older woman in a crowd, listening intently

Area Agency on Aging

Trellis is the designated area agency on aging for the Twin Cities metro area. This is a role authorized in the federal Older Americans Act and assigned by the Minnesota Board on Aging. In that role we:

In that role we:

Ensure that services and policies are tailored to local communities needs and aspirations
Award federal Older Americans Act funding to organizations that provide home and community-based services to older adults and caregivers
Provide direct services to older adults and caregivers as part of the statewide Senior LinkAge Line^®

Older Americans Act funding

Trellis awards and manages Older Americans Act funding to support older adults in living healthy and connected lives. The funding provides services such as home-delivered and congregate-dining meals, caregiver support and respite care services, assisted transportation, health promotion, and chore and homemaker services.

Learn more

Information and assistance

Trellis provides Senior LinkAge Line^® services in the Twin Cities metro area, in partnership with the Minnesota Board on Aging. Each year we have 100,000+ points of contact with older adults and caregivers — providing information and resources on Medicare, housing, transportation, financial services and other community supports.

Senior LinkAge Line
connection to resources

Explaining Medicare in easy-to-understand terms
Presenting unbiased information about Medicare plan options that best fit their needs
Assisting in finding resources to address a wide range of issues
Providing resources for caregivers
Helping explore housing options
Providing resources for financial and legal assistance

Community
outreach

Senior LinkAge Line outreach specialists and volunteers deliver education and presentations to community members in partnership with community organizations, employers and others throughout the seven-county metropolitan area. Volunteers contributed 3,634 hours in 2022, providing Medicare counseling on the phone and at in-person sites and doing community presentations.

Resource coordination

Senior LinkAge Line specialists help people dealing with complex health situations go home after a stay in a nursing facility or hospital—or to remain in their homes even when facing difficulties. Community living specialists meet in person or on the phone with older adults and caregivers. For those who qualify, specialists help:

Find services and resources to support living at home
Develop a person-centered plan

Click here to make a referral

Preadmission screening

Anyone entering a Medicaid-certified nursing facility in Minnesota must receive a preadmission screening, according to state and federal laws. Senior LinkAge Line staff reviews screenings to ensure that nursing facility placement is appropriate. They refer individuals who may benefit from additional supports to county offices. Preadmission screening specialists also provide phone-based follow up to support independence in community settings.

MinnesotaHelp.info

MinnesotaHelp.info^® is the backbone of data for the Senior LinkAge Line and Disability Hub. MinnesotaHelp.info lists social services from across the state of Minnesota and is a go-to resource for professionals and the general public. Trellis’ Data Management Team curates and manages the data for this Minnesota Board of Aging service.

Trellis is funded in part by the Minnesota Board on Aging under the Older Americans Act.