Most recent resources

MHAC intends to keep a running list of available online resources shared by Age- and Dementia Friendly Communities that can serve as examples for others. This includes sample assessments, action plans and exciting ongoing initiatives.

We will update this resource as other communities and regions share their learned lessons and goals.

• Berkshires –action plan, survey results and other helpful resources.
• Boston –action plan, progress reports and innovative initiatives.
• Brookline – The Brookline Community Aging Network (BrooklineCAN) website includes reports, resources and initiatives.
• Cape Ann – An aligned age-and dementia friendly initiative covering a four-community region (Essex, Gloucester, Manchester, Rockport) – includes sample survey for residents and businesses, along with action plan.
• Dedham – action plan and specific initiatives identified by the community.
• New Bedford – action plan and supporting documents
• Peabody – action plan
• Salem – legacy website includes assessment tools and newer “Salem for All Ages” website includes current initiatives and progress reports.
• Springfield – Age-Friendly report includes dementia friendly and age-friendly health system collaboration.
• West Springfield – aligned age- and dementia friendly initiative and action plan.
• Yarmouth – committee embedded in town government. Meeting minutes and agendas.

While the title and geographic scope of the foundation’s work resides in the MetroWest region, the definitions, data and tools available in this resource can be used by any community. It should also draw special interest from Age- and Dementia Friendly stakeholders that are convening and engaging community members, conducting community assessments, gathering data, and creating action plans.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, and
the Tufts Health Plan Foundation convened a summit on May 9, 2016 that brought together
leaders from 84 organizations interested in age-friendly and dementia-friendly work. A need identified at the Summit was for a comprehensive look at the work currently being done on agefriendly and dementia-friendly activities. This report addresses this need by highlighting findings of an environmental scan (i.e., in-depth inventory) of dementia-friendly and age-friendly communities conducted between August 2016 and January 2017 by a research team at the Gerontology Institute of the University of Massachusetts Boston led by professors Beth Dugan and Nina Silverstein. Our aim is to not “reinvent the wheel,” but to facilitate and accelerate stakeholder progress in making Massachusetts a great place to grow up and grow old in.

This toolkit is aimed at aligning and simplifying the frameworks of the Age- and Dementia Friendly movement.

The Massachusetts Age- and Dementia Friendly Integration Toolkit brings together resources from the national and global Age- and Dementia friendly movements, which is intended to save both time and resources, and directs users to guidance, examples, and local case studies. (more…)

This toolkit from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and Generations United provides practical information, guidance, and templates to help senior housing providers, and other organizations serving older adults, implement high-quality intergenerational programs that will benefit elders and young people in their communities. (more…)

Over five million older adults across the country are Limited English Proficient (LEP). LEP older adults do not speak English as their primary language or they have a limited ability to speak, read, write, or understand English. The number of LEP older adults is growing. Federal and state laws protect the vital right to receive health information in a language one understands. However, many barriers make it difficult for older adults to assert these rights, impairing their ability to understand their healthcare and make decisions. This ultimately leads to poorer health outcomes and health disparities. This Practice Tip offers advice to advocates and counselors working with LEP older adults to better assert their language access rights.

The Governor’s Council to Address Aging Issues in Massachusetts established workgroups to focus on several key areas: caregiving, employment, housing, and transportation. The transportation workgroup recognized that to make informed recommendations it needed a thorough understanding of the transportation services available to older people in Massachusetts. The first step was to conduct a scan of transportation services in the state and to learn more about national best practices.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston Gerontology Institute conducted this scan during the spring of 2018 with the financial support of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

This webinar was first in the series from Grantmakers in Aging designed to encourage greater philanthropic engagement in age-friendly efforts across the country. This installment features two age-friendly initiatives underway in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Presenters: Kelly Laflamme, Program Director, Endowment for Health, Concord, New Hampshire; James Fuccione, Senior Director, MHAC.

This 2017 report on the opioid crisis in rural America from Grantmakers in Aging highlights the needs and concerns of older adults, and describes programs, partnerships, policy recommendations, and scientific and medical responses that governments, communities, nonprofits, and philanthropies can support and expand.