In Freeborn County and Albert Lea, aging well is a priority - and a lot of fun
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The distinct sound of a polka band filled the air on senior day at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds, with activities and discounted tickets for people 65 and older. The fair also recognized the county’s Outstanding Senior Citizen of the year, giving an award to someone in the community who gives back.
That’s just a snapshot of how Freeborn County is embracing its aging population. In Albert Lea, which serves as the county seat, there is an extensive network of walking trails, a cafe for people who have memory challenges and their caregivers, and a choir for people with dementia.
Karen Thompson took her mother, Beverly, to the fair and said those activities are an essential part of their routine these days.
“The nicest thing I think is that the memory cafe is the one thing we can go to and be ourselves,” said Karen, who is helping take care of Beverly, who has dementia. “There is a lot of stuff for us to do, and so that's really wonderful.”
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Leading some of these efforts is Jean Eaton, chair of Age Friendly Freeborn County, a group of organizations and individuals working to raise awareness of and provide resources to building a more age friendly community. AARP designates communities as age-friendly if they lean into supporting their aging populations.
Freeborn County earned its designation in 2023 after surveying residents about what people living in the area want more of as they age. Soon, there will be more seniors than there are young people living in the county - and there are more seniors in Freeborn County than the average Minnesota county, said Eaton.
“We got ten percent back from our survey, and it said number one, they want to stay in their home, they want socialization and they want communication,” said Eaton.
Those survey results launched an array of partnerships and programming aimed at supporting and providing a better quality of life to people growing older in the area.
"We have an active senior center. We have an active senior group at the YMCA. We have Wind Down Wednesdays. We have music on Thursdays. We offer educational seminars,” said Eaton.
Making aging safer and more fun
Freeborn County is one of 33 "age friendly" communities in Minnesota, said Jay Haapala, who directs community engagement for AARP Minnesota.
"When people are disconnected from each other, they're not just unhappy: It can cause other health issues. So having those social connections really makes a big, big impact on people's lives,” he said.
Freeborn County is also focused on making it safer for folks living in the area to age safely in their homes. For instance, residents can sign up to call into the fire department daily.
"And If we don't hear from them, we go to their house and we check on them,” said Deputy Fire Chief Bart Berven.
"We've found people that were maybe in a medical situation that because we found them sooner, we were able to kind of get them help sooner and get them back at home,” he said.
Right on time to help
For Donna Hollrah, 86, a visit from the fire department was right on time.
"I forgot to call that morning, and then when [the fire department] called me, I didn't answer the phone,” she recounted. “And pretty soon there was a knock on my door."
Soon after first responders arrived, Hollrah experienced a health episode. They were able to get her pills from her kitchen to ease her symptoms, she said.
Hollrah is also part of an in-home monitoring program launched in 2024 that discreetly places motion and heat sensors around her apartment. And when patterns in her movements change, an alert is sent to Connected Communities of Freeborn County, where staff are monitoring and will call Hollrah if something seems amiss.
“Aging in place is what the majority of older adults want to do because they're most comfortable in their environment. It's usually less expensive as well, and our population is aging so quickly, so there aren't enough units for people to move into instantly when they need service and support,” said Shanna Eckberg who runs the program.
Hollrah said the monitoring program makes her feel safe in her apartment. And it offers her a level of independence some others her age don't have. It's also an example of how Freeborn county's embrace of its aging population helps strengthen the community.
Special thanks to Danger Boat Productions and the Minnesota Humanities Center for their Sketches of Minnesota events around the state that helped inform this report.
