According to a new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University and the AARP Public Policy Institute, which examines the AARP Livability Index, there are significant differences between who has access to the country’s most livable...
News: Data and Reports
Baker Administration Announces New Measures to Contain COVID-19 and Updated Data Points on Age Groups
Along with a series of targeted measures to disrupt the increasing trend of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the Baker Administration added a new data point presented in the COVID-19 dashboard titled “Case Growth by Age Group,” which will help contextualize...
Community Innovations During COVID-19 Response at Center of New Report
A new report offers insights from communities’ response during the coronavirus pandemic and demonstrates their nimbleness in creating more inclusive and equitable systems to support older people. How Innovative Community Responses to COVID-19 Support Healthy Aging is...
Community Resource for Strengthening Social Connections Compliments #ReachOutMA Campaign
The work conducted by the Task Force to End Loneliness and Build Community, UMass-Boston researchers and AARP Massachusetts led to a virtual summit early in October and a newly released resource with examples that communities can implement to address isolation and...
Trust for America’s Health Releases Policy Recommendations Includes Support for Age-Friendly Communities and States
The COVID-19 pandemic sharply illuminated weaknesses in the nation’s public health system and ways in which structural racism put communities of color at disproportionate risk of negative health outcomes, according to a new report, The Promise of Good Health for All:...
New 2020 LTSS Scorecard Ranks State-Level Service and Support Systems
The fourth edition of the recently released 2020 LTSS (Long Term Services and Supports) State Scorecard ranks Massachusetts as 10th among state systems supporting older adults, people living with disabilities and their caregivers, according to state-level data...
Healthy People 2030 Report from CDC Includes Objectives on Dementia, Alzheimer’s
By 2060, almost a quarter of the U.S. population will be age 65 or older. Healthy People 2030 focuses on reducing health problems and improving quality of life for older adults. There are a number of objectives identified in the report relative to older adults,...
Results from AARP Survey Reveal Preferences of 50+ Cyclists and Tips for Local Action
Nearly 3,000 older adults across the country answered questions in an AARP survey about their cycling history and habits, any changes in their bicycling routine during the past year — including since the COVID-19 pandemic — and preferences for cycling locations and...
Culture Rx Pilot Shows Promise in Improving Health, Reducing Social Isolation
This month, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts released its findings from Phase I of the Social Prescription Pilot Program, which launched in January 2020 in Springfield and Berkshire County. As part of the CultureRx Initiative, this pilot program...
UMass Gerontology Institute Highlights Research on How Systemic Racism Shapes the Lives of Older Black Adults
Racial discrimination experienced over the course of a life has a devastating cumulative effect on older Black adults. Gerontologists at the University of Massachusetts Boston have spent years studying the many racial disparities that impact the daily lives of older...