The best policy starts with listening. “Rural Voices Shaping Transformation,” a new report drafted in partnership with The SCAN Foundation and Public Policy Lab, documents our travels to rural Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota over the last year to hear directly from older adults navigating the intersection of Medicare, Medicaid, housing, food, transportation, socialization, and health. How can we go beyond data to explore what it really looks like to age in rural America today — the gaps, the workarounds, and the resilience that rarely make it into policy briefs?
Join us on April 13 to explore what they told us, why this moment is urgent, and how their stories can help reshape the systems meant to serve them. We’ll examine how centering lived experience alongside rigorous research produces insights that neither approach can achieve alone, and what that means for advocates, funders, and decision-makers working to strengthen supports for older adults with complex needs. Whether you work at the federal, state, or community level, this conversation will leave you with a clearer picture of what responsive, dignity-centered policy for rural aging can and should look like.