The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative is pleased to promote the following events and opportunities for age- and dementia friendly communities and stakeholders.
- ACL – Loneliness Awareness Week Campaign (June 12-18)
Social isolation and loneliness can have devastating impacts on our well-being. During Loneliness Awareness Week (June 12-18) and beyond, join the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and its aging and disability networks in promoting meaningful social connection as an essential part of maintaining good mental and physical health.
Taking place June 12-18, engAGED’s Fill-in-the-Blank campaign is open to anyone who would like to participate. Their Loneliness Awareness Week toolkit has information on how to participate and sample social media posts. Use #LonelinessAwarenessWeek when posting on social media to join the conversation.
Funded by ACL and administered by USAging, engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults aims to expand and enhance the aging network’s capacity by identifying and disseminating resources and strategies that increase social engagement for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
- Massachusetts eHealth Institute – Healthy Aging Challenge Final Pitch Event (June 28th, in-person)
Please join the Massachusetts eHealth Institute for the Healthy Aging Sandbox Challenge Final Pitch Event. Eight digital health companies that are addressing the health of older adults through their solutions will pitch for the chance to win one of four $50,000 grants to work with one of the cutting edge R&D centers in the Massachusetts Digital Health Sandbox Network.
This event is an opportunity to bring together startups, accelerators, investors, researchers, and other key stakeholders to connect in person and showcase the strength and opportunity of the Commonwealth’s digital health network.
More info and registration is available here.
- Alzheimer’s Association of MA/NH Free Training for First Responders
Communities working to become more age- and dementia friendly have an opportunity to connect local public safety personnel to free training and education from the Alzheimer’s Association of MA/NH.
The goal of this training is to educate Fire and EMS personnel on the impact that Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias may have on individuals and communities. This program has been developed specifically for Fire and EMS. Strategies acquired from this training will provide an understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias, and will help personnel optimize the effectiveness of responding during interventions with persons living with dementia, and their families.
THIS PROGRAM WILL BE OFFERED VIRTUALLY ON TWO DATES:
- Thursday, June 22nd – 6:00-8:00 PM. Register here.
Presenter: Jennifer Hoadley, CDP – Regional Manager, Southeastern MA, Alzheimer’s Association
- Friday, June 30th – 7:00-9:00 PM. Register here.
Presenter: Melissa Grenier, LCSW – Regional Manager, New Hampshire, Alzheimer’s Association
Please register individually using the links provided above. Approved for 2 Continuing
Education hours through Massachusetts OEMS, and for 2 Continuing Education hours through Maine
EMS. Questions can be directed to Melissa Grenier at mgrenier@alz.org.
- Become a Dementia Friends Champion – Virtual Training on August 9th
Take part in a free 2 ½ hour Zoom training to become a Dementia Friends Champion! This training will give you the knowledge and materials you need to lead your own Dementia Friends information session for your family, friends, coworkers or others in your community. Adults and high school students in Massachusetts are eligible to train as Champions. Our program is available in nine languages.
- Wednesday, August 9, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Open to any adult or high school student in Massachusetts.
Please register by noon on August 8 by clicking this Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpcumuqzkpHd0BRYEPvspdMZyJBG6vYDi2
You will receive an automated confirmation from Zoom, along with your unique link to join the meeting.
Dementia Friends is a global public awareness program that helps everyone in a community learn about dementia, how it affects people, and the simple things that we can all do to make a difference. Help bring awareness to those around you! To learn more about Dementia Friends, watch this 2-minute video.