December is a time of many holiday festivities and family get-togethers. Here in Massachusetts, it’s also a time of snow and cautious driving. Older Driver Safety Awareness Week in the first week of December is an opportunity to promote the importance of safe driving...
NEWS
“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...
Making Aging Sexy: Highlights from the MCOA 2014 Conference
By Angel Bourgoin, Consultant, JSI This year’s Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging (MCOA) fall conference was a great success. Bringing together Councils on Aging, municipal agencies, researchers, and other partners in Falmouth, Mass. on October 8-10, the...
Leveraging Resources, Learning from Each Other
By Kayla Romanelli, Program Associate, Tufts Health Plan Foundation “How many people in the room feel maxed out?” A few brave participants slowly raised their hands. Then another question, “How many people in the room wish they had a road map to achieve their goals?”...
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...
Healthy Living = Healthy Aging
By Ann L. Hartstein, Secretary, Executive Office of Elder Affairs September is Healthy Aging month, and healthy living is the path to healthy aging. Five years ago the Patrick Administration launched its Aging Agenda, just ahead of the Baby Boomer Age In, which began...