Trellis, the Area Agency on Aging serving the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, is committed to hearing the voices of older adults and their families and caregivers to inform our strategic direction and service offerings. The Community Advisory Committee was established in 2018 to help us gather input. We are recruiting additional members to the committee and invite you to apply or share this opportunity with someone you believe would be interested in serving.
The committee reviews and comments on Trellis’ annual area plan prior to its submission to the Minnesota Board on Aging. The area plan defines how we will carry out our efforts under the Older Americans Act.
Some of the strategic priorities identified by the committee for 2025:
- Support culturally appropriate services provided by people of that culture who speak their language and understand their culture.
- Support providers in addressing compounding/conflicting needs of individuals (e.g., mobility, vision, language, hearing, transportation, social acceptance, discrimination within a cultural group).
- Promote caregiver support services that support the whole family, not just primary caregivers.
- Ensure rules around respite care are flexible to meet the needs of the caregiver (i.e., length, time, location).
- Promote supported decision making and planning for solos.
- Address isolation and loneliness as both public safety and wellness issues.
The committee is diverse, friendly, vibrant, respectful and bold. We encourage older adults and caregivers with experience receiving or knowledge of aging services to apply. Committee members serve two-year terms and meet three to five times per year.
If you are interested in serving on the Community Advisory Committee, please contact EDP@trellisconnects.org.
