Partnering for
Collective Impact
ANNUAL REPORT
2022
Partnering for
Collective Impact
ANNUAL REPORT
2022
Message from the Chair and the President
Trellis’ purpose is as clear as it is vital: We exist to optimize well-being for older adults.
Trellis moved through 2022 and into 2023 with the perspective and experience of service and partnership accrued during the COVID 19 pandemic. Our core functions as an area agency on aging made it possible to accelerate the distribution of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to community partners that delivered essential services to older adults, supporting their ability to live safely at home. We exercised the flexibility permitted in use of these funds to expand access to home-delivered meals and other services that reduced isolation and supported family caregivers.
In partnership with community organizations and advocates across the state, we co-led and joined advocacy initiatives to bring focus to the needs of older adults who lack adequate food, depend on volunteer provided transportation and live with complex health and social conditions.
We maintained our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Our entire organization engaged with our vision grounded by the pillars of equity and entrepreneurship. I encourage you to reach out to me directly to learn more about our equity goals and initiatives as we continue this journey.
On behalf of Trellis, thank you to the many organizations and people who partner with us to make a collective impact.
Kris Orluck
Board Chair
Dawn Simonson
President and CEO
How We Serve
How we Serve
Trellis provides services, connections and innovations to help people thrive as they age.
We are the area agency on aging for the seven-county metro area — including Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties. Many Trellis initiatives and activities, including our Juniper® health promotion programs and social care provider network, have a broad geographic reach across Minnesota and, in some cases, across the nation.
As an area agency on aging, we ensure services and policies are tailored to the needs of local communities. We award federal Older Americans Act funding to organizations that provide services to older adults and caregivers and provide the Senior LinkAge Line — a free, statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging in partnership with Minnesota’s area agencies on aging — in the Twin Cities metro area.
We are leading the charge in integrating social care with medical care to produce better life and health outcomes for older adults. Learn more at trellisconnects.org.
Programs
Information and Assistance
Trellis supports individuals through the Senior LinkAge Line, a free, statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging in partnership with Minnesota’s area agencies on aging. We provide information and resources to older adults and caregivers related to Medicare, housing, transportation, financial services and other community supports. Our Data Management Program manages data for MinnesotaHelp.info and the Help Me Connect Navigator, which list a combined 11,859 agencies with more than 65,500 points of service. The Senior LinkAge Line also helps people dealing with complex health situations return to their homes and live independently after a stay in a nursing facility or hospital.
Juniper
Juniper — a program of Trellis — delivers evidence-based health and wellness classes to help Minnesotans improve their health and reduce disease and injury. The Juniper network comprises community organizations, healthcare organizations and public health leaders.
Pension and Retirement Rights
Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights (formerly Upper Midwest Pension Rights) provides free legal counseling to individuals with pension or retirement plan issues in six states — Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Older Americans Act Funding and Programs
Trellis awards Older Americans Act funding and other federal and state funding to community-based organizations that support older adults to live healthy and connected lives in their communities. The funding supports services such as home-delivered meals and group dining, caregiver support and respite care services, assisted transportation, health promotion, and chore and homemaker services. In 2022 Trellis distributed $13 million in funding to 45 organizations serving a total of more than 33,000 individuals.
ElderCare Development Partnership
ElderCare Development Partnership team members help community organizations build capacity for serving older adults and caregivers. They connect individuals and groups and help to design new initiatives and collaborations across the metro area.
Dementia Friendly Initiatives
Trellis supports statewide initiatives to help people living with memory loss thrive. ACT on Alzheimer’s® equips communities to support people who are impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Dementia Friends Minnesota leads free information sessions across the state. The Remember Project uses the arts to reduce the stigma of memory loss.
Our Commitment to Equity
Trellis is committed to being an equitable organization and to making the changes needed in our internal and external activities to achieve that goal. These are some of the actions we took in 2022:
- Added culturally specific identifiers to more than 1,400 service provider listings on MinnesotaHelp.Info.
- Exceeded our goal to have 70% of Senior LinkAge Line information sessions targeted to BIPOC, low-income, or rural communities.
- Increased the number of volunteers who speak languages other than English. Trellis volunteers speak seven languages including Spanish, Afaan Oromo, Somali, and Hmong.
- Created an Equity Action Team to advise Trellis’ work from an equity lens.
Strategic Directions 2020 to 2023
NORTH STAR STATEMENT
We are committed to improving the lives of one million people by 2023
Be at the Forefront
Trellis will be a leader in designing and delivering services for older adults and caregivers and an active advocate for meeting the evolving needs of older adults.
Advance Equity
Trellis will broaden the availability of services to communities and populations of older adults that face disparities and are historically underserved.
Demonstrate Excellence
Trellis will improve organizational rigor and increase awareness of services that benefit older adults, caregivers and partners.
Foster Financial Strength
Trellis will broaden our revenue-generating partnerships to increase the dollars available to further well-being for older adults.
Supporting Older Adults
and Caregivers
Supporting Older Adults and Caregivers
Information and Assistance
The Senior LinkAge Line is a service of the Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA). Trellis and Minnesota’s other area agencies on aging work in partnership with the MBA to support older adults and the people who care for them. A dedicated staff of social workers and other professionals work diligently to understand each person’s unique situation and to find effective solutions to complex issues.
Terry’s Senior LinkAge Line Story
Terry called the Senior LinkAge Line for her aunt who was considering moving to an assisted living facility but wasn’t sure how she’d pay for her care. Trellis’ Senior LinkAge Line resource specialist took the time to explain Elderly Waiver and other programs that could provide financial assistance. They also connected her with her county for additional support. Terry mentioned that she was in tears before making the call, but it really made her day to know that there are people who truly care about older adults and their families.
Barb’s Senior LinkAge Line Story
Trellis’ Senior LinkAge Line staff help people dealing with complex health situations go home after a stay in a nursing facility or hospital. During a check-in call, a team member learned that Barb and her husband were considering downsizing and relocating to more supportive housing. The specialist discussed options that might better support their changing needs. They followed up with Barb a few months later and was able to connect her with resources for home-delivered meals, lawn-care services and decluttering services.
2022 Highlights
31,640
Senior LinkAge
Line Calls
30,176
Preadmission
Screenings
3,236
Clients Served in
the Community
Juniper partners with community-based organizations and healthcare providers to offer 16 evidence-based health promotion classes that help people take charge of their health and their lives.
Juniper had an extraordinary year in 2022, delivering more classes to more people across Minnesota than any other year. More than 8,000 Minnesotans participated in these programs through a mix of online and in-person classes. We are grateful to our providers and class leaders for their efforts to achieve this milestone.
Juniper and the Minnesota Department of Health established a unique partnership that enables Juniper to provide the National Diabetes Prevention Program as a Medicare benefit for eligible individuals. Juniper is the only organization in Minnesota and one of eight organizations in the country with the capacity to do so.
“I know I’ll benefit from it for the rest of my life.”
– Kathy, Juniper Participant
2022 Highlights
Learn more about Juniper
Pension and Retirement Rights
Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights provides legal services to older adults to ensure that they get the retirement funds they have earned.
Support for Carmela
Carmela was entitled to a portion of her ex-husband’s pension benefit, which she needed to help make ends meet. She could not afford an attorney and was reluctant to contact her ex-husband due to a history of domestic violence. Trellis Pension and Retirement Rights attorneys located an attorney who agreed to draft the necessary paperwork on a pro bono basis. The team successfully submitted the files, and Carmela will now receive a $520 monthly benefit for the remainder of her life.
2022 Highlights
$743,667
in funds
recovered
95
new
cases
104
Cases
closed
Building Capacity
with Service Providers
Building Capacity with Service Providers
Older Americans Act Funding and Programs
Older Americans Act funding provides access to home-delivered meals, the ability to get to doctor appointments, help with cleaning, chores and more. These services help people reduce stress, stay healthy and continue to live in their homes.
Older Americans Act Funding at a Glance
$13 million
distributed to 45 organizations
33,210
people served (individuals who received more than one service may be counted more than once)
40%
of people served identified as BIPOC
ElderCare Development Partnership
Trellis’ ElderCare Development Partnership team helps community organizations build capacity and sustainability so they can provide service that meet the needs of older adults.
In 2022, ElderCare Development Partnership staff provided technical support to 28 organizations as they applied for Live Well at Home funding from the Department of Human Services. Fifteen of the organizations received funding totaling $2.2 million.
Case Study: Asian Flame Catering
May Vang, owner of Asian Flame Catering, was referred to ElderCare Development Partnership (EDP) staff. She was interested in increasing her capacity to provide Asian home delivered meals for older adults. EDP staff worked with May to introduce her to senior meals providers to begin discussions about whether they could work with her as a culturally specific meal provider. EDP staff also helped May successfully apply for a capacity building grant which helped her procure equipment to make and package meals for home delivery. Asian Flame now provides culturally specific meals to Adult Day centers in the community.
Engaging Communities
Engaging Communities
Dementia Friendly Initiatives
Trellis leads three dementia friendly community initiatives: ACT on Alzheimer’s®, Dementia Friends Minnesota and The Remember Project. Each of these initiatives strives to make communities good places for people with cognitive impairment to live and thrive.
2022 Highlights
2,295
individuals attended 32 events hosted by The Remember Project
544
professionals received Dementia Friendly for Healthcare training through ACT on Alzheimer’s
2,300
people joined the growing Dementia Friends community
Advocacy
In 2022, Trellis partnered with the Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging to call for more funding for senior meals. Senator Erin Maye Quade and Representative Peter Fischer authored bills that led to a one-time appropriation of $11 million for senior meals. This funding is vital to keep older adults in our community healthy. Thank you to the many partners who joined this effort.
Volunteerism and Outreach
In 2022, the outreach team offered Senior LinkAge Line presentations in American Sign Language for the first time. Video recordings of these presentations are available on our website. Trellis volunteers speak seven languages and represent the rich diversity of our community.
Trellis staff and volunteers provide information about older adult services throughout the seven-county metropolitan area. We focus on making information accessible and responsive to historically underserved communities so everyone has what they need to thrive.
2022 Highlights
$117,489
Value of 3,364 hours of service provided by 87 volunteers
197
Number of presentations conducted by volunteers and staff
50
Number of media interviews and appearances by staff
“Volunteering with Trellis gives me the opportunity to provide help, to always be learning, to use my problem-solving skills – and be a part of team that provides support and training.”
– Carol, volunteer
Leadership
Leadership
Board (2022)
Officers and committee chairs
Kris Orluck
Chair and
Executive Committee Chair
Retired Senior Coordinator, Maple Grove Parks and Recreation Board
Vanne Owens Hayes
Vice Chair
Cultural Consultant and Health Educator
Barb Blumer
Secretary
Attorney at Law,
Barb Blumer Law, P. A.
David Van Sant
Treasurer and
Audit and Finance
Committee Chair
Consultant, Q Consulting
Iris Freeman
Governance Committee Chair
Adjunct Professor,
Mitchell Hamline School of Law Elder Law and Chronic Care Certificate Course
Sarah Urtel
Planning Committee Chair
Vice President, System Support, Ridgeview Medical Center & Clinics
Randy Maluchnik
Immediate Past Chair
Retired Carver County Commissioner
Members
Jeff Bangsberg
Retired Public Policy Initiative Leader, Minnesota Home Care Association
Tim Busse
Mayor of Bloomington
Barbara Champlin
Adjunct Nursing Faculty, University of St. Thomas, Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing
Sumee Lee
Racial and Health Equity Consultant
Ram Rajagopalan
Senior Director, Life Sciences, Virtusa
Mike Rothman
Attorney at Law, Rothman Law and Consulting, LLC
John Selstad
Retired Gerontologist and Dementia Services Developer
Rebecca Stibbe
Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leader
Leadership
Dawn Simonson
President & CEO
Brad A. Bettger
Vice President of Information Technology & Facilities, Information Security Officer
Mark Cullen
Vice President of Strategy & Business Development
John Doan
Vice President of Operations & Equity
Rebecca Ervasti
Vice President of Human Resources
Julie Roles
Vice President of Communications & Advocacy
Amanda Wall Dotray
Vice President of Finance
Financial Report
Financial Report
January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022
Balance Sheet
| Total Liabilities and Net Assets | $8,208,699 |
Revenue and Expense
Total Revenue $23,972,671
Federal Grants: $15,284,018 (64%)
State Grants: $7,420,874 (31%)
Foundation Grants: $1,045,000 (4%)
Contributions: $113,377 (<1%)
Other Revenue: $109,402 (<1%)
Total Expenses by Program $24,661,373
Funding to Community Partners: $13,075,847 (54%)
Information and Assistance: $6,196,486 (25%)
Juniper: $2,482,182 (10%)
Management and Program Development: $2,340,903 (9%)
ElderCare Development Program: $203,984 (<1%)
Pension and Retirement Rights: $191,731 (<1%)
Dementia Friendly Initiatives: $170,240 (<1%)
Statement of Functional Expenses
| Expense Category | Program Services | Management & General | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass-through dollars to community partners | $13,075,847 | $0 | $13,075,847 |
| Salaries, wages and payroll taxes | 6,122,960 | 835,846 | 6,958,806 |
| Fringe benefits | 1,217,700 | 197,474 | 1,415,174 |
| Legal and accounting fees | 25,376 | 40,837 | 66,213 |
| Consultants | 1,361,575 | 200,734 | 1,562,309 |
| Travel | 20,788 | 10,566 | 31,354 |
| Seminars | 68,844 | 29,361 | 98,205 |
| Communication and postage | 93,268 | 2,596 | 95,864 |
| Supplies | 106,451 | 33,522 | 139,973 |
| Repairs and maintenance | 26,437 | 0 | 26,437 |
| Facility | 59,336 | 575,835 | 635,171 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 0 | 195,836 | 195,836 |
| Insurance | 8,510 | 48,166 | 56,676 |
| Advertising | 61,521 | 5,267 | 66,788 |
| Other costs | (3,040) | 164,863 | 161,823 |
| In-kind | 74,897 | 0 | 74,897 |
| Total | $22,320,470 | $2,340,903 | $24,661,373 |
Major Funding Partners
We are grateful for the foundations, governmental units and businesses that help support our mission through grants, contracts and sponsorships.
- Administration for Community Living
- AgeOptions
- Bader Philanthropies, Inc.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota
- HealthPartners
- Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
- M Health Fairview East Side Health & Well-Being Collaborative
- Minnesota Board on Aging
- Minnesota Department of Health
- Minnesota Department of Human Services
- Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (MN GWEP)
- Quality Health Associates of ND
- Spectrum Generations
- Texas Healthy at Home
- UCare Minnesota
Sponsors
We thank the following organizations for sponsoring Trellis programs, projects and events:
ADRC of Barron and Rusk Counties
ADRC of Chippewa County
ADRC of Columbia County
ADRC of Dane County
ADRC of La Crosse County
ADRC of Ozaukee County
ADRC of Pierce County
ADRC of St. Croix County
ADRC of Trempealeau County
ADRC of Washburn County
Aitkin County Care
Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter
Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
Care Providers
City of La Crosse
City of Moorhead
Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging
Duluth Aging Support
Eau Claire County
Granite Falls Living at Home Block Nurse Program
Mayo Clinic
Michigan Region IV Area Agency on Aging
Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging
North County Vocational Cooperative Center
Shawano County Human Services
St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
The Victory Fund
Individual and organizational contributors
Reese Aarthun
Jeff Bangsberg & Anita Boucher
Patricia Bartley
Brad Bettger
Sarah Blonigan
Barb Blumer
Marietta Booth
Molly Borchardt
Mary Brauer
Judy Brink
Diane Bublitz
Jeffrey Cairns
Clay Callander
Barbara Champlin
Alison Colton
Deb Courts-Brown
Mark Cullen
John Doan
Robert & Darlean Doriott
Amanda Wall Dotray
Bonnie Dudovitz
Rebecca Ervasti
Bob & Jane Fedderly
Fredrikson & Byron
Iris Freeman & Warren Woessner
Manyee Henderson
Karen Humphrey
Dorothy Kuluvar
JoAnn LaFave
Kim Lane
Cheryl Lanign
Sumee Lee
Meg Luhrs & Leif Bjornson
Elaine Magnan
Randy Maluchnik
Terri McEnaney
McCarthy Family Fund
Jon & Deb McTaggart
Minnesota State Bar Association
Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging
Rajean Moone
Jim Morten
Marysue Moses
Collin Motschke
Carin Mrotz
John Nichols
Amanda Nickerson
Carmen Nomann
Janice Olson
Leon Oman
Kristine Orluck
Nancy Ovick
Vanne Owens Hayes
Joseph & Sheila Peschges
Lori Petersen
Candace Peterson
Jane Phillip
Ram Rajagopalan
Gretchen Reeves
Mark Roisen
Julie Roles
Jen Rooney
Mike Rothman
Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation
Betty Salley
Sally Schlosser & David Rodgers
James Secord
John & Shelley Selstad
Kathryn Shortridge
Dawn Simonson
Mark & Janet Skeie
David Smith
Sandy Smith
Leanne Sponsel
Rebecca Stibbe
Stinson LLP
Sarah Urtel
David Van Sant
Vital Aging Network
Stephanie & Sam Walseth
John Ward
Sherri Weiss
Jacquelyne Wentworth
Jetta Wiedemeier Bower
Mary Youle
Trellis is funded in part by the Minnesota Board on Aging under the Older Americans Act.