BLUEPRINT
Connect with our efforts to build Minnesota's multisector blueprint on aging.
MULTISECTOR PLANNING
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
My Fellow Minnesotans,
I invite you to be part of our Age-Friendly Minnesota Council's unprecedented work to ensure that our state is a great place to live at every age. We need your input now, as we work together to develop a 10-year, multisector plan for how we will look beyond the traditional aging sector and connect all Minnesotans.
Together, through the active engagement of community leaders like you, along with leadership from our government partners, grantees, and subject matter experts spanning a variety of disciplines, we are developing a powerful, equity-focused, person-centered, and data-driven plan for how we age. Join us!
Kirsten Olson, Interim Director
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
WHAT IS A BLUEPRINT?
The Blueprint will provide Minnesota with:
- A concise, 10-year multi-sectoral plan for lawmakers and organizations
- A framework comprised of four domains and several strategic areas of focus
- A set of commitments and initiatives to be launched by key partners
- A digital story board, communications plan, and collateral materials
- A data dashboard of target metrics to track progress as a state
- An appendix of additional data, research, details and resources
EMERGING DOMAINS AND STRATEGIC AREAS
We have welcomed input from people all over Minnesota. Based on these conversations, the four domains below have come into focus and are shaping our Blueprint. We invite you to share your thoughts, because this work will take the collective ingenuity, knowledge and life experience of us all!
1. CONNECTED COMMUNITIES
Minnesota communities will have housing, transportation and public spaces that foster well-being and maximize social connection for all ages.
- Affordable housing for the lifespan
- Multimodal transportation options
- Public spaces for all ages and seasons
- Social engagement
- Long-Term Care as Home: Quality of Life and Care
2. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS,
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS,
AND SAFETY
Communities will have plans in place for different types of emergencies, and Minnesotans will feel safe and respected at every age.
- Inclusive, integrated emergency preparedness and response
- Elder justice
3. OPTIMIZED HEALTH
AND LONGEVITY
Excellent healthcare should be the norm for Minnesotans throughout their lives. To make that happen, providers will be well trained individuals who understand how to best serve the needs of all.
- Integrated care: health, services, and social supports
- Support for family, friend and neighbor caregiving
- Age-Friendly healthcare access
- Well-trained and well-compensated direct care workforce
4. ECONOMIC SECURITY AND VITALITY
Older adults will have opportunities to remain economically secure and will be recognized as valued contributors to Minnesota's economy and workforce.
- Affording aging
- Economic contributors (employment and volunteerism)
EQUITY-FOCUSED
PERSON-CENTERED
DATA-DRIVEN
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
The Age-Friendly Council works across agencies and tribal governments, including representatives from:
GET ENGAGED IN OUR PROCESS!
We invite you to connect throughout the process of our planned activities:
REGIONAL REPORTS
As part of our statewide community engagement efforts, we held a series of seven free regional discussions on September 29, 2023. Areas of emphasis that we heard as shared statewide priorities include issues such as:
- Affordable and age-friendly housing
- Integrated emergency preparedness and response
- Transportation
- Social engagement, such as parks, digital connectivity and addressing loneliness
- Consumer access and navigation of health care, health plans, and social services
Click on each city below to access a detailed regional report of what we heard from the community members who attended.
NORTHEAST MN SESSION
CENTRAL MN SESSION
SOUTHERN MN SESSION
Passcode: M1nnesot@
NORTHWEST MN SESSION
Additional topics the Regional Exchange conversations didn't surface, but which additional community engagement shows a need for the plan to address include:
- Elder justice
- Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
- Behavioral Health
- Long-Term Services and Supports and Home and Community-Based Services
- Direct care workforce
With additional input from key allies and buy-in from partnering organizations, we seek to take the next steps in developing clear actions for each strategy. Working together, we'll create an integrated, systems-level approach to building a Minnesota for all ages.
Minnesota's Blueprint work will also seek to leverage the latest research and tools from the National Center to Reframe Aging, the trusted source for proven communication strategies and tools to effectively frame aging issues. To learn more, the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council has helped to bring national experts to Minnesota to help leaders from across the state engage in virtual and in-person training opportunities.
ABOUT
Starting in 2023, the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council asked the MN Leadership Council on Aging to create and maintain this website to promote events, resources, news and stories from Age-Friendly Minnesota technical assistance providers and community grantees.
