During calendar year 2022, the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and All Other Dementias continued its work to implement the recommendations presented in the Massachusetts State Plan on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, April 2021 (state plan). This...
News: Data and Reports
Health Care Workforce Trends and Challenges in the Era of COVID-19: Current Outlook and Policy Considerations for Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) presented an in-depth analysis directed by the legislature into the impact of COVID-19 on the Commonwealth’s health care workforce. This report takes a high-level perspective on system-wide trends and challenges...
Guiding the Care Journey: Building Dementia Workforce and System Capacity through Care Navigation
A recent report from the Milken Institute covers the challenges that the US health-care system is facing as it prepares to meet the growing demand for care among individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). It suggests that implementing...
UMass-Boston’s Gerontology Institute Updates ‘Elder Index’ Measuring Economic Insecurity Among Older Adults
New estimates from the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston find that millions of older adults, especially those living alone, continue to live on incomes that fall below the Elder IndexTM, a county-by-county measure of the income needed by adults aged 65 or older...
Valuing the Invaluable 2023 Update: Strengthening Supports for Family Caregivers
The unpaid work provided by family caregivers is valued at an estimated $600 billion, according to the latest report in AARP’s Valuing the Invaluable series. This is a $130 billion increase in unpaid contributions from family caregivers since the last report was...
Dementia Action Alliance Announces Comprehensive How-to Manual, “Pathways to Well-Being with Dementia”
The Dementia Action Alliance recently released a comprehensive resource called "Pathways to Wellbeing with Dementia: A Manual of Help, Hope and Inspiration," which offers essential information about living well with dementia by people living with dementia, care...
Research Brief Reveals Quality of Communication Between Family Caregivers and Direct Care Professionals
Greater availability of communication between family caregivers and direct care professionals in residential care settings was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and lower negative affect in residents, according to a new research brief published by the...
Supporting Diverse Family Caregivers: A Guide for Patient Advocacy Groups
The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) has released a new publication to assist patient advocacy groups in their efforts to support diverse family caregivers. Through research with professional patient advocacy group representatives and diverse family caregivers...
Report: Advancing Shared Decision Making among Older Adults with Serious Health Conditions
Shared decision making shows promise for engaging older patients and their caregivers/care partners in healthcare decisions and reducing unnecessary spending and healthcare costs, according to a report from FAIR Health - a national nonprofit whose mission is to help...
Johns Hopkins Study Links Social Isolation to Dementia Risk
Johns Hopkins researchers found isolated older adults have a 28 percent greater risk of developing dementia than do their counterparts who are not socially isolated. In what may the first study of a longitudinal association between social isolation and incident...