Mac users: Increase text size by holding command and +. Decrease text size by holding command and -.As of Monday, April 5th, residents 55+ and residents with one certain medical condition are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at any of the Commonwealth’s over 300 vaccination locations, including 269 pharmacy locations. With this group, more than 1 million additional residents are eligible for vaccine in the Commonwealth. Continue reading
Archives
New Data on Advance Care Planning During Pandemic Coincides with Preparations for Healthcare Decisions Day
As the toll of COVID-19 continues to climb, newly released poll data suggest an opportunity to use the pandemic as a prompt for discussing and documenting older adults’ wishes for care, in case of seriously illness or injury.
Overall, 59% of the 50- to 80-year-olds polled said they had had a conversation with loved ones about their preferences in case they became severely ill. That percentage was even higher — 70% — among those over age 65. Just 7% of all older adults polled said COVID-19 had motivated them to have such conversations. Continue reading
US HHS to Expand Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through a partnership between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL), will provide nearly $100 million to help increase vaccinations among older adults and people with disabilities. Continue reading
Older Adult Population Driving Growth in Mass. ‘Dual Eligible’ Membership
According to Mass Medicaid Policy Institute’s report, “A Primer on the Dual Eligible Population in Massachusetts,” over the past five years, MassHealth dual eligible membership, which currently stands at 312,000 residents, has seen growth driven by its older population. Continue reading
Baker Administration Releases Phase 4 Updated Guidance to Health Care and Human Services Providers
As Massachusetts begins Phase 4, this week the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and respective agencies released a series of new guidance documents for health care and human service providers that supports the safe reopening of programs and provider sites and protects workers, patients, families, and the public. Continue reading
Conversation Guide Developed by IHI to Improve COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
To help health care staff and leaders have trust-building conversations about the COVID-19 vaccine, both at work and at home, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) developed a conversation guide based on their expertise and work. To view the guide, users can create a free profile on the IHI website. Continue reading
Poll Finds Big Shift in High-Risk Older Adults’ Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccination
Last fall, nearly half of older adults were on the fence about COVID-19 vaccination – or at least taking a wait-and-see attitude, according to a University of Michigan poll taken at the time.
But a new follow-up poll shows that 71% of people in their 50s, 60s and 70s are now ready to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when a dose becomes available to them, or had already gotten vaccinated by the time they were polled in late January. That’s up from 58% in October. Continue reading
CMS Updates Nursing Home Guidance with Revised Visitation Recommendations
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency (PHE). Continue reading
CDC Offers Interim COVID-19 Safety Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People While Mass Opens Vaccine Pre-Registration System
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offered the first set of public health recommendations for people fully vaccinated from COVID-19. This guidance will be updated and expanded based on the level of community spread of SARS-CoV-2, the proportion of the population that is fully vaccinated, and the rapidly evolving science on COVID-19 vaccines. Continue reading
New UMass-Boston Research Examines Economic Security for Older Adults in Large Metro Regions
New estimates from the 2020 Elder Index from the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging at UMass-Boston shows that living expenses are high in
metropolitan areas across the U.S., and many older singles and couples lack the resources
needed to get by in their communities. Continue reading