Keystone Free Farmer’s Markets
Monthly Starting in June
Drive Through Service - Open to All - Receive free, fresh fruits and vegetables
All events take place from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Flyers available in English, Hmong, Karen, and Spanish
Call: 651-645-0349 or email: info@keystoneservices.org
Please share with your networks
Manufactured Home owners:
Do You Need Help with lot rent, home loans, utility bills, or home repairs?
HomeHelpMN - The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency opened the program to provide assistance for homeowners, including manufactured homeowners, who have fallen behind on their home loan, lot rent, or other eligible housing-related expenses due to effects of the pandemic. Learn more about the program, including additional eligibility information.
Manufactured Home Rehabilitation or Replacement - The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency has forgivable no-interest loans available to help manufactured home owners to rehab or replace their homes. MHFA’s program applies to manufactured homes on personal property, located in manufactured home parks, and on tribal lands. Learn more about the program, including application instructions.
All Parks Alliance for Change is the statewide organization for Minnesota’s 180,000 manufactured home park residents. APAC provides a vehicle for manufactured home owners to express their needs and concerns in their parks and in the larger community.
Up to 375,000 Minnesotans may
lose Medicaid coverage within year
DHS is encouraging everyone enrolled in Medical Assistance or Minnesota Care to go to:
Renew my coverage / Minnesota Department of Human Services (mn.gov) to determine how to update their contact information so that they receive their re-enrollment materials when their time comes.
White Bear Area Guide to Senior Services
2023 Update Now Available!
The White Bear Area Senior Program just published their updated Guide to Senior Services - a directory of programs serving residents in the communities of the White Bear Area School District. Most of these programs also serve the wider Ramsey County area.
To access the guide online: https://communityservices.isd624.org/adults-seniors/programs, or pick up a printed copy at the White Bear Area Senior Program at
Normandy Park Education Center, 2484 E County Rd. F, White Bear Lake.
Call 651-653-3121 for more information.
Free Upcoming Webinars for
Senior Meal Programs
The Nutrition and Aging Resource Center has a Free Summer Webinar Series on Evaluation beginning with the first session, June 9th:
“Placing the 'Value' in Evaluation: Practical Tips for Measuring Impact”
For a preview and to register go to:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt1JGPOQrjw
A past webinar is available on “Creative Fundraising for Senior Nutrition Programs” that offers ideas for Meals on Wheels and Senior Center programs.
2023 Legislative Accomplishments
The Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging shares some of the unprecedented accomplishments for the aging sector this legislative session:
Continuation of the Age-Friendly Council and community grants through 2027;
Reforms to Housing Supports to help address unhoused older adults;
Historic rate increases and funding supports for Elderly Waiver, Home Care, and Nursing Homes;
A study for the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE);
Continuation of the state’s Palliative Care Advisory Council;
Funding to help ensure older adults can access senior meals;
Funding and study about ongoing Supported Decision Making efforts;
A Native Americans Elder Coordinator at the MN Board on Aging; and
Supports for families, such as funding Caregiver Respite Grants, the Live Well at Home program, and culturally relevant Alzheimer’s and Dementia awareness.
Minnesota can be a great state to grow up
AND TO GROW OLD!
New Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm The Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the US
“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connections the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.”
Meals on Wheels Fits Into Framework for a
National Strategy to Advance Social Connection
The physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. Additionally, lacking social connection increases risk of premature death by more than 60%.
In addition to our physical health, loneliness and isolation contribute substantially to mental health challenges. In adults, the risk of developing depression among people who report feeling lonely often is more than double that of people who rarely or never feel lonely. Loneliness and social isolation in childhood increase the risk of depression and anxiety both immediately and well into the future. And with more than one in five adults and more than one in three young adults living with a mental illness in the U.S., addressing loneliness and isolation is critical in order to fully address the mental health crisis in America.
While the epidemic of loneliness and isolation is widespread and has profound consequences for our individual and collective health and well-being, there is a medicine hiding in plain sight: social connection.
Social connection is beneficial for individual health and also improves the resilience of our communities. Evidence shows that increased connection can help reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, dementia, and depression. Communities where residents are more connected with one another fare better on several measures of population health, community safety, community resilience when natural disasters strike, prosperity, and civic engagement.