Sentinel February 2018
Senior
Lifestyles
Page 2 • Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Tvedten keeps local history alive By JASON SORENSEN Sentinel Staff Writer Fairmont
L
enny Tvedten, director of the Martin County Historical Society, has had a rich life and is a happy fixture in the Fairmont community. His is also a story of watching personal plans give way to the unexpected, often resulting in more fulfilling experiences. Tvedten was able to share how he came to where he is now. “I grew up in Elmore on a farm,” he said. “I played basketball and baseball in high school and went to Mankato State and wanted to be an elementary
Lenny Tvedten teacher. I started teaching in Fairmont in 1967 in fifth grade at Lincoln School. And was married in the fall of ’67.” As for what made him want to
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become a teacher, Tvedten said it had to do a lot with his own experiences. “I grew up in a small town and some of the best role models were teachers, which is probably what influenced me,” he said. “Growing up on a farm, I made the decision that I didn’t want to be a farmer. I wanted to go to college. Would I do it again? Probably. “One of the things I didn’t realize when I was teaching is one of the byproducts, that I do now, is having been here for so many years I have the pleasure of dealing with kids I had in school who are now adults. They may be my attorney, my dentist; they may clean out my driveway of snow or
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put in my furnace. Just that interacting, I think, is one of the things you don’t think about as you go through your profession, but it’s something that I really appreciate and think is a real plus.” A year after beginning his teaching career, Tvedten would go on to serve with the Coast Guard. While he said it was not something he looked forward to, it nevertheless ended up becoming a great part of his life. “In the fall of 1968, in November in the Vietnam era, I got this big government job to go into the military, so I went into the Coast TVEDTEN Continued on Page 8
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Ingleside pleased with newest service By JUDY BRYAN Sentinel Staff Writer Fairmont
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little more than a year has passed since Ingleside Assisted Living in Fairmont debuted its new $2.5 million, 21-unit wing of memory care and care units, which provided another alternative level of service for its residents. “We take more than just memory care residents,” said Kim Manwarren, Ingleside’s housing director. “We also take residents that have more challenging care needs that we can’t manage in assisted-living but who don’t really need to be in a nursing home either. It’s kind of that little niche in between.”
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Page 4 • Tuesday, February 13, 2018
INGLESIDE Continued from Page 3
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Speaker provides insights on abuse By NATALIE HOWELL Sentinel Staff Writer Blue Earth
S
tacy Scofield, Committee Against Domestic Abuse program coordinator for the office in Blue Earth, recently spoke to a group of senior citizens about elder abuse, as well as abuse to vulnerable adults. CADA is a non-profit victims advocacy organization in Mankato. Its mission is to provide safety and support to victims of domestic and sexual violence through education, advocacy and shelter. The organization has offices in Blue Earth, Nicollet, Waseca, Watonwan, Faribault,
Le Sueur and Sibley counties. The presentation was part of a Lunch and Learn program through Interfaith Caregivers, at which speakers talk about issues pertaining to senior citizens. “CADA has a philosophy much like Interfaith Caregivers, that everyone is of value and everyone should be treated with value,” said Dan Woodring, Interfaith Caregivers director. Scofield spoke about the definitions of abuse. CADA’s definition of abuse is “the exertion of power and control over another human by being a perpetrator to facilitate their ABUSE
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Page 6 • Tuesday, February 13, 2018
ABUSE Continued from Page 5
wants, needs and desires.� “Usually that power and control instills fear in that other person,� Scofield said. Although physical abuse may be the first form of abuse that comes to mind, abuse that elderly and vulnerable adults face include emotional
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cans over the age of 60 has experienced some form of elder abuse. It is estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of abuse are reported. Scofield said abusers and those who take advantage of senior citizens and vulnerable adults are often family and loved ones. According to the National Council on Aging, in almost 60 percent of elder abuse and neglect incidents, the perpetrator is a family member. Other possible perpetrators include new friends and love interests, neighbors, property managers and landlords. According to Scofield, there are many barriers that make it difficult for elderly people and vulnerable adults to report. This includes lack of transportation and support, isolation, gaps in technology, cognitive
limitation, fear, embarrassment, not wanting to report on a loved one and being dependent on the abuser. “It’s really difficult to try and talk about your experience when you know that you’re going to have to go home and face that person who’s going to hurt you again,� Scofield said. One common form of elderly abuse is financial exploitation, in which someone’s finances and belongings are taken advantage of by loved ones, financial fiduciaries, insurances agents and real estate agents. “A lot of banking now is done online,� Scofield said. “A lot of places don’t allow you to write checks any-
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more; they want you to use debit cards. That can be very confusing for older adults.” Indicators of financial exploitation include unpaid bills and sudden changes in property titles, power of attorney, documents, wills and trusts. There are many signs that indicate that someone may be dealing with abuse. Physical signs include broken bones, fractures, cuts, bilateral bruising on the arms or in the thigh area, wrap-around bruising and significant traumatic hair loss. There are also signs that neglect or self-neglect is occurring. “So we have neglect by the caregiver, but then we can also have neglect by the caregiver who is allowing the victim to self-neglect,” Scofield said.
Self-neglect occurs when an individual is unaware of their deteriorating health or environment and refuses assistance or fears that assistance will bring on undesired consequences, such as a loss of independence. Indicators of neglect and self-neglect include poor hygiene, being unclothed and wearing clothes that are not suited for the weather. According to Scofield, there are also ways to spot if somebody is being abusive. Perpetrators are often short-tempered and have a history of alcohol or drug abuse. They typically are overly involved with the elderly or vulnerable person and don’t want to let them out of their sight. They can also be dismissive when asked about the victim’s wellbeing.
Scofield said that if you suspect someone is being abused, it’s important to first ask “tell me” questions, such as “tell me how you feel at home,” or “tell me how you got that bruise.” While reporting can be difficult, there are resources to help, including law enforcement, Human Services
and CADA. “The more questions you ask and the more people you talk to, the better chance you have of getting a result,” Scofield said. For more information on CADA, visit www.cadamn.org. To learn more about elder abuse prevention, visit elderjusticemn.org
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TVEDTEN Continued from Page 2
Guard for four years,” he said. “I ended up spending my time at the Federal Building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and I had a great experience. My wife came out there and she got a job in Cleveland and we met a lot of nice people, and it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life. “At first, I was just in the mailroom, because they didn’t know where to place me. They decided that with my background I would be able to work in their finance office, which is where I was for the balance of my time. My wife worked for a paper company, and through that we were able to meet a lot of different people, and it was just a very positive experience.” After such an unexpected good time, Tvedten said he and his wife
were hesitant to return to a small town. However, they ultimately did come back to Fairmont with the intention of teaching for five years before moving on to something else. However, things didn’t quite pan out that way. “It turned into 30 [years], and I retired in 2001,” he said. His current position at the Historical Society also was something he did not intend on doing. “This position was presented to me, which I declined at first,” he noted. “I wondered what I would do here four days a week. But I took a second thought and talked to the board and I was hired. I thought it would be for a couple of years and it’s turned into 17, and it’s turned into one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.”