Minnesota-based senior living provider receives honorable mention from Mather Institute

SAINT LOUIS PARK, MN / ACCESS Newswire / November 19, 2025 / Aging care and services leader Saint Therese has been selected by Mather Institute as a 2025 honorable mention recipient of the Promising Practices Awards. Now in its fifteenth year, this awards program recognizes organizations that are moving away from conventional practices by developing and implementing new and innovative approaches for older adults. Saint Therese was chosen based on its strategic initiative designed to address longstanding challenges in team member orientation, onboarding, and retention within long-term care settings.

"The Promising Practices Awards honors Saint Therese for its OARS Program (for Onboarding and Retention Success), which has shown to reduce staff turnover," said Jennifer L. Smith, PhD, AVP and director, Mather Institute. "These award-winning programs and initiatives serve as a catalyst for organizations across the country and around the world to spark new ideas for enhancing the lives of older adults."

The initiative centers around a newly created position called the Onboarding and Retention Specialist (OARS), who acts as an on-site ambassador and dedicated resource for new team members. Saint Therese implemented this role at two locations - Brooklyn Park (Saint Therese of Oxbow Lake) and Woodbury (Saint Therese of Woodbury) - where dedicated OARS team members were hired to support the program. The OARS specialist works with all staff to improve overall retention, providing support and guidance from the hiring process through orientation, onboarding, and beyond.

OARS has yielded clear, measurable outcomes in its first year: nursing staff turnover improved by an average of 21 percent from baseline, compared to only nine percent improvement in non-participating sites.

"Receiving national recognition from Mather Institute affirms the importance of rethinking how we welcome, support, and retain the people who care for our residents every day," said Craig Abbott, president and CEO of Saint Therese. "And our OARS program is already transforming that experience. It's strengthening team engagement, improving retention, and ultimately enhancing the quality of care we provide.

He added, "We are deeply grateful to our partners at the Empira quality improvement collaborative for their insight and partnership; their expertise helped us shape an approach that is both innovative and practical for long-term care settings. This honor reflects our shared commitment to building a more supportive, engaged, and resilient workforce."

A full complimentary report on all the 2025 Promising Practices recipients and honorable mentions is available for download at matherinstitute.com/promising.

About Saint Therese: Minnesota-based Saint Therese was founded in 1964 and prides itself on its rich tradition of providing exceptional care for seniors. It has locations and services in Brooklyn Park, Woodbury, Corcoran, Shoreview (all Minnesota), IHM Senior Living Community in Monroe, Mich., St. Mary of the Woods in Avon, Ohio, and Saint Therese of Westlake in Westlake, Ohio. Most communities provide the full continuum of care from independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and transitional care. Saint Therese at St. Odilia in Shoreview specializes in hospice and palliative care. Ascend Rehabilitation provides rehabilitation therapy, health and wellness services. Saint Therese is a nonprofit, 501©(3) senior care organization.

About Mather Institute: Founded in 1941, Mather is a nondenominational not-for-profit organization based in Evanston, Illinois, that creates Ways to Age Well.SM Mather Institute is its research area of service, and serves as an award-winning resource for research and information about wellness, aging, trends in senior living, and successful aging service innovations. To learn more, find your way to mather.com.

Media Contact:

Barb Hemberger, 612-669-0381
[email protected]

SOURCE: Saint Therese



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