#AgeFriendlyMN
Age-Friendly Minnesota
The investments we collectively make in creating an age-friendly state will benefit each of us as we age. Now home to more than a million people over age 65, our state has a diversity of lived experiences spanning broad geography and cultures. With Minnesota undergoing this demographic shift, it is important we elevate conversations about aging and coordinate age-friendly systems.
There are many allies in this work, and each of us plays a crucial role.
Age-Friendly Minnesota
provides a galvanizing framework - from local grantmaking to the Multisector Blueprint for Aging - to have a role in this work across multiple sectors, including state and local government, non-profit and private sectors, as well as research, philanthropy and more.
Are you involved yet?
Join us for a powerful day of age-friendly advocacy, including a free breakfast briefing and training at the Wilder Center, followed by a trip over to the State Capitol to meet with legislators, sharing our age-friendly stories and the importance of keeping the work of the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council a commitment to our state's future. Learn how to look up and set meetings with your State Senator and State Represenative and plan to join us! Or keep reading to learn more about us.
Background
In 2019, with the growing international age-friendly movement spearheaded by the World Health Organiziation, and championed in the United States by AARP, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz made history by signing Executive Order 19-38 establishing the first leaders to serve on an Age-Friendly Minnesota Council. By August 2020, this group submitted a preliminary report of eight recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature on how to make aging a state priority.
In the 2021 Special Session, the Legislature approved continuation of the fledgling Council to continue their work for a few years more, and by January 2022, Governor Walz submitted an official letter and Minnesota's application to join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. As outlined in this January 2022 Press Release, Minnesota was the 10th state to join the growing network.
In 2023, we worked alongside the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council to convene leaders across the age-friendly ecosystem and participated in a 10-state cohort convened by CDCS to learn more about what it takes to build a Multisector Plan and reimagine our communities for all ages.
We also worked alongside the
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
to create a new
AgeFriendlyMN.org
website that easily shares free events, grant information, and all the open-source resources being developed. Not to mention an
Age-Friendly Advocacy
and
Media
resources.
Age-Friendly Briefs
As a foundational effort to guide the development of a Multisector Plan on Aging, the following briefs explore current work of the Minnesota Board on Aging, Department of Human Services, and broader aging network (an interconnected structure of state and local agencies that help older adults live independently in their homes and communities). The briefs offer a framework for understanding the complex foundations for existing work and guided efforts to develop strategies for a more age-friendly Minnesota. While not exhaustive, they capture some of the major ideas of the time, prompted needed questions and discussions, and helped identify priority opportunities for greater impact and outcomes.
What flowed from the briefs and a national dialogue was a remarkable and unprecedented process of community engagement by the aging sector (regional exchange sessions, virtual events, focus groups, etc.) that ultimately brought together over 3,500 Minnesotans from aross the state to co-design the four domains of our Blueprint as well as drive the key strategies and objectives. The process culminated with a series of convenings in the fall of 2024 to prioritize and finalize the specific tactics and call for community-leadership in launching a bold new statewide plan. In December 2024, we proudly facilitated the release of the first iteration of Minnesota's Multisector Blueprint for Aging.
What is an Age-Friendly Community?
An Age-Friendly community is one that enables all residents to thrive at every age and life stage.
Age-Friendly communities help us to be more resilient during a crisis. For example, Minnesota cities and towns focused on Age-Friendly work prior to COVID-19 were well-prepared to meet the needs of their aging residents because they had already created the infrastructure, partnerships and communications channels needed.
The availability and quality of certain community features commonly referred to as the “8 Domains of Livability” have a powerful impact on the well-being of older adults.
In an Age-Friendly community, this framework is used to organize and prioritize the shared work needed to become a more livable place for people of all ages.
Age-Friendly Ecosystem
Age-Friendly has also moved out beyond the WHO/AARP framework to include best practices championed by several others, such as leading health systems or universities. Learn more below how the age-friendly movement and key Minnesota partners are leading the way towards a broader, systemic shift towards an age-friendly state:
Age-Friendly Care and Education Collection
This curated collection from the
Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program
highlights educational and clinical resources for educators, health professionals, learners, and others interested in improving care for older adults. This fully searchable collection includes full citations and links to resources deemed of high quality by experts in aging care, education, and research.
The Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
Want to Learn More?
Click on any of these Age-Friendly Minnesota Council links to understand more about Minnesota's age-friendly efforts or to get engaged. Also, be sure to search and tag #agefriendlymn on your favorite social media platform to feature your own work in this important movement.
Get Engaged!
You can also help ensure this work moves forward in future years. Without legislative action, the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council will sunset in June 2027.
