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AARP Announces National Community Challenge Grant Program

Programs

AARP is currently offering a prime opportunity for cities and towns seeking to kick-start or strengthen age-friendly efforts in the form of of Community Challenge grants to communities around the country.

The grants are aimed at funding projects that improve livability for all residents. Applications are due June 30, 2017 and all projects must be completed by November 1, 2017. You can find details here as well as in the attached Challenge Announcement document. I’ve also attached a samples of: the application (attachment A), the required After Action report (attachment B), and a list of project examples (attachment C). Submit your application today through AARP.org/CommunityChallenge. Continue reading →

Join WalkBoston for Training Event on “Promoting Walkability”

Programs,

What does it mean for a community to be “walkable” and how can we create neighborhoods that are safe, active, accessible and vibrant?

WalkBoston is hosting a training called “Promoting Walkability: Creating Safe and Active Neighborhoods” on June 2nd from 9:30am-12:30pm, 9:00 am at the Main South CDC in Worcester (875 Main Street). The event will include a walking component in the Worcester Main South neighborhood where attendees will explore issues of walkability firsthand!

Continue reading →

Guest Blog Post: MA DPH Raises Prediabetes Awareness for Diabetes Alert Day

Programs

The following is a guest Blog Post from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in recognition of Diabetes Alert Day (March 28th)

Type 2 diabetes is a serious and costly public health issue affecting tens of millions of Americans. Older adults have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. For those over 65, 1 in every 2 has prediabetes. In Massachusetts, there may be as many as 1.8 million adults who have prediabetes.

What is prediabetes? Prediabetes happens when blood sugar (glucose) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetes.

An intervention, however, in the form of a prediabetes screening and referral to an evidence-based lifestyle change program, can help prevent the development of diabetes and the many serious conditions and complications associated with it. Continue reading →

The Health Living Center of Excellence welcomes Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation as a new partner

News and Updates, Programs

By Jennifer Raymond, Director, Healthy Living Center of Excellence

Two Healthy Aging Collaborative members,  Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and Hebrew SeniorLife, recently received a $49,187 grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation to support their collaboration on the Healthy Living Center of Excellence (HCLE). The HCLE offers more than 14 evidence-based wellness, prevention and disease management programs statewide aimed at improved health outcomes and increased social engagement.

Continue reading →

8 Easy Ways to Improve Your Heart Health

News and Updates, Programs

Cross-posted from Hebrew SeniorLife
By Jennifer Rhodes-Kropf, M.D., Hebrew SeniorLife

February is American Heart Health month, which makes it a great time to make changes that can improve the health of your heart. As a geriatrician at Center Communities of Brookline, I’m thrilled when patients want to make changes to positively impact their health, especially the health of the heart. Cardiovascular disease (which includes heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure) continues to be the number 1 killer of men and women in the U.S. This amazing organ needs to be protected and properly cared for to remain healthy for years to come. Continue reading →

How to Identify Depression, and the Strength Behind the Pain

Programs, Stories from the Field

By Kathy Kuhn, Center for Aging and Disability Resource (CADER), BU School of Social Work

In my last blog post on mental health and aging, I described Ms. McKay, an older woman who was coping with multiple losses. She had significant hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis. She had been active in her church but was spending more and more time alone in her apartment and not even collecting her mail. Her closest relative had recently moved away. She felt that nobody really cared if she even showed up. Despite the clear signs of depression, Ms. McKay’s provider did not notice them during her last doctor’s visit. Continue reading →

“It’s My Fault and I Just Need to Get Over It”: The Story of Ms. McKay’s Depression

Programs, Stories from the Field

By Kathy Kuhn, Center for Aging and Disability Resource (CADER), BU School of Social Work

I’d like to share with you a story from my days as a social worker at Kit Clark Senior Services (KCSS).

Ms. McKay is an 82-year-old African American woman living in Dorchester. She was single, with significant hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis. Although she had a prosthetic leg, she was mobile. She had been active in her church but was recently spending more and more time alone in her apartment and not even collecting her mail. Her apartment was getting increasingly cluttered, bordering on hoarding. Continue reading →

Caregiving Made a Little Easier in MetroWest

Programs, Stories from the Field

By Marty Cohen, President & CEO, MetroWest Health Foundation and Rebecca Gallo, Program Officer, MetroWest Health Foundation

Odds are if you are over 45, you already are or soon will be a caregiver. Seventy-five percent of all care received by older adults in the United States is provided by family members and friends, and many do not even identify themselves as caregivers. Continue reading →

Fighting Chronic Illnesses with Evidence-Based Programs

Programs

By Rob Schreiber, MD, Medical Director, Massachusetts Healthy Living Center of Excellence

I often find myself doing things that only five years ago were being done by others. Self-checkout at the grocery store, online banking, arranging travel, self-education, and buying products over the Internet are just some of the examples that illustrate the basic fact that I must take charge. Continue reading →

Improving Walkability in Fall River

Programs, Stories from the Field

By Jaime Corliss and Ben Wood, MDPH and Julie Kelly, Fall River Mass in Motion

Public health people love to talk about Policy, Systems and Environmental change (PSE for short). You probably have an understanding of what this concept means (and you may be sick of hearing about it; or if you are like us you live and love it!) but it is important to note how much this way of thinking is driving public health priority selection and resource allocation. Continue reading →