Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging Inc
Background and Purpose
The Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging Inc (Agency on Aging) was incorporated in 1994 and was designated by the Minnesota Board on Aging as the Area Agency on Aging for the seven-county metropolitan region. Agency on Aging's mission is to help elders age successfully by building community capacity, advocating for aging issues, maximizing service effectiveness, and linking people with information.
Its activities include the Senior Linkage Line; Fund Distribution, which contracted with 45 community agencies to provide meals, chore services, transportation, caregiver support, legal assistance and special access services to minority and immigrant elders; System Change, which developed the Dementia Identification Project to integrate long-term care to improve the management of this chronic disease and; Technical Assistance and Service Development. Since 2007, the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging has been acting as a fiscal agent for the Vital Aging Network.
Founded in 2001, as a program at the University of Minnesota, the Vital Aging Network (VAN) is a nationally recognized volunteer network of individuals and organizations that believe civic engagement of older adults is beneficial to both society and the older person. Its mission is to promote self-determination, community involvement, and personal enrichment for and with older adults through education and advocacy. VAN programs include: the Advocacy Leadership for Vital Aging Program; the Vital Communities Toolkit, which is a tool for individuals and community planners interested in creating communities that are more supportive of the active involvement of older adults; and the Van Forum, which is a monthly education program that covers vital aging topics in rotating community locations.
Current Request
VAN is requesting funding to implement the Advocacy Leadership for Vital Aging (ALVA) course at Century College and Inver Hill Community College, new locations for the program. This educational program helps older adults ages 45-75 to identify their unique skills, leadership abilities and passions, and apply these gifts to projects that contribute to their communities. Three cohorts of this program have been conducted between 2004 and 2006. Previous community projects have included the Mapping Your Retirement Program, Environmental Force, and the Minnesota Creative Arts and Aging Network. VAN redesigned the program to better meet the needs of participants and to provide ongoing support for projects that are created through this program.