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...
News: Data and Reports
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...
UMass-Boston Report Shares How Massachusetts Senior Centers are Adapting, Responding to COVID-19
Councils on Aging (COAs) are considered the “front door” of services and supports for older residents and those who care for them. They provide a wide range of programs and services, designed to meet the varied needs and interests of a diverse older population. During...
UMass Gerontology Institute Measures COVID-19 Impact on State’s Older Adults
A recent report by researchers from the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging at UMass Boston’s Gerontology Institute examines these consequences for the older population in Massachusetts. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront common...
Year-One Age-Friendly State Progress Report Submitted to AARP
The Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA), on behalf of a team that includes the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, submitted to AARP Massachusetts the Commonwealth’s Age- and Dementia-Friendly Year One Progress Report detailing the tremendous work of so...