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...
News: Data and Reports
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...
New AARP Report: Understanding a Changing Older Workforce
Nearly all older workers seek and choose employment with meaning, according to a new report from AARP, but the COVID-19 pandemic made people realize the importance of a better work-life balance – more so than doing work that is meaningful. The report, called...
Lessons for Enhancing Service Coordination in HUD-Assisted Senior Housing Communities
A new research brief from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston offers a wide range of lessons to help housing communities implement a service coordination model developed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in which the “role of the service...
New Index from PHI Ranks States on Direct Care Workforce Policy Supports
A new online tool is available to help policymakers, advocates, and other leaders in various states understand how they support direct care workers, where they can improve, and how they compare to other states. Created and led by PHI, the Direct Care Workforce State...