WASHINGTON—Lutheran Services in America announced a new partnership with RRF Foundation for Aging (RRF) to launch Rural Caregiver Voices 2026: Elevating the Rural Caregiver Experience, a national initiative designed to uplift the lived experiences of family caregivers supporting older adults across rural and frontier communities.
Lutheran Services said this project responds to a critical gap in the aging and caregiving landscape: the stories, challenges and expertise of rural caregivers remain largely unheard in conversations shaping systems of care. The project builds on Lutheran Services's Rural Aging Action Network (RAAN), a model the company said is designed to increase community leadership and peer-to-peer learning in underserved rural communities.
In partnership with the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC), Rural Caregiver Voices 2026 will equip rural family caregivers with tools in storytelling, systems literacy and leadership development, ensuring that those who shoulder the bulk of caregiving responsibilities in rural America have the skills and platforms to advance meaningful change.
Through in-depth research, a two-day storytelling and mobilization workshop in Washington, D.C. and ongoing coaching by NAC, the project will identify and train rural family caregivers and aging leaders across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota RAANs. Participants will engage directly with national leaders, share their stories and contribute to a co-branded Rural Family Caregiver Framework that highlights the real-world challenges and opportunities facing rural caregiving communities.
“Family caregivers in rural communities play an extraordinary role in the health and well-being of older adults, and yet their lived experiences too often go unseen in decisions and discussions that impact their daily lives,” said Alesia Frerichs, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America. “Through this partnership with RRF Foundation for Aging, we are expanding the power of local leadership and elevating the expertise of rural caregivers whose voices are essential to designing equitable, responsive systems of support.”
“At RRF Foundation for Aging, we are committed to improving the quality of life for all older people, and that includes uplifting the experiences of those who care for them,” said RRF President and CEO Mary O’Donnell. “This partnership with Lutheran Services in America ensures that rural family caregivers—who often serve as the primary source of support for older adults aging in place—are better equipped, heard and connected to conversations that shape the services and resources available to them.”