Description

Older adults in rural areas can struggle to access aging-related services, transportation to medical appointments, and social opportunities. To support older adults living in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Lutheran Services in America created the Rural Aging Action Network (RAAN). The RAAN works with older individuals to assess their unique health-related social needs, connect them to services, and provide follow-up.

Lutheran Services in America has awarded grant funding to the following organizations to support the collaborative: Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, St. John's United and Immanuel Lutheran Communities in Montana, Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center in North Dakota, and Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota.

Services offered

A RAAN Lead meets with older individuals to assess their needs through a whole-person lens and learn of any challenges related to social determinants of health like transportation, safe housing, food security, and social supports. The Lead then refers and connects these individuals to community partners and organizations and provides follow-up.

In addition to the RAAN coordination efforts, organizations in the collaborative offer the following services:

• Caregiver supports & services in Minnesota, including emergency care planning, respite care, educational classes, and support groups
• Companionship in North Dakota and South Dakota, including social engagement and assistance with transportation or light household chores
• At Home in Montana and North Dakota, which provides concierge-level service to older adults, including assistance with home maintenance, light meal prep, medication management, and connections through social outings
• Behavioral health in South Dakota offering 5 free sessions of behavioral health assessment, counseling, and coaching
• Financial counseling in South Dakota offering one-on-one financial counseling and resources

Results

Since 2015, the collaborative has reached over 4,000 older adults and caregivers in over 100 rural communities.

This 6-minute video shares the lived experiences of older adults and caregivers living in rural Wilton and Regan, North Dakota:

Challenges

It takes considerable time to build trust with community partners, older adults, and caregivers in rural communities. Lutheran Services in America chose five organizations (listed above) to lead Rural Aging Action Networks because of their long-standing presence and leadership in these communities. Furthermore, rural communities generally can be seen as having fewer resources or presence of other healthcare and aging services providers. To assist with these challenges, the RAAN Collaborative partnered with the ABCD Institute for a series of trainings and exercises to strengthen their capacity in identifying and leveraging unique resources and assets in the community.

Replication

Learn what services are available in your rural area and formalize partnerships with those organizations. Create a standardized network for communication with these partners.

Identify gaps in services; if launching a new program, pick centralized or widely frequented locations like churches, libraries, or senior centers. Think of different ways to use existing resources, such as using church or senior center vans for other transportation needs.

Contact Information

Ashley Washington, Director of Aging Initiatives
Lutheran Services in America
Rural Aging Action Network
awashington@lutheranservices.org