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What are you doing for Falls Prevention Awareness Day?

September 16th, 2014

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 drowsiness and dizziness,
  • Ensuring good vision through regular check-ups and wearing appropriate glasses or contact lenses,
  • Removing potential hazards at home like clutter, slippery surfaces, and poor lighting, and
  • Participating in falls prevention programs like A Matter of Balance.  Continue reading →

Vaccines Are Not Just for Kids

August 12th, 2014
adult immunization week

By Allison Hackbarth, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. – Project Manager, Massachusetts Adult Immunization Coalition

Did you know that August is National Immunization Awareness Month? Now is the perfect time to get the word out about the importance of vaccinations for adults. National Immunization Awareness Month, held each August, provides an opportunity to highlight the value of immunization across the lifespan. Continue reading →

Walking in the middle of the street—Community Design and Healthy Aging

July 28th, 2014
older man walking down street

By Dillon Sussman, Senior Planner, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission

One of the joys of being a land planner is that what I learn at work helps me understand how communities function and why people act the way they do. Here’s an example. A year ago I moved from one neighborhood to another in the same city. One of the first things that struck me was the difference in pedestrian behavior. In my old neighborhood, we walked on the sidewalk. In the new one, people usually walk in the street. Continue reading →

The Big Idea in 4 Minutes: Coming of Age in Aging America

July 21st, 2014
the big idea in four minutes

By Nora Moreno Cargie, Executive Director, Tufts Health Plan Foundation; Vice President, Corporate Citizenship, Tufts Health Plan

My husband and I often quip, when asked where we’re from, that we were born, raised and ruined all within the city limits of Chicago. So we were both surprised when I said yes to the notion of moving to Boston. The decision was a big one, but not a difficult one. The work is compelling and challenging—starting a new life, in a new city, in a new field is exciting but risky. Bostonians, I’ve read, can be cold and unwelcoming. This has not been my experience. Continue reading →

Chronic Disease Self-Management Training at the Department of Revenue

July 15th, 2014

Cross-posted from WellMASS
By Ana Karchmer, CDSME Program Coordinator, MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs

Many of us have to deal with one or more chronic health conditions. Learning how to successfully manage our conditions is key to living active and productive lives. Regardless of the particular illness we might have, we all have similar emotions when dealing with chronic illnesses. We might feel angry, depressed, anxious, frustrated, and afraid. Sometimes, we may wish we had a set of “tools” we could use to help us deal with these unpleasant emotions. Continue reading →

Getting Your Message Out to Get Results

June 23rd, 2014
marketing workshop

By Brianne Miers, Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications, Root Cause

Most non-profit organizations are constantly struggling with how to balance the need to get the word out on the good work they do with the realities of their limited staff time and funding. Recognizing this was the case for many of its grantees, the Tufts Health Plan Foundation invited me and several other experts to deliver a workshop one morning last week. Our goal was to provide the nearly 50 attendees from Massachusetts and Rhode Island nonprofits with some concrete advice on how to tackle a variety of communications challenges. Continue reading →

Aging with HIV

June 13th, 2014

by Stewart Landers, Director, U.S. Health Services, JSI Boston

While combination anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV from a killer into a chronic disease, it has created a large and growing group of people aging with HIV. People aged 50 and older accounted for almost one quarter (24 percent, 288,700) of the estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV infection in the U.S. in 2012. In addition, the CDC reported that in 2013, people aged 50 and older accounted for 21 percent (8,575) of the estimated 47,352 AIDS diagnoses in the United States. Continue reading →