Your Voice Can Help Shape the Future of Aging in Minnesota

If you’re 60 or older and live in Minnesota, Minnesota needs to hear from you.

Share your experiences in a statewide survey for older adults sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Minnesota Board on Aging.

Minnesota is changing. More of us are living longer, and that is good news. It also means our communities, services, policies, and supports need to keep up with the realities of aging today.

That is why the Minnesota Comprehensive Aging Survey matters.

The survey is a statewide effort to hear directly from Minnesotans age 60 and older about their daily lives, needs, priorities, and hopes for the future. It asks about the real experiences of aging in Minnesota: what is working, what is difficult, where support is needed, and what would help people live well in their homes and communities as they age.

This is not just another survey. It is a chance for older Minnesotans to help guide decisions that affect aging services and supports across the state. Survey results will help inform future planning by the Minnesota Board on Aging, the Department of Human Services, Area Agencies on Aging, Age-Friendly Minnesota, and other partners working to make Minnesota a better place to age.

The survey is especially important because aging looks different for different people. Some older adults are active in work, family, volunteering, faith communities, and civic life. Some are caring for a spouse, parent, neighbor, or grandchild. Some are managing health conditions, transportation challenges, housing concerns, social isolation, or the rising cost of daily life. Many are doing several of these things at once.

Good planning starts by listening. The more people who respond, the better Minnesota can understand the full range of experiences older adults are living every day.

For Olmsted County and communities like ours, this survey is also an opportunity to make sure local voices are included in statewide planning. We know that aging well depends on more than health care alone. It depends on safe housing, transportation, nutrition, social connection, caregiver support, accessible public spaces, and trusted community services. It depends on whether people can get what they need without being overwhelmed by complicated systems.

By taking the survey, older adults can help answer a simple but important question: What would make Minnesota a better place to age?

The survey is optional, confidential, and takes about 20 minutes to complete. Minnesotans age 60 and older are encouraged to participate before the July 15 deadline. People may also request to complete the survey by mail or phone.

Family members, caregivers, service providers, faith communities, neighborhood groups, and community organizations can help by spreading the word. Encourage older adults you know to take the survey. Offer help finding the survey if needed. Share it with groups, newsletters, and community networks.

Aging is not someone else’s issue. It is a shared future. The choices Minnesota makes now will shape the communities we all grow older in.

Taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Aging Survey is one simple, meaningful way to make sure those choices are grounded in the real lives and voices of older Minnesotans.

Your experience matters. Your voice matters. Please take the survey and help shape the future of aging in Minnesota. Take it online or call toll free at 833-508-6398. The survey will be open until July 15, 2026.