St. Paul, Minn. – The “Stars and Stripes Mentor Program” and the “Memories of Mom” initiative improve care for Veterans and Residents we serve.

Both were recognized as the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) Healthcare Division received two “Excellence in Practice” awards at the LeadingAge Minnesota annual conference on Feb. 7-8. MDVA is a member of LeadingAge Minnesota, a network of mission-driven organizations serving older adults in all the places they call home.

The Excellence in Practice Awards celebrate promising programs and initiatives that help advance and transform the care of Minnesota’s older adults, recognizing safe, quality care and innovative service delivery.

The Minnesota Veterans Homes - Silver Bay received a “Stars Among Us Excellence in Practice” award for the “Stars and Stripes Mentor Program.” LeadingAge Minnesota described the program as “an ideal example of performance improvement – and the best part is the positive results you have achieved!”

The Stars and Stripes Mentor Program is a ladder program for Human Service Technicians (also known as Certified Nursing Assistants) that provides additional education support with the goals of building strong leadership and improving and expanding performance skills. The program is showing promising results with the employee retention rate increasing by 10% from FY 2022 (56%) to FY 2023 (66%).

In addition, Silver Bay Veterans Home Physical Therapy Assistant Jake Ojala was honored with the District B Caregiver of the Year Award. The District Caregiver of the Year Award honors individuals in older adult services who demonstrate exceptional commitment to older adults and enrich the quality of life of those in their care. Ojala was one of seven caregivers selected for the regional award out of a field of 60,000 professional caregivers throughout the state.

“Jake is a tremendous addition to our Silver Bay family,” said Dani Donner, Silver Bay Veterans Home Administrator. “As a caregiver at a nursing home, fostering meaningful connections with our Residents is paramount. By establishing trust, understanding individual needs, and providing emotional support, Jake not only enhances the quality of life for our Residents but also creates a nurturing environment where they feel valued, respected, and truly cared for.”

The Adult Day Program based on the Minneapolis Veterans Home campus received a “Stars Among Us Excellence in Practice” award for the “Memories of Mom” initiative. “What a fun and creative person-centered way to engage your participants and bring back such cherished memories of their mothers’ best recipes,” LeadingAge Minnesota noted in their announcement.

“Memories of Mom” is a journey of culturally diverse cuisine, according to Adult Day Program Leader Ann Rostratter. The team asked themselves: “How can we create connections among a culturally diverse aging population?”

“We needed to find common ground for all, so we decided to focus on memories of our mothers and the food they prepared for us,” Rostratter explained. “Our Veterans completed questionnaires about their fondest memories of their mothers, their family backgrounds, and provided recipes of their favorite dishes along with photos. We had our cook prepare a different dish from the recipes we received each week so the Veteran could talk about their fondest memories of their mom and the favorite dishes she made. Our Veterans enjoyed trying dishes from other cultures and hearing all the ‘mom’ stories! The results: sharing cultural pride, understanding others through their memories, and trying different new food. We created several types of cookbooks from all the recipes that can be given to the families or used as a fundraiser for some facilities. Sometimes it takes a village to realize we are all not so different after all!”

“I am so proud of the creative and caring programming provided by our staff,” said MDVA Commissioner Brad Lindsay. “We all believe that serving those who have served is an honor and it is validating to receive this recognition from LeadingAge Minnesota.”

Added Deputy Commissioner - Veterans Healthcare Eric Meittunen: “The Minnesota Veterans Homes and our Adult Day Program set the bar in providing the highest quality senior care. And employees like Jake Ojala represent the commitment we have to our Residents. Congratulations to all our staff for their wonderful work!”

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About MDVA
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) is a cabinet-level state agency dedicated to serving Minnesota Veterans and their families. In addition to overseeing the five State Veterans Homes, MDVA helps eligible Veterans and families secure state and federal benefits and provides programs and services relating to higher education, benefits, burial, claims, outreach and Veterans employment. Veterans and their families are encouraged to visit www.MinnesotaVeteran.org or call 1-(888)-LinkVet for more information about benefits.