The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency...
News: News and Updates
CDC Offers Interim COVID-19 Safety Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People While Mass Opens Vaccine Pre-Registration System
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offered the first set of public health recommendations for people fully vaccinated from COVID-19. This guidance will be updated and expanded based on the level of community spread of SARS-CoV-2, the proportion of...
New UMass-Boston Research Examines Economic Security for Older Adults in Large Metro Regions
New estimates from the 2020 Elder Index from the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging at UMass-Boston shows that living expenses are high in metropolitan areas across the U.S., and many older singles and couples lack the resources needed to get by in...
National and State Reports Recommend Improvements to Long-Term Care and Caregiver Support
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the deep existing flaws in the long-term care system and elevated opportunities to better support healthcare workers, improve care, and reducing disparities. Task forces on both a national and state scale recently released...
‘Dangerous by Design 2021’ Report Highlights Pedestrian Safety Concerns for Older Adults
The most dangerous metro areas and states for people walking have been identified in Dangerous by Design 2021. The number of people struck and killed while walking has gone up 45 percent in a decade, and people of color, older adults, and people walking in low-income...
US HHS Inspector General Updates COVID-19 Fraud and Scam Alert
In January of 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations (HHS/OIG/OI) issued a healthcare fraud alert, regarding COVID-19 vaccines that has recently been updated. This alert describes how fraudsters...
State Funding Awards for Housing, Transportation and Community Services Include Strong Support for Older Adults
In the past week, the state has announced the latest grant awards for MassDOT's Shared Winter Streets and Spaces program, Affordable Housing Development, and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) - all of which include multiple projects that support older adults....
AARP Connects Age-Friendly Communities with Resources to Promote Equity
AARP’s Equity by Design global dialogue series highlighted critical lessons and opportunities from the pandemic to catalyze action among professionals in the fields that shape the physical housing and communities where we live. The most recent discussion, titled...
MHAC Advances Digital Equity Efforts Through Advocacy Letter
The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC) continues to promote the concept that technology is a social determinant of health and that older adults need to be included in policy discussions aimed at addressing the digital divide. Both of those points were...
Baker Administration Follows Up Vaccine Equity Announcement with $4.7 Million in Support
The Baker Administration announced a $4.7 million effort to support its vaccine equity initiative announced last week, which focuses on reducing barriers to vaccination in the 20 hardest-hit communities in the Commonwealth. The Administration will work with...