Dawn Simonson, Leah Hérbert Welles and Jeff Wyant testify at the Minnesota Senate Human Services Committee 3/12/25
Dawn Simonson’s testimony at the Minnesota Senate Health and Human Services Committee 2/19/25
Transcript:
My name is Dawn Simonson, and I am a board member of the Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging known as “m4a.” m4a has one overarching aim, and that is to help older adults in greatest need live healthy and secure lives in the community. Area Agencies on Aging administer public funds and connect people to services.
m4a is deeply concerned by our collective failure as a state to develop and act on a comprehensive strategy that supports older adults trying their best to live at home for as long as possible. These older adults often do not drive and they live alone. Physical conditions prevent them from preparing nutritious food or managing everyday household tasks. They may have cognitive impairment. Data scientists from the University of Minnesota confirmed again in a report[i] to DHS that the older population is growing in total and that the fastest growing segments are the older age groups that are most likely to need services and support.
We have had a serious situation building for some time. American Rescue Plan Act funds and one time state funds provided a reprieve, but ARPA funds for meals and supportive services are completely spent and new state funds for meals were one-time. Our providers are cutting home delivered meals, closing nutrition sites, and have reduced capacity to provide rides and homemaker services.
We know the consequences. Malnourished seniors become frequent flyers in emergency rooms. When they forgo medical care or live in an unsafe or unsanitary home because they cannot manage the cleaning, that too leads to decline. Older adults suffer in these circumstances and families give up. The only option is expensive assisted living or nursing facility care, assuming it’s available.
According to Genworth, annual nursing home care in Minnesota costs $171,000 a year and that cost quickly becomes one the state bears. According to the study I noted above, the majority of people entering an assisted living facility or nursing facility not on Medicaid became enrolled within one month of entry.
We have known for decades that meals and rides help people remain at home where they most want to be and these services slow the need for more expensive care. This is a win for everyone. Investing in upstream services must be part of Minnesota’s strategy to care for older adults. We ask that you hear our bill authored by Senator Maye Quade to maintain the one time $11M appropriation for senior meals and add $4M for assisted transportation and homemaker/chore services.
Senator Hoffman and members of the committee, as you make your decisions about the biennial human services budget, you must elevate the needs of community dwelling seniors. They deserve our care and compassion, and preventing or slowing their spend down to Medicaid is a sound investment for the state.
[i] November 2023 MN DHS study, Long Term Services and Supports for Minnesota’s Older Populations, Current and Future Utilization and Medicaid Payments. Greg Arling, Zachary Hass and Dongjuan Xu, Purdue University School of Nursing, Lynn Blewett and Mark Woodhouse, State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Jason Swanson’s testimony at the Minnesota Senate Health and Human Services Committee 2/19/25
Transcript
Chair Hoffman and Members,
My name is Jason Swanson, and I am the Executive Director of the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging. As a Co-Chair of the Senior Meals & Services Coalition, I thank you for allowing me to testify today.
This committee has been instrumental in raising awareness and supporting older adults in Minnesota. This is evident by the investment this committee made in 2023 through the Senior Nutrition program.
That funding was the first increase in the Senior Meals Program in decades. However, that funding was time limited and stretched over four calendar years instead of the biennial period. Our request is to continue this funding on a biennial calendar and to support funding for additional senior services that will assist older adults to remain in their community.
The continued $11 million investment in the Senior Meals Program will assist in addressing older adults who are at risk of becoming food insecure, with a regular nutritious meal.
A recent study by the Chesley Center on Aging out of Minnesota State University – Mankato highlights the essential service of senior nutrition. The goal of the AAAs and our partners is to prevent older adults from becoming food insecure. The focus of our efforts is not all older adults, no, the focus is on older adults who are at or below the poverty line, have a chronic disease, a disability, lives alone, or lacks the ability to go to a store or food shelf.
When an older adult becomes food insecure, their nutrition becomes a problem. The older adult misses out on essential proteins, vitamins and other nutrients. This leads to negative health outcomes. These include asthma, congestive heart disease, diabetes, malnutrition, and depression.
Over half the counties in Minnesota currently see greater than 20% of their population over the age of 65. Rural older adults have lack access to nutritious foods – the availability of a food shelf, a grocery store, or site that provides home delivered meals. This leads to older adults being food insecure and their health declines.
These negative health outcomes are later addressed, unfortunately and often too late, through an emergency room visit, hospitalization, skilled nursing facility stay or may even be fatal.
The funding for senior nutrition is an investment and an empowerment for older adults to remain healthy, active, and engaged in their communities. We hear many times throughout the year how routine meal delivery has discovered a potential emergency for the recipient. They may have fallen earlier in the day, maybe the first time they have been reported ill, or have had no heat. The volunteer can intervene with minimal interference to provide support to that older adult.
Our funding request for senior support services will help to address the lack of assisted door-through-door transportation and includes a $2 million biennial appropriation to address transportation needs and a $2 million biennial appropriation to provide chore and homemaker services. Meals, rides and help at home are key to support the ability of older adults to live in the community. The funding we request would be integrated in the current aging network of Area Agencies on Aging and local service providers. The continued investment in older adults empowers them to stay active and in their communities.
Thank you for your time and your work to improve the lives of Older Adults.