Saint Paul – (February 8, 2023) – Gail Skoglund, Director of Adult Day Services at Cassia in Edina, MN was honored by LeadingAge Minnesota with the Outstanding Leadership Award at the LeadingAge Minnesota Institute & Expo.
The award recognizes a leader in older adult services who provides excellent leadership to their staff and organization, enhances the quality of life for the residents in the community, and delivers exceptional community service.
“Gail Skoglund has been a champion for adult day services in Minnesota for more than 35 years,” says Kari Thurlow, President and CEO, LeadingAge Minnesota. “When the state’s adult day centers were closed by government order during COVID, her strong leadership and perseverance helped find new ways to stay connected with seniors through virtual visits. She leads Cassia’s Open Circle Adult Day Services with vision and undeniable passion.”
Skoglund started in adult day services in 2001 and knew within days that this path was her calling. Since then, she has been on the forefront of developing and shepherding Open Circle Adult Day’s person-centered philosophy of service. She also played an instrumental role in promoting, organizing, and facilitating the ACT on Alzheimer’s initiative for the Hopkins community. As a result, the city has become certified as a Dementia Aware community that is safer, more educated, and better-prepared to respond to the growing population of individuals living with dementia in the area.
“As the Director of Adult Day services for Cassia, Gail goes above and beyond to support five adult day sites site with their individual needs,” said Bob Dahl, CEO, Cassia. “She always makes herself available and fills in when needed. Despite being corporate director for all Cassia Adult Day, and all that this entails, she is accessible for team members, participants, and families. When our team needs support, she is serving lunches, helping with transitions, sitting with a member to calm their nerves, speaking with employees about how the center can improve its service to members and employees alike. She leads by example.”
Skoglund accepted the award at the LeadingAge Minnesota Institute & Expo, the state’s largest and most comprehensive aging services conference. More than 3,000 professionals in all aspects of older adult services attend the annual three-day event to learn about new and innovative programs, share best practices and network with their peers.
For more information, watch the 2023 Leadership Award video:
About LeadingAge Minnesota
Driven to transform and enhance the experience of aging, LeadingAge Minnesota is the state’s largest association of organizations serving older adults. Together with more than 58,000 caregivers, our members provide quality care, services, and support to nearly 54,000 older adults in independent living, assisted living, adult day, home care, and skilled nursing.
