Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota has welcomed Diana Madsen as its new associate director of active aging programs, according to a press release.

Madsen joins the Catholic Charities team to provide leadership that will help drive the development, expansion and implementation of the active aging programs designed to help people live their lives to the fullest potential.

She will also oversee the Common Good RSVP program, which matches volunteers with community organizations, making life better for its southern Minnesota neighbors.

Madsen brings experience from the past nine years in program development. She has worked to expand and promote many of the programs offered through Catholic Charities’ active aging programs in her work with the Statewide Health Improvement Program, and most recently in working with the Area Agency on Aging, where her focus was to encourage communities to consider programs and services that are needed to ensure residents can age in place in their own communities. Her passion for these programs, which are evidence-based, meaning that they have been studied by researchers and scientist and have proven results and positive outcomes for participants to live to their greatest potential, prevent hospitalization and re-admissions, while increasing participants’ confidence in managing their own health condition.

“These programs are so rewarding to teach, especially when people learn tools that help them manage their condition and they develop new energy or a renewed commitment to live fuller lives,” Madsen said. “People realize that they aren’t the only ones dealing with health issues and the workshops help them connect with others for support, they learn new strategies to problem solve, and find new ways to manage the symptoms that affect their lives.”

Madsen is master trained in the living well with chronic conditions and seeking certification for living well with chronic pain self-management programs and will be instrumental in training new volunteer leaders to provide workshops in communities. She will focus on becoming trained in other programs to help serve the needs of adults and caregivers.

Madsen received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of St. Thomas. She resides in Heron Lake with her husband, Michael, and three teenage children. They live on their family farm and are actively engaged in a variety of sports and community activities.

For more information about the active aging programs, contact Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota at 507-454- 2270.