Special Projects

In addition to planning, development and coordination, grants management, and information and assistance MAAA works with community partners on initiatives related to special topics.

Learn about past special projects.

Currently MAAA participates in the following special projects:

CMS Medicare Senior Risk Reduction Demonstration Project
Pam Zimmerman, Project Manager
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Senior Risk Reduction Demonstration Project is designed to evaluate whether health promotion and disease prevention programs currently offered by national private insurers and employers can be delivered by the Medicare program to encourage beneficiaries to engage in healthy lifestyles and practices that can help them maintain and improve their health and reduce the need for health care services for preventable illnesses, injuries, or complications. The Senior LinkAge Line® is partnering with StayWell Health Management Organization to assist participants identified in the project and to make connections to health promotion and disease prevention programs. This three-year demonstration project began in May 2009.

Communities for a Lifetime
Dawn Simonson, Executive Director
MAAA is currently undergoing several initiatives to increase the capacity of MAAA to assist municipalities in planning for the demographic trends. Over the next several months MAAA will be learning more about planning at the local level within the context of shifting demographics. MAAA will synthesize information obtained into a report and will make it available to municipalities. This synthesis will outline current planning initiatives at the local level including examples of planning that incorporated a livable community for all ages component.

Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative:
Leanna Smith, Contract/Grant Manager
Through a grant to the Payne Phalen Living at Home/Block Nurse Program, the Early Stage project focuses on building capacity to effectively identify and serve Latino elders with early stage dementia in primary care and community service partnerships. The project builds on previous work with adapting the Chronic Care Networks for Alzheimer’s Disease (CCNAD) tools and referral process within primary care clinics/community provider partnerships to provide culturally acceptable support to Latino elders with dementia.

Metro Falls Prevention - EnhanceFitness® Demonstration Project
Cathy Rettig, Project Coordinator
As a partner in the state Evidence-Based Health Promotion grant funded by the Administration on Aging, The MAAA is working with local partners, Wilder Foundation, Senior Community Services, UCARE Minnesota, along with the Minnesota Board on Aging and Minnesota Dept. of Health to develop additional EnhanceFitness® exercise program sites in the metro area.  The project is working on strategies to expand and sustain local sites, promote the program to older adults, and to health care and aging service professionals who can identify people at risk of falls and other chronic diseases where exercise can improve health and fitness quality of life.  The demonstration project is part of a national movement to increase the capacity of the aging network to offer evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention programs and become strategic partners with health care providers and payers to improve chronic care management and health outcomes for older adults.

Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative
Emily Farah-Miller, Project Consultant
The Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative, led by the MN Board on Aging in partnership with the MN Department of Human Services, MN Department of Health and numerous public and private organizations seeks to increase awareness of the prevalence and risk factors for falls; increase the availability and access of evidenced-based falls prevention interventions statewide; and enhance quality assurance efforts related to falls prevention. MAAA is coordinating and conducting falls prevention public awareness activities targeted to professionals and older adults, updating the Minnesota Falls Prevention website, developing partnerships to expand awareness reach and local program support, and providing Matter of Balance (an evidence-based falls prevention program) technical assistance and training to local site implementers.

Working Caregivers Initiative
Emily Farah-Miller, Project Manager
MAAA and local service agencies are developing a coordinated approach to expand education, consultation services to employers and promote workplace policy options to support working family caregivers balance. Working Caregiver Newsletter