GERONTOLOGY NEWS FROM UMASS BOSTON
May 2022
Report examines impact of ignoring older adults' healthcare preferences
One-third of people 50 and older report that their health care clinicians rarely or never take into account their care preferences. A person’s race, insurance status, and income level affect the quality of person-centered care they receive, according to a new report, “Person-Centered Care: Why Taking Individuals’ Care Preferences into Account Matters,” from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation.
'So responsive': Pension Action Center's secures client's benefits through persistence
It took a little over a year of phone calls and emails, but a UMass Boston alumna is now receiving her pension from a former employer. Her odyssey illustrates the paper chase many people face as their former employers merge or are bought and more employers move from pension plans to employee-funded 401Ks. Her story also illustrates how the counselors at the Gerontology Institute’s Pension Action Center can expedite the recovery process.
Meet a Researcher: Pamela Nadash, PhD
Pamela Nadash didn't set out to be an academic researcher. But her career in nonprofits and public policy—combined with a PhD in public health and political science and her predilection for writing, editing, and research—all built a logical path to her current role in UMass Boston's Department of Gerontology. Since joining the faculty in 2008, Nadash has focused her research on "the basic question of how do we support older people in the community.”

Department honors doctoral students
Congratulations to Meghan Hendricksen, Shayna Gleason, and Alison Rataj, gerontology doctoral students who were recently awarded with 2021-2022 departmental awards for their scholarship and service.
Coping with the pandemic as a grad student
UMass Boston gerontology doctoral student Yan-Jhu Su knows that his experience of working remotely because of the pandemic was unusual. He wrote about his coping techniques in an essay for the Gerontology Society of America's newsletter, reprinted with permission. "I think positive thinking is important," Su writes. "People experience anxiety due to uncertainty during transitions....I decided to cut down on reading those articles [offering opinions about the virus] and spend some time reading unrelated books. I feel like I’m thinking more positively and less focused on viruses and pandemics all day long."

RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Book collects insights, lessons learned from the pandemic
Policymakers, researchers, and practitioners will gain insights from a new collection of original research and perspectives on the ramifications of COVID-19 for the older adult population. The COVID-19 Pandemic and Older Adults: Experiences, Impacts, and Innovations (Taylor & Francis Publishing, April 2022) collects 17 articles which first appeared in a 2021 double edition of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy, edited by Edward A. Miller, PhD, chair of the UMass Boston Department of Gerontology.
UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY IN THE NEWS
"Looking to learn something new in retirement? Find an age-friendly university," Nina Silverstein and Susan Whitbourne talk with MarketWatch, April 27, 2022

"When should older adults stop driving? It depends," Beth Dugan talks with the Washington Post, April 24, 2022

"Opinion: Getting real about San Diego's cost of living will help end senior homelessness," Paul Downey, CEO of Serving Seniors, champions the UMass Boston Elder Index in an opinion piece for the Times of San Diego, April 24, 2022.

"Pandemic's lesson for many older folks: Stay in your home as long as you can," Marc Cohen talks with the Boston Globe, April 18, 2022.