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Diversity

MAAA's goal is to create a community environment that recognizes and values differences and to advocate for the expanded availability of programs that serve metro-area residents of all backgrounds.

Sustaining Minority Elders in the Community
The Sustaining Minority Elders in Their Communities project has provided technical assistance and training to minority service providers to build organizational capacity to create long-term care services that support elders in their communities.  The community needs assessment is one component of the 4-year demonstration project. These four assessments of Hispanic, Hmong, Korean, and Vietnamese elders in the Twin Cities address the current and future needs for home- and community-based, culturally specific services; examine the likelihood these elders will use non-family care; and, identify potential opportunities to enhance support of minority elders within their communities.

Elder Refugee Toolkit
Most older adults residing in Minnesota are able to readily access a fully-developed system of home and community based long-term care services such as meals, transportation, homemaker, home health care, adult day services and caregiver support. The situation is not the same for Minnesota's older refugees. They face significant barriers accessing these services and therefore do not use supports that would help them maintain independence in the community. Through grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Human Services Office of Refugee and Resettlement MAAA developed an online toolkit relating to the cultural experiences of three prominent refugee groups in Minnesota.

Health Disparities
While in general health disparities and service utilization rates have shown promising trends, dramatic differences between white and other minority elder populations still exist. Read MAAA's Minority Elder Health Disparities: Data Summary sheet.

Senior LinkAge Line®
The Senior LinkAge Line® provides information and assistance through the following means for persons with limited English proficiency:

  • Interpreter services of the Language Line and MN Relay services for telephone and in-person counseling sessions;
  • Translated informational materials as available;
  • Referrals to culturally-specific services as available;
  • Personalized help with completing forms and applications for public programs.

Funding
In 1986 MAAA began to provide funding for Special Access Projects designed to support minority service organizations with the goal of assisting minority elders access main stream services. In addition MAAA funds ethnic and culturally age-specific meals and caregiver services through the Older Americans Act. Learn more about MAAA's Special Access Projects in the Providers and Professionals section of the website. Download a chart of the available ethnic and culturally age specific meal sites. Learn more about the caregiver providers.

Communities of Color 2010 Data Sheets
The following data sheets provide information on minority elder populations in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area:

Stratis Health Culture Care Connection (off site)
Culture Care Connection is an online learning and resource center, developed by Stratis Health, aimed at supporting health care providers, staff, and administrators in their ongoing efforts to provide culturally competent care in Minnesota.

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