Engage. Enrich. Entertain.

Life Enrichment with Ebenezer Senior Living

Healthy aging. At Ebenezer Senior Living it’s more than a statement—it’s a way of life. In our more than 100 years of experience with seniors, we’ve found that engaged and active seniors are happier and healthier.

This library of life enriching programs were designed to foster growth, wellness and creativity for all seniors. We encourage you to keep your mind, body and spirit engaged — at any age — by actively pursuing knowledge and experience.

As innovators in senior living, Ebenezer Senior Living is always discovering new and interesting activities and exercises to engage seniors and improve their health. We have a wellspring of wellness programs that you can access right here. Here are some suggestions.

Summit Avenue Tour

Archaeology of the John Orth & Germania Breweries - SHPO

Here are a couple of programs that take a look at the history of beer and craft brewing in Minnesota. One is hosted by Channel 4 Jason DeRusa About craft brewing. That's a talk about a new book that's recently been published. The other is an archaeological report about German breweries in Minneapolis. The sound is not the best on that one for the first two minutes but it does get better around 1:50.

Watch Video

The Plots to Assassinate Hitler

Storied: Bohemian

Every Man Did His Duty with Wayne Jorgenson

Armed with Language

“Armed with Language” shares the story of a little-known military intelligence school in Minnesota during World War II that trained over 6,000 Japanese Americans to be translators, interrogators and Japanese military specialists - all while their families and loved ones were being held in concentration camps. It is said that their work “shortened the Pacific War by two years and saved possibly a million American lives.” After decades of being classified, the story of their courage, sacrifice, heartbreak, and patriotism is finally being told.

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Are Women People? A History of the ERA

The Battle of Antietam with Jim Rosebrock

Bicycle Corps: America’s Black Army on Wheels

It's a documentary about the 25th infantry Regiment, one of the all-black units in the U.S. Army after the Civil War. The 25th was garrisoned at Fort Snelling in the 1880s. After they left Fort Snelling they were transferred to Missoula Montana. Where the regiment was involved in an experiment by the U.S. Army to test the viability of equipping troops with this new invention the bicycle.

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History Forum: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote & Insisted on Equality for All

The Contributions of Women in the Air War

"Funny Thing About Minnesota..." Virtual Book Launch

William Dixon Video

The Dred Scott Decision with Lea Vandervelde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-onnXYOSsK0
This is about the Dred Scott decision. It is delivered by the woman who wrote the book Mrs. Dred Scott. She took a look at this important historical event From the perspective of Harriet rather than her husband Dred. The Scott's are among the most important people who ever lived at Fort Snelling. Their time there would become the basis for their legal suit in an attempt to win freedom for their family.

History Forum: American Revolutions with Alan Taylor

Building the Death Railroad - Bridge on the River Kwai (WW2HRT 28-03)

History at Home Author Talk with Wayne Gannaway,

Prince: From Minneapolis to the World

Women in Bars — A Minnesota Story in 3 Rounds

The Attack of Dec. 7, 1941

Winning the Pacific War

U.S.- Dakota war 1862

Origins of the Pacific Conflict

NVN 10th Anniversary

Discovery More Videos

Veterans Day Resources and Ideas

Virtual Veterans Programs to share and steam:

1. State of Minnesota Virtual Veterans Day

November 11, 2021

The official State of Minnesota Veterans Day Program will be held virtually again this year in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A 30-minute recorded program will be available starting at 8 a.m. on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11 here on the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs website. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) invites all Minnesotans to celebrate and honor the Veterans who have served our state and country.

“Although we are not gathering in person, the importance of recognizing Minnesota’s Veterans for their service, sacrifice and resilience has not diminished,” said MDVA Commissioner Larry Herke. “We encourage all Minnesotans to take a moment to thank the Veterans in their lives for the freedoms we all enjoy.

Country music artist Rockie Lynne will open this year’s program, which will include music and remarks from:

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Herke
Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke
Members of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation
Ron Haugen, Chair of the Minnesota Commanders’ Task Force
MDVA employees
34th Infantry Division Red Bull Band

The program will be hosted by former WCCO-TV Reporter Bill Hudson. During his time at WCCO, Hudson covered a variety of Veteran-related assignments including Minnesota National Guard missions to Bosnia, Panama and Honduras, and traveling to Saudi Arabia to accompany soldiers returning home from the first Gulf War.

Permalink: http://mn.gov/mdva/news/events/index.jsp?id=1066-503512

Here is a link to a virtual program being done by the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Veterans Day at the Museum | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans (nationalww2museum.org)

National Veterans Memorial and Museum Virtual Veterans Day Ceremony

https://youtu.be/FSAIUsA-UJE

Take a Veterans Day virtual field trip

While you may not be able to visit key service landmarks in person, you can tour these facilities online.

Here are some virtual tours of national monuments, museums, and battlefields:

12 ideas for a Veterans Day ceremony from goldencarers.com

Your celebration at your community can be as simple or as extravagant as you would like. Here are a few ways you can incorporate Veterans Day into a special ceremony at your community.

· Ask residents to submit a photo of them during their service. You can put these photos online (with permission), or hang them in a designated spot all month long near your Activity Room

· Invite Veterans to stand up or to come to the front of the ceremony by their branch, while their branch song is playing. For example, invite the Army Veterans to rise and play The Army Goes Rolling Along. (Navy - Anchors Away, Marines - The Marine Corps Hymn, Air Force - Air Force Song, Coast Guard - Semper Paratus)

· Invite wives/husbands of Veterans to be honored as well, as they were the ones back home raising children and managing daily tasks while their loved ones were away

· Take time to honor parents of Veterans who are in the crowd as well, for the sleepless nights they spent worrying and praying for their child serving

· You can find transcripts of Veterans Day speeches at this link: Veterans Day Speeches - Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs (va.gov) consider pulling quotes that stand out to you to highlight in your newsletter or social media, or to use during your ceremony

· Invite a local high schooler to play Taps during your ceremony and a local Boy Scout troop to raise the flag

· Have one or two residents give a short speech, perhaps one a Veteran and one a partner of a Veteran

· Honor staff members who are Veterans

· Read the names of Veterans out loud, along with their branch and rank

· Work with a local school to host a Veterans Day poster contest; hang posters in the community hallway and have residents vote to award prizes

· Pass out poppies for Veterans to wear

· Remember, not all Veterans want to talk about their service time. Allow those Veterans to refuse to attend the ceremony or to skip out on being announced during it

COVID-19 Adaptation: You might not be able to gather a large group of residents this year for a ceremony, but you can pass out poppies, write Veteran names on a special flyer passed out to the community, and even announce Veteran names over the community sound system. Consider having a local band perform the branch songs outside so residents can open their window and listen.

More Activities and Resources from activityconnection.com

Write letters to soldiers overseas. Check with residents and staff for family members who are involved in the current conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan. Consider mailing each letter along with a small care package. Contact your local National Guard and Reserve for suggested items for your care packages.

Here is the link to their website. Army National Guard - Hometown

Plan a "Ration Luncheon" and serve foods that were rationed during WWII (bacon, milk, sugar, cheese, etc.)
Sponsor a student essay contest at a local school with a topic such as "What freedom means to me" or "Why we remember."
Organize a clothing drive and donate clothing to veteran organizations.
Listen to the military experiences on the StoryCorps. Type in the word military or veterans in the search box to pull up stories. Here is the link to their website: StoryCorps – Stories from people of all backgrounds and beliefs
Contact your local veteran agency and arrange for veterans to come in and visit with your veterans that live in the facility.
Share these military jokes from Readers Digest Here is the link: Military Jokes: Jokes for Every Branch | Reader's Digest (rd.com)
Show this video "Bet You Didn't Know" to get the whole story on Veterans Day. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/mWD4Oy6fKlo
Invite a local Boy Scout Troop or JROTC member to conduct a color guard ceremony.
Check out the Seniors & Soldiers website and send encouraging notes from seniors to soldiers. Here is the link: Seniors & Soldiers (seniorsandsoldiers.com)
Plan a Candlelight Vigil – Organize a local candlelight vigil and invite your community to honor those who have served. Ask veterans or family members of the fallen to share their memories.
Set up a "Veterans Corner" and display photos of your veterans and other memorabilia

15 Ways to Honor Veterans Throughout the Year from goldencarers.com

Veterans Day ceremonies and Memorial Day events are the foundation of your community’s Veteran program. However, you can find ways to honor Veterans and their family members throughout the year by using any of these ideas for group or individual interactions based on the residents’ preferences.

1. Breakfast Club
Host a Veterans Breakfast Club monthly where Veterans can gather for a special breakfast inside the community or out on an outing

2. Reminiscing Group
Host a reminiscing group regularly for wives of Veterans; they have so much in common and can talk all about how they got through deployments and raised kids without their husband around. If you have a lot of husbands of Veterans, you can start another group for them too!

3. Outings
Plan outings to visit military cemeteries near your community or visit a local military base for a tour if you have one nearby.

4. Support Local Organizations
Support the local VFW or other service organizations by attending their events or even sponsoring them

5. Photo Wall
Create a Veteran wall of photos that is always displayed in one of your community’s living rooms

6. Wreaths
Have residents create Veteran inspired wreaths to put on the doors of residents who are Veterans

7. Living History Interviews
Partner with a local high school or junior high classroom to do living history interviews with Veterans, spouses, and families

8. Play Bugle Call Regularly
Make playing your national bugle call (Taps or the Last Post etc) a part of any flag raising or patriotic ceremony, such as during your 4th of July celebrations

9. Veterans Club
Create a Club of residents who join together to do service projects for Veteran organizations in your local area or across the country

10. Involve School Children
Invite grandkids, or a local elementary school, to submit papers about patriotic topics a few times per year. Residents can judge them as they come in and give out prizes to the winning submissions.

11. Create a Memorial
Install a memorial stone or object in your courtyard garden that is dedicated to Veterans and their family members

12. Fundraise for Veterans
Host a fundraiser where funds or items you collect go to a local Veterans organization

13. Connect with Families of Active Military Personnel
Invite the families of those currently serving in the military (wives or husbands and children) for a special event, meal, or spa service

14. Highlight Profiles in Newsletter
Write a paragraph or two about a resident Veteran (or spouse) in your monthly newsletter. Don’t forget about staff Veterans! Include interviews with them in your newsletters or social media, as well as honoring them during events

15. Create Veteran Inspired Sensory Boxes
Create Veterans themed sensory boxes for 1:1 interactions

4 Ways to Honor Family Members of Active Personnel

You can also honor family members of residents who are currently serving in the military. Ideas can include:

1. Writing down the family member names on a Wall of Service bulletin board. Include photos as well if the family wants to share.

2. Have residents start writing letters to the family member who is currently serving (thank you cards or holiday greeting cards are great, too!)

3. Collect items for the family member and ship them to him/her

4. Video call the active service family member if possible as a group activity

Remember, Veterans and their family members don’t require a flashy event to feel appreciated. Incorporating honor for Veterans throughout your activity calendar can go a long way for your whole community.

Virtual event slated for 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack

80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor Videos

History Forum: The US-Canada Border with Benjamin Hoy

Heartland in American history and culture

Ebenezer is Minnesota’s largest senior living operator with over 100 years of experience serving older adults. As part of Fairview Health Services, Ebenezer is dedicated to healing, discovering and educating for longer, healthier and meaningful lives.

Discrimination is Against the Law. We comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws. We do not discriminate against, exclude or treat people differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex or sexual orientation.

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Life Enrichment with Ebenezer Senior Living

Ways to Engage

Lifelong Learning

Lifelong Learning

Wellness and Fitness

Wellness and Fitness

Spiritual Care

Spiritual Care

Ebenezer’s Ideas and Resources

Ebenezer’s Ideas and Resources

Lifelong Learning

Music

Creative Arts

Educational

Doug Ohman- MN Historian and Photographer

Historical and Musical Journeys with Dale Blanshan

Minnesota Historical Society

Wellness and Fitness

Spiritual Care

Ebenezer’s Ideas and Resources

Dimensions Engagement Resources

Intergen Connections

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