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By Ayanna Eckblad

St. John’s Lutheran Community recently received the Connected Communities Grant, a $600,000 grant given by the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation.

According to St. John’s CEO and Administrator Shanna Eckberg, the overall goal for the grant will be to build a network of resources throughout Freeborn County that have an ability to help area seniors maintain their independence in their homes and provide necessary services as they age, utilizing a “Senior Living Without Walls” concept.

In a press release, Eckberg stated, “This grant gives Freeborn County’s seniors, and those who support area seniors, the opportunity to align to best serve this dynamic demographic in the way they choose through innovation, engagement and collaboration.”

The timing of this grant was perfect, Eckberg said, as the Southeastern Minnesota Area Agency on Aging just released statistics about aging populations in this part of the state. A few findings were that rural populations are older than urban populations. Older adults are also the fastest growing age group. Additionally, Minnesotans living in small or rural towns are over twice as likely to be 80 years old or older than urban residents.

St. John’s also received input from a survey conducted for the Age-Friendly Freeborn County Initiative. This was huge, Eckberg said, in determining what resources and improvements could be made in the county.

The Connected Communities Grant is given exclusively to rural organizations, and there are a total of three grants awarded per giving cycle.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation, Eckberg said, has specific criteria and an assigned committee tasked with reviewing organizations’ applications. Starting in May, St. John’s went through an application process with multiple phases that eventually culminated into an interview phase later in the year.

During the application and interview process, St. John’s partnered with other community organizations, including the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and Senior Resources of Freeborn County.

“Freeborn County has so many groups that want to help seniors,” she said.

Eckberg added the specifics of what the grant money will be used for is yet to be determined. More research, she explained, is needed to determine how the money can best be used to serve the seniors in Freeborn County.

“The individual is our focus. The senior and their family is our focus,” she said. “We have to talk to the seniors. It really needs to be adapted.”

In implementing the “Senior Living Without Walls” concept, Eckberg said St. John’s hopes to give seniors more access to resources to help with socialization, access to care and home modifications.

“Freeborn County has seniors that could utilize the funds to stay in their homes,” she said.

For example, St. John’s hopes to eventually offer remote patient monitoring through their partner, Zemplee.

“It’s all about creating a connected community that older adults and their family can benefit from.”