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Public testimony splits on Healthy Aging subcabinet; advocates urge funding, Board on Aging expresses concern
Summary
During public testimony at the conference committee on May 12, advocates and agency representatives praised the creation of a Healthy Aging subcabinet and urged full funding, while the Minnesota Board on Aging said it opposed creating another aging entity, citing overlap and potential confusion.
Public testimony before the State and Local Government and Elections Conference Committee on May 12 featured sharply divergent views on a proposed Healthy Aging subcabinet and statewide healthy aging plan.
Dawn Simonson, president and CEO of Trellis (the metropolitan area agency on aging for the seven-county region), told the committee the state must plan for an older population and urged the panel to "adopt the House language and fully fund the healthy aging subcabinet." Simonson said she has seen "growing wait lists for home delivered meals and increasingly limited access to transportation and in-home services," and warned that without action the state would not be prepared for a larger senior population.
In contrast, Maureen Schneider, chair of the Minnesota Board on Aging, testified virtually that the board "unanimously" cast the sole vote against the task force's final recommendations and opposed establishing a separate…
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