneer Press
April 2021
What's In Biden's $400 Billion Plan To Support Families' Long-Term Health Needs
MN GWEP expertise in the news: Joe Gaugler, PhD, co-investigator in the Minnesota Northstar GWEP.
Biden Seeks $400 Billion to Buttress Long-Term Care. A Look at What’s at Stake.
Joe Gaugler, PhD, co-investigator in the Minnesota Northstar GWEP, lends his expertise to this article as well.
Pill-Dispensing Tech Makes the Medicine Go Down...With Human Help, That Is - The Wall Street Journal
Pandemic-Driven Disruptions in Oral Health: 10 Transformative Trends in Care for Older Adults
MN GWEP expert publication: Stephen Shuman, DDS, in the Minnesota Northstar GWEP.
March 2021
Long-term care reunions: What families need to know - KARE 11
February 2021
Minnesota bill would shield health care providers from COVID-related lawsuits - Star Tribune
Minnesota Northstar GWEP Newsletter (PDF)
January 2021
Paper: Applying the Age-Friendly Health System Framework to Long-Term Care Settings
Resources for the Caregiver: Dementia Outreach and Education
December 2020
A winter in isolation: How to stay connected during a lonely pandemic - MPR
Is the Pandemic Hurting Your Teeth?
Special Feature in the Star Tribune Featuring Jim Pacala, MD, MS: Preparing Minnesota for a "Silver Tsunami"
November 2020
Fall 2020 Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition Winners Announced
Winning UMN Team Announced Following Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition Semi-Finals
October 2020
September 2020
New Ideas to Make Long-Term Care Insurance Cheaper and Better - Next Avenue
Launching the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation
August 2020
Our vast family care system for the elderly is at risk of collapse - Star Tribune
June 2020
Joy in Aging: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Rosalie Kane
Elder care advocates weigh in on next steps for MN seniors amid coronavirus
What is being done to implement Age-Friendly health care?
Dr. Joe Gaugler, Co-Director of the Minnesota Northstar GWEP, facilitated "Aging on the Farm" in collaboration with UMASH (Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center) on June 15, 2020. They hosted a forum to engage community and health-related organizations and community members on the topic of aging in place for the agricultural workforce and their communities. Download the forum slides and view the videos and other materials here.
May 2020
Remembering longtime University of Minnesota professor Dr. Rosalie Kane
February 2020
Making Dental Care Dementia Friendly (U of M School of Dentistry)
UMN program seeks to make Minnesota more Age-Friendly
January 2020
Professor travels the state to spread dementia awareness
Over 65? Smoked even a little in your lifetime? You might want to get screened for this
December 2019
Age-friendly health systems: Providing care that matters
Minnesota takes first steps to become "Age-Friendly society" to address number of seniors
State of Minnesota executive order: Establishing the governor's council on an Age-Friendly Minnesota
Low-risk operations more dangerous for elderly patients than previously thought
November 2019
Moving toward an age-friendly Minnesota: We still have much to do.
Alzheimer's disease topic of program in Crosslake
October 2019
Five Ways We Are Aging Better than Ever
Deciding when to stop screening for cancer is 'tricky.' So is having that conversation with patients
Martin County is a Stop on the Statewide Tour of Dr. Joseph Gaugler Speaking on Alzheimer’s
CREST To Host Martin County Stop on Alzheimer’s Tour
September 2019
Can early hearing loss intervention help stave off dementia?
Making Strides Toward Age-Friendly Healthcare
July 2019
UMN Medical School’s Dr. James Pacala Awarded $3.74M in Funding for Geriatric Health
June 2019
University of Minnesota receives $3.74 million geriatrics workforce grant