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Diverse Elders Coalition Launches New Caregiving Community Survey

News and Updates,

The Diverse Elders Coalition recently launched a new online survey for family caregivers in communities of color, American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities.

The Caregiving Community Survey is an opportunity for anyone providing care for an aging spouse, partner, parent, grandparent, other relative, neighbor, or friend to anonymously share their experiences and help the Diverse Elders Coalition develop tools and resources to better meet the needs of our communities. Continue reading →

Tips for Advocates of Limited English Proficient Older Adults

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.

Training the Aging Network to Provide Culturally Competent Care for LGBTQ Older Adults

News and Updates, Programs

The following background and issue brief from the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation promotes cultural competency training for aging service providers on the unique needs of LGBTQ older adults.

Though the world has gotten more tolerant toward people who identify as LGBTQ, significant fear and barriers still exist in the health system, particularly for LGBTQ older adults. When you couple this fear with providers ill-equipped to handle the unique needs of LGBTQ older adults, you have a health system that allows these consumers to fall through the cracks.

To help address some of these barriers, the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation has put together a new issue brief, authored by staff members at SAGE, about the importance of training aging service providers on the unique needs of LGBTQ older adults and on meeting those needs in a culturally competent manner. This brief describes SAGE’s cultural competency training program and shares a case study of how this training helped one large provider organization, Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY).

The Center also produced a video in collaboration with SAGE in 2017, “The Main Thing: Respect,” which includes older adults in this population sharing their perspectives on this topic.

Read the Brief here.

Continue reading →

Resources for Achieving Health Equity in Age-Friendly Communities

News and Updates, Systems and Best Practices, , ,

At MHAC, health equity is central to our promotion and support of Age-Friendly communities that work for all. Among our core strategies is a focus on embedding access, equity and inclusion throughout our efforts.

This set of resources from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation can benefit those helping to guide their cities and towns towards becoming more Age- and Dementia Friendly. The site provides helpful knowledge of what it means to have health equity present in a community, and how stakeholders can take steps to achieve it. Continue reading →

Welcome to Pride Initiative Aims to Create Age-Inclusive Events for LGBT Older Adults

News and Updates,

Access, Equity and Inclusion are central to the work of the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, which is why we are pleased to pass along news from SAGE (Service & Advocacy for LGBT Elders) about the “Welcome to Pride Initiative.”

Created by SAGE with the generous support of AARP, the initiative is a partnership among SAGE, Centerlink, Heritage of Pride, InterPride, and The Center for Black Equity. SAGE launched “Welcome to Pride” to share how Pride organizers across the country are making Pride celebrations age-friendly, enabling people of all ages to actively participate in community activities and treating everyone with respect. Continue reading →

Embracing Equity in Community Health Improvement

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) released of their newest Policy & Practice report: Embracing Health Equity in Community Health Improvement. This comprehensive resource for health professionals and community-based organizations provides a framework and practical tools for incorporating a health equity agenda into community health improvement work. Source: HRiA

Member Spotlight: Tamy-Feé Meneide

Member Spotlight

Tamy-Feé Meneide serves on the Executive Task Force of the Multicultural Coalition on Aging. She recently joined the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative Executive Committee to help promote greater diversity and inclusion within the Healthy Aging Collaborative. Tamy-Feé Meneide is currently the clinical research diversity coordinator at the Harvard Aging Brain Study.
Continue reading →

Member Spotlight: Dr. Milagros Abreu

Member Spotlight

Milagros Abreu, MD, MPH is the founder and Executive Director of the Latino Health Insurance Program, Inc. (LHIP), and serves as a Chair on the committee for diversity of the Massachusetts Medical Society and the executive committee of the Healthy Aging Collaborative. She recently received the Henry Ingersoll Bowditch Award for Excellence in Public Health.

You founded the Latino Health Insurance Program (LHIP). What is the LHIP?
The LHIP is a nonprofit organization that was founded to address the issue of access to medical care for Latinos in Massachusetts. Latinos are among the most affected populations when it comes to lack of medical coverage. Continue reading →