In rural and urban communities across Minnesota, Living at Home Programs are passionate about helping older adults maintain a healthy, safe, and independent life at home.
The first program, originated as Living at Home/Block Nurse Programs, began in St. Paul in 1981 and the model quickly spread across the state. Each one of the 32 network programs was started by community residents who care deeply about aging well in the community. The programs raise funds from local individuals, businesses, events, and grants, and many receive state funding from the MN Department of Human Services. The Living at Home Network is a resource hub and advocate and supports the operations and connections among all member programs.
OUR MODEL
The Living at Home Network (LAHN) program model is rooted in work with elders, their caregivers, home health and senior-serving organizations, and Minnesota communities. Citizens come together to do the hard work and organizing needed for developing this local, volunteer-driven model.
LAHN programs share the following guiding principles. Each program:
- Is governed by neighborhood/community residents within geographic boundaries they define.
- Stimulates neighborly expressions of caring and friendship.
- Provides or arranges for quality comprehensive health, social and support services for elders.
- Provides services that meet the elder’s comprehensive needs over time. Service provision is based upon need rather than ability to pay.
- Emphasizes health promotion, early intervention and management of chronic conditions.
- Conducts ongoing and proactive outreach in the community.
- Learns best practices, shares knowledge and avoids duplication of efforts within available resources.
- Maximizes current funding and develops new private and public funding sources.
Evaluates program effectiveness regularly and responds to changing community needs.
OUR HISTORY
In 1981, the first Living At Home/Block Nurse Program was launched by community members in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul to address and change the disjointed nature of services available for elders. Community residents came together to discuss the needs of their senior neighbors and put in the work to develop a program model. The result was a unique non-profit program that coordinates community volunteers and health professionals to help older neighbors safely stay in their home.
Between 1981 and 1987 several Twin Cities area neighborhoods organized to start programs based on the program model, along with the first rural program in Atwater, Minnesota. Eventually, Living at Home/Block Nurse Program, Inc. was established (in 1987) as a Minnesota 501(c)(3) organization to:
– promote the LAH/BNP model’s concept, philosophy and values statewide and
– effect societal change that encourages and supports ongoing neighborhood-based health and long-term support for seniors.
With funding support from a number of local and national foundations, program replication materials were created and intensive work was done with interested communities across Minnesota to start new programs. In 2002, Living at Home/Block Nurse, Inc. adopted the new name Elderberry Institute to distinguish the nonprofit organization from the 30+ programs across Minnesota. In 2010, the programs did a restructuring and renaming of the organization to Living at Home Network, creating a streamlined resource and support center focused on the needs of current and future member programs statewide.
