Mac users: Increase text size by holding command and +. Decrease text size by holding command and -.Explore these profiles to learn how others are addressing challenges and making strides to advance health aging.
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Walking in the middle of the street—Community Design and Healthy Aging
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 →
Arts and Human Connection
By Beth Soltzberg, Program Coordinator, Jewish Family & Children’s Services
“After he was diagnosed, all of our friends disappeared.” These were the words of a guest at Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS)’ Memory Café about her husband’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s. We have heard variations on this statement many times from participants in our Alzheimer’s Family Support Program and our Parkinson’s Family Support Program. As the new video by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation, Ethos AgeWell West Roxbury, ITNGreaterBoston, and Mystic Valley Elder Services states so eloquently, social isolation is “the most significant risk factor for people as they age.” I’m quoting Dale Mitchell, the executive director of Ethos, whose statement opens the video. Continue reading →
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 in 2011 as the first of the boomers celebrated their 65th birthdays. Acknowledging that aging begins at birth, and that all of us who are alive are aging, the Aging Agenda is based on nine principles for a healthy lifestyle. Continue reading →
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 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 →
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 United States is provided by family members and friends, and many do not even identify themselves as caregivers. Continue reading →
“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. 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 →
How You Can Fight Elder Abuse in Massachusetts
By Betsey Crimmins, Senior Attorney, Greater Boston Legal Services, Inc.
An elderly parent is neglected and isolated by his adult child; a 92 year old woman is at risk for eviction after being fleeced by scammers and does not have enough money to pay her rent; an elderly couple in their nineties begin to physically abuse each other; a 71 year old woman with limited education and sensory disabilities is duped by her son into transferring her home to him; a proud 86 year old veteran finds himself standing outside his home in his bathrobe clutching money and very disoriented. These are just some examples of how elder abuse affects our families, friends, and neighbors every day in our communities. Elder abuse is a complex and multi-faceted problem which must be addressed by everyone who works with or cares about older adults.
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 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 →
Building Social Connections
According to the National Council on Aging, one in six seniors living alone in the United States faces physical, cultural, and/or geographical barriers that isolate them from their peers and communities. Continue reading →
Making Aging Well a Priority
Through its Mi Vida, Mi Salud (“My Life, My Health”) program, the Latino Health Insurance Program conducts healthy aging classes, provides transportation and assists older adults with medical coverage and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment. Continue reading →