Two action teams enhance their community resources to support older adults, caregivers

Aitkin County and Moose Lake Area teams move to implementation phase of Rural Aging Initiative pilot program

 

In the spring of 2014, the Northland Foundation launched its Rural Aging Initiative, a multi-pronged effort to help older adults in our rural region to age in place. One component of the initiative is connecting with two sites in the region to implement the Community Care Integration Pilot Program (CCIPP). It’s a lengthy name for a straightforward concept: working with two northeastern Minnesota community sites to strengthen supports and services for older adults.

The two participating sites are Moose Lake “Aging Well Information Network (AWIN)”, coordinated locally by Pam Jensen, and Aitkin County “Aging in Place”, coordinated by Beth Leaf. They have spent the past twelve months organizing, gathering information through meetings and surveys, identifying what services are already available, and developing a plan to address gaps and opportunities.

Each site is receiving $50,000 over two years from the Northland Foundation to support their projects. Among their plans are, increasing awareness of the services available for older adults, computer classes for seniors, and the resurrection of transportation service in Moose Lake.

Recently, the White House Conference on Aging announced a series of Listening Sessions designed to gather information about the needs of seniors and caregivers. Aitkin County and Moose Lake Area were natural choices to host sessions in northeastern Minnesota, leveraging the momentum the action teams have gained over the past year.

The Listening Sessions were hosted in mid-May by Northland Foundation and the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging, in partnership with the two CCIPP teams.  A total of 27 Aitkin County community members and 59 Moose Lake residents participated.

Many of the topics that emerged are already on the CCIPP action teams’ radar. With teams in place and implementation plans on the table, each site can hit the ground running to address issues.

“We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Northland Foundation and the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging,” said Leaf, the coordinator in Aitkin County. “They are passionate about helping seniors and building strong communities.”

Watch for exciting progress and outcomes in the Moose Lake area and Aitkin County in the weeks and months to come!