The following is a guest blog post by Jennifer Molinsky, Senior Research Associate, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University In 2020, the pandemic, a powerful movement for social justice, and another year of devastating natural disasters have all focused...
News: Data and Reports
Facing a Pandemic: Grandfamilies Living Together During COVID-19 and Thriving Beyond
Nationwide, older adults are being cautioned to keep their distance from children because of the heightened risk of infection from COVID-19. But for some families—grandfamilies—that distance is impossible. Facing a Pandemic: Families Living Together During COVID-19...
Boston and New Bedford Featured in AARP’s Age-Friendly COVID-19 Response Highlights
Among the nation’s communities and local leaders on the frontlines of the global coronavirus pandemic are the more than 450 towns, cities, counties and states enrolled in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities - 74 of which are in Massachusetts. AARP...
LGBT Aging 2025: Strategies for Achieving a Healthy and Thriving LGBT Older Adult Community in Massachusetts
A new report from The Fenway Institute finds that older LGBTQ adults in the Commonwealth report being diagnosed with depression at twice the rate of their straight, cisgender peers, and are twice as likely to fall and be injured in a fall over the past year. It also...
National Poll Explores COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance for Older Adults
Once enough people receive effective vaccines against the novel coronavirus, experts say, the end of the pandemic may be in sight. But a new poll of older adults – one of the highest-priority groups for vaccination – suggests an uphill climb lies ahead to reach that...
Disparities in Economic Security Among Older Adults Highlighted by UMass-Boston
Dramatically higher percentages of Black, Latino and Asian older adults live on incomes that don’t meet their cost of living, even with Social Security, according to research by Jan Mutchler, PhD of UMass-Boston's Gerontology Institute. The article highlighting the...
MHAC Webinar Recording: Understanding Technology as a Social Determinant of Health
As part of several workgroups and initiatives to address the digital divide among older adults - an issue that has been heightened during the pandemic - the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative recently co-hosted a webinar with the Executive Office of Elder...
Joint Center for Housing Studies Analyzes Which Older Adults Have Access to Livable Neighborhoods
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...
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...