Oct. Advances: US DHHS shares roadmap on family caregivers informed by LTSS Center research

GERONTOLOGY NEWS FROM UMASS BOSTON

October 2022

Meeting challenges, leading change:

New report offers overview of our impact

Through video interviews with partners, infographics, news highlights, and more, our UMass Boston Gerontology 2021-2022 Impact Report illustrates the wide range of our expertise and activities and what it means—for our colleagues, partner organizations, and the fast-growing population of older adults.Text Link

VISIT IMPACT REPORT

U.S. DHHS seeks comments on strategies for supporting family caregivers

National strategy roadmap was informed by research led by LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston

At a White House ceremony in September, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Administration for Community Living, presented its 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. The report is based on extensive outreach conducted by a team from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston.

“Our new, first of its kind national strategy recognizes the critical role family caregivers play in a loved one’s life. I know the importance of this first-hand, as someone who cared for my late father and navigated the challenges associated with caregiving,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who cited the research conducted by UMass Boston LTSS Center in his presentation.

Meet a researcher: Marc Cohen

Even while he worked in private industry, Marc Cohen, PhD, always had his hand in research. His role as co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston suits him well, drawing on his interest in applied research as well as his understanding of how organizations work and "the business decisions that play into why services are delivered in a certain way." Cohen's ultimate goal is influencing policy and practice to improve the quality of care and quality of life for older Americans.

Callie Crossley to speak at PAC fundraiser

Callie Crossley, host of the GBH News podcast Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and public affairs TV show Basic Black, will speak Tuesday, October 11 at 4 p.m. as the featured speaker for the Pension Action Center's fall fundraiser. Crossley's many awards for her groundbreaking TV, radio, film, and journalism work include an upcoming 2022 Governor's Award in the Humanities from Mass Humanities.

The Pension Action Center is part of UMass Boston's Gerontology Institute. Donations to the October 11 event, which is virtual and open to the public, will support the center's free legal services to people who need help recovering their retirement benefits.

GERONTOLOGY STUDENT NEWS

Doctoral candidate Shayna Gleason publishes journal article on paratransit

Research that gerontology doctoral candidate Shayna Gleason, MS, began as an independent study project was recently published by The Gerontologist. In her article, “Challenges and Visions for the Future Among Paratransit Providers,” co-authored with faculty member Nina Silverstein, PhD, Gleason talks with 16 providers of paratransit—the demand-responsive transportation services typically offered for people who are mobility disadvantaged—across the United States and Canada.

Fassi wins travel awards to gerontology meeting

Janelle Fassi, a second-year gerontology doctoral student, has won two competitive travel awards from the Gerontological Society of America to attend its fall 2022 national meeting. Fassi is one of 10 students chosen by the GSA and its Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education from a global pool of applicants for the James McKenney Student Travel Award. She will present a poster about her work as a research assistant to the Age-Friendly University study at UMass Boston. She will also co-chair a GSA meeting panel with Edward Alan Miller, PhD, chair of the Department of Gerontology, on “Elections Matter: Aging Politics and Policy in the Biden Era.”

OLLI Reads book discussion on race Oct. 26

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee of UMass Boston's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is holding its first OLLI Reads book discussion on Wednesday, October 26 from 1:30-3 p.m. The committee chose the New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo as its first community reading selection. Safiyah St. Clair, PhD, a former OLLI facilitator recent alumna of the Global Governance and Human Security doctor program at UMass Boston, will moderate the discussion.

The hybrid event will welcome attendees in person on campus and on Zoom. Non-OLLI members are welcome to attend, but participants should have read the book to make the most of the discussion.

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UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY IN THE NEWS

"Medicaid Long-Term Care's Real Problem is Insufficient Resources, Not Abuse By Wealthy Seniors," Howard Gleckman writes about Marc Cohen and Jane Tavares' research (published in Journal of Aging & Social Policy in January 2022) on whether wealthy older adults are gaming the Medicaid system for Forbes, October 4, 2022.

"Cohen Co-Chairs Committee of Nursing Home Quality Coalition," LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston writes about Marc Cohen joining Harvard's David Grabowski to lead a committee for national coalition, September 23, 2002.

"Seniors are the only age group with more poverty. Here's why," Ramsey Alwin of the National Council On Aging talks with USA Today about using the Gerontology Institute's Elder Index as a better measure of retirement security, September 19, 2022.

"Happy to Chat benches encourages strangers to sit and stay a while," Caitlin Coyle talks with the Boston Globe about the use of benches to encourage social interaction, September 17, 2022.

"Meal Ticket No More: The 'Gold Standard' Private Pensions Exposed Now as High-Wire Busts," Anna-Marie Tabor talks with Real Clear Investigations about the work of recovering pensions, September 15, 2022.

"Latest Census Bureau Data Shows Americans 65+ Only Group to Experience Increase in Poverty," National Council on Aging news post, advocates for use of Elder Index as a means of measuring true cost of living for older adults, September 13, 2022.

"William Arnone on the Future of Social Security," National Academy of Social Insurance leader discusses the fiscal condition of Social Security and refers to Elder Index data on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, August 20, 2022.