Unknown speaker — Discussed how older adults want to volunteer but may not feel they have value to contribute despite their lifetime of experience.
Unknown speaker — Explained that implicit ageism can make older adults feel they have little to contribute and emphasized the need to reframe aging.
Unknown speaker — Explained that the preference for physical phone books reflects both access barriers and distrust of digital communication due to scams and misinformation.
Unknown speaker — Added that people want trusted sources of information regardless of the reason they seek help.
Unknown speaker — Confirmed that referral confusion is a recurring theme and described efforts to create a single point of contact and warm handoffs.
Miss Foley — The chair invited Miss Foley to ask a follow-up question. Miss Foley then raised a related question about the phone book issue, asking whether the main problem was that some people do not have devices or whether people simply prefer a physical phone book. The chair then ended the exchange by thanking Miss Foley and stating there were no more follow-up questions.
Miss Schneider — Miss Schneider thanked the presenters and then raised a series of questions about the program, including concerns about confusing referral pathways and repeated transfers between offices, as well as questions about lottery funding, how long the lottery has existed in the state, and how statewide assistance and awareness-building are handled.
Miss Schneider — Miss Schneider responds to the chair by thanking the presenters and praising the technical assistance offered to potential grantees. She then notes that her nearly 35 years of experience in aging has shown her the wide range of grant offerings and the importance of technical assistance, especially for first-time applicants.
Mark Dagel — Mark Dagel is introduced and then delivers a continuous public testimony. He identifies himself as a lifelong Minnesota resident, business innovation manager, and Uber/Lyft driver, describing how driving has let him build community and treat riders with dignity. He notes that his work has connected him with many people, earned him a perfect customer rating, and even led to a Star Tribune feature on his kind-hearted approach. He offers himself as a free resource on ride-share and transportation issues, emphasizing that transportation policy should also address loneliness and human connection. He also explains that a business innovation he developed was taken by the state and rolled into the CoAWARE MN app, says he was denied compensation and a meeting with the governor’s staff, and argues that serving seniors will require new sectors and good-paying jobs that strengthen the tax base.
Jim Shyal — Jim Shyal is introduced as the first presenter from AARP Minnesota and then begins his testimony by greeting the committee and identifying himself as the volunteer state president. He later reiterates his role and adds background, noting that he is the former mayor of the capital city and former national director of the Senior Corps.
Re Shy — Speaker is thanked for the presentation; name appears to be a transcription of a speaker transition.
Cher Pew — The chair greets Cher Pew and asks her to state her name for the record and begin testimony.
Sher Pew — Identifies herself as chair of Age-Friendly Minnesota and introduces accompanying staff.
Sher Pew — Referenced as the person who told the Aitkin story and will highlight grant efforts.
Reena Shetty — Reena Shetty is introduced as the director and acting director of the Board on Aging, then she identifies herself as the interim director for the Aging and Adult Services Division at DHS and begins outlining recommendations.
Kristen Olsen / Kirsten Olen — Introduced as acting director; name is unclear due to transcription inconsistencies.
Glory — Sher Pew tells a story about her banker in Mound named Glory, who is retiring.
Kirsten Olsen — Identified as the next speaker who will address the multisector blueprint on aging.
Erin Maye Quade — The lead for the task force on aging praises the work and urges attention to the wording of enabling executive orders, especially Pennsylvania's.
Reena — Addressed directly and thanked for coming and talking on numerous occasions.
Kristen — Invited to respond to the question about the framework.
Kristin Robbins — Representative Clor is mentioned as having whispered about the metric and evaluation.
Dr. Goler — Dr. Goler asks to briefly add an overall impression of the age-friendly initiative and frames a key challenge around measurement and outcomes.
Mr. Heler — The chair made room for Mr. Heler at the dais, invited him to speak, asked him to state his name for the record and offer comments, and later thanked him for his contribution and voice at the table.
Rick Heler — Rick Heler introduced himself as an unofficial representative of twice-exceptional people and people with print disabilities and testified about accessibility. He urged the legislature to ensure its digital accessibility efforts comply with accessibility standards, raised concerns about vulnerable adults and print-disabled users, and pointed out that a document was not fully accessible. He asked that his electronic submission and testimony be properly reflected in the record, noted that he could resubmit the material to the committee, and closed by saying he has been testifying on behalf of twice-exceptional and print-disabled people for more than a decade.
Nathan — Confirmed the project-by-project approach and noted specific evaluation work with the University of Pittsburgh.
Nathan — Nathan discusses the analysis of community needs and priorities, emphasizing the importance of keeping people connected in community through informal caregiving and mentoring relationships. He is referenced as having helped conduct the October analysis, and the discussion continues with the major themes that emerged as priorities, including the surprising extent to which people rely on physical tools like phone books to find services.
Nathan — Nathan is invited to speak specifically about the private-sector side of the plan.
Dr. Goggler / Joel Goggler — Introduced himself as director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota and asked about academic partnerships.
Dr. Goggler — Dr. Goggler is addressed in a brief follow-up exchange that continues the same discussion. The speaker asks whether he has any additional questions, then responds in agreement with his perspective, referencing implementation tracking and state models as part of the discussion about funding centers on aging.
Dr. Goggler — The chair references Dr. Goggler while discussing website feedback and asks if there is anything else to add. Dr. Goggler responds appreciatively, says the chair’s point was helpful, and adds that the website should better reflect the different pillars of the age-friendly model.
Jen Foley — Jen Foley asks about recurring themes and any surprising findings from the public listening sessions, and the discussion responds by describing the main recurring themes that emerged.
Jesse — Jesse is referenced as having written a report on the department's major focuses and responds that nothing specific comes to mind about child care.
Kevin Hancock — Kevin Hancock is identified as having previously been with the department and as a leader on the project before recently retiring.
Nathan Lampenfeld — Introduces himself; affiliation is partially garbled but appears to be with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.
William — Introduces himself; the rest of the affiliation is garbled.
Jesse Pierce — Introduces himself as executive assistant to the Secretary of Aging, supporting the Aging team.
Gabrielle Samansky / presenter — Explains that the presentation cannot be shown yet and says she wants to first discuss the agenda.
Nate — Nate from the department takes over the presentation as the main writer of the plan and explains that the plan is organized around priorities, including five key priorities, while noting that the final draft is still awaiting approval.
Gabby — Gabby is referenced as part of the ongoing presentation: first as the person who previously outlined the structure of the plan, and then as the person being asked to move to the next slide, with thanks for her presentation support.
Gabby — Gabby says the department works a lot with grandparents raising grandchildren and that it has been a major focus in recent years.
Gabby — Referenced as having previously explained the hotline structure.
Joel Goggler — Introduced himself as director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota and asked about academic partnerships.
Joe Schomacker — Representative Lesnar is mentioned in the roll call, but the name is garbled and uncertain.
Gabrielle Samansky — Introduces herself as executive director of the Pennsylvania Council on Aging and hands off to colleagues.