Aging services providers know that helping older adults thrive takes more than excellent care—it requires strong partnerships throughout the community.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation has launched a new Connected Communities website designed to help organizations build those partnerships and create healthier, more age-friendly communities. Whether you're a nursing home, assisted or independent living community, senior housing provider, home and community-based services organization, or other aging services provider, the site offers practical resources to support cross-sector collaboration that improves the lives of older adults.

Visit the new website at www.connectedcommunitiesmn.org.

Connected Communities is built on a simple idea: no single organization can meet all of the needs of an aging population. When aging services providers partner with healthcare systems, public health, local governments, nonprofits, transportation providers, businesses, faith communities, and residents, communities are better equipped to support people as they age.

For providers, that means opportunities to:

• Strengthen relationships with key community partners.
• Address social drivers of health that impact residents and clients.
• Reduce isolation by connecting older adults to community resources.
• Identify collaborative solutions to local workforce, housing, transportation, and caregiving challenges.
• Position your organization as a trusted community leader and convener.

The new website is intended to be a practical resource for communities that want to launch or strengthen cross-sector collaboration. Visitors can explore the Connected Communities framework, learn from Minnesota communities already doing this work, discover tools and resources, and find guidance for bringing diverse partners together around a shared vision for healthy aging.

As Minnesota's population continues to age, providers are increasingly being called upon to think beyond the walls of their organizations. Connected Communities offers a roadmap for building the relationships and partnerships that will help older adults remain healthy, connected, and engaged while strengthening the entire continuum of aging services.

Whether your organization is already collaborating with community partners or just beginning to explore what's possible, the new website provides ideas, examples, and resources to help move the work forward.

Explore the new resource at www.connectedcommunitiesmn.org and discover how your organization can help build a Connected Community.