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...
News: Programs
The Health Living Center of Excellence welcomes Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation as a new partner
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...
8 Easy Ways to Improve Your Heart Health
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,...
How to Identify Depression, and the Strength Behind the Pain
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...
“It’s My Fault and I Just Need to Get Over It”: The Story of Ms. McKay’s Depression
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....
Caregiving Made a Little Easier in MetroWest
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...
Fighting Chronic Illnesses with Evidence-Based 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...
Improving Walkability in Fall River
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...
Medication in Motion: The benefits of evidence-based Tai Chi for older adults
By Raymond Santos, Community Relations Director, Ethos Falls are one of the biggest health risks for older adults. In fact, one in three adults aged 65 and older falls each year. Up to 30 percent of those who fall suffer injuries that make it difficult to move around...
What are you doing for Falls Prevention Awareness Day?
Falls are the leading cause of injuries among older adults, but there are many ways that older adults can prevent falls, including: Exercise to improve strength and balance, Good nutrition that includes plenty of calcium and vitamin D, Reviewing medications to avoid...