The age-friendly movement in Massachusetts reached a milestone this week as the town of Monson became the 100th community in the Commonwealth to commit to joining the AARP network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.
The achievement closely followed Worcester, the state’s second largest city, making their commitment to joining the age-friendly network at a ceremony on May 11th. Continue reading
Salem for All Ages, the age-friendly initiative in Salem, Mass. that recently released its Year 5 Progress Report, is featured in a community spotlight by AARP. Continue reading
Similar to a health impact assessment conducted by the Public Health Institute of Western Mass. on “Healthy Aging with a Criminal Record in Hampden County, MA” the organization Justice in Aging released an issue brief titled “Reducing Barriers to Reentry for Older Adults Leaving Incarceration.”
Justice in Aging notes in the report that the proportion of older adults in prison in the U.S. nearly tripled between 1999 and 2016, from 3 percent to 11 percent, and is projected to
increase to more than 30 percent by 2030.
Activity-friendly streets, public spaces, and active transportation options became critical components of daily life during the COVID-19 crisis, providing avenues for physical activity, accessing essential needs and being outdoors safely.
But vulnerability during and the burden of the pandemic was not spread evenly across our communities. A field scan from Smart Growth America explores how decision-makers did (or did not) account for existing inequities in their emergency responses and identifies common barriers and lessons for the future. Some examples focus on older adults. Continue reading
New findings from the National Poll on Healthy Aging suggest many people in their 50s, 60s and 70s need to do more to modify their homes or plan for services they may need if they want to avoid or delay needing to move.
In all, 88% of people between the ages of 50 and 80 said it was very or somewhat important to them that they live in their homes as long as possible. But only 15% said they’ve given a lot of consideration to how their home may need to be modified as they age, while 47% have given it little or no thought. Continue reading
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is kicking off its 2050 Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan, entitled Beyond Mobility, by reaching out across the state to get residents to participate in an online survey. The survey is available at the following link (https://arcg.is/0HHyPD) and will be offered in all major languages spoken in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative encourages age- and dementia friendly communities and stakeholders to complete and promote the survey in their networks to help raise the voice of older adults within the eventual plan. Continue reading
WalkBoston reports that the City of Boston is currently designing the complete reconstruction of Cummins Highway in Mattapan and they are calling out the project as Age-Friendly Cummins Highway. Continue reading
In recognition of Older Americans Month, the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) is releasing a two-part blog series on food insecurity among older adults.
Part 1 focuses on food insecurity’s prevalence among older adults as well as its disproportionate rates among Black and Latinx households and examines risk factors that make older adults more likely to experience food insecurity. Continue reading
The Massachusetts Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and All Other Dementias has released its annual report, which provides a summary of the Council’s progress, accomplishments, and next steps in implementing the state plan’s recommendations. Continue reading
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Age Strong Commission announced the recipients of its Creating Community and Reducing Social Isolation grant, a new City program designed to provide funding to nonprofit community organizations to create new or expand current programs inviting older adults to engage more for better physical and mental health. The City is awarding $360,000 in funding to 16 nonprofit community organizations. Continue reading
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