UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY NEWS

FEB 2025

The Gerontology Institute Welcomes Dr. Michelle Putnam as Director

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Michelle Putnam as the director of The Gerontology Institute, beginning January 27, 2025.



“I love the Gerontology Institute. It’s such a storied institution and important place,” Putnam says. “It’s a privilege for me to serve as the director of one of the first institutes solely focused on gerontological research in the United States.”

Putnam comes to the Gerontology Institute from Simmons University School of Social Work (SSW), where she served as the interim director of the SSW, director of the PhD program, co-chair for faculty development, and associate dean for research, among other leadership and faculty roles. She held the Jennifer Eckert ’08 School of Social Work Endowed Chair. Putnam is among few scholars with an expertise in the study of aging with disability, building awareness of the differing needs of those who age with a long-term disability and those who incur disability later in life. 

Gerontology as a Team Sport: Innovations in Aging Forum Shows the Power of Collaboration

“Gerontology is inherently multidisciplinary, fostering collaboration across the range of academic disciplines and professions.” As Edward Alan Miller, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at University of Massachusetts Boston, gave these opening remarks during last week’s Innovations in Aging Forum, the people gathered in that very room proved his point.

The approximately 85 people who gathered showed that gerontology is a team sport, and together they shared where gerontology research, education, and practice stand now, and where they may lead next.

From “Elder” to “Aging”: How a State Agency Made a Shift to Age-Friendly Terminology

Farewell, Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Hello, Executive Office of Aging & Independence. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed legislation that approved a name change for this state agency. The new name embraces a communication style that connotes more positive feelings about aging.

“The name change is a signal of the investment that the state has made in terms of eroding ageism, specifically in the way that we communicate about aging,” says Caitlin Coyle, Ph.D., the director of the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging, part of the Gerontology Institute. “That is a huge and very public-facing action that signals that change is happening.”

Photo credit: X, @MassGovernor

A Journal Continues Its Examination of the Pandemic’s Effects on Older Adults

Nearly five years after COVID-19 became a pandemic, Edward Alan Miller, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy (JASP) and professor and chair of the Gerontology Department at UMass Boston, has published a third special issue of JASP addressing COVID, Continuing Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Older Adults.

Published in December 2024, this issue includes 25 articles from researchers from around the world, covering such topics as vaccine mandates, racial and ethnic disparities, long-term facilities, and age-based COVID regulations. 

Pictured: Edward Alan Miller, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy (JASP) and professor and chair of the Dept, of Gerontology at UMass Boston

Register to Attend: Which LTC Support Policies are Best for Caregivers?

Wednesday, February 19, 2025 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Zoom

Join Marc Cohen and Claire Wickersham, both with LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, as they share findings from a study about the perceived and actual impact of various policy options to support family caregivers.

UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY IN THE NEWS

Social Security Benefits Increased by 2.5% in 2025. Why Retirees May Feel It's Not Enough: CNBC interviewed Jan Mutchler and cites the Elder Index in this story about Social Security benefits falling behind costs.

Where Can You Retire Without Spending More than $2,200 a Month?: The site Explícame uses the Elder Index to find places in the United States where Social Security beneifts go the farthest.

Caregivers Need Help and Know What They Want: Focus groups, organized by UMass Boston and the Center for Retirement Research, showed what caregivers believe would help them most: direct payments for their time as caregivers.

'I Don't Think I'm Ever Going To Retire' – How Gen X Is Getting Squeezed Between Kids, Aging Parents And $600 Billion In Unpaid Care: Yahoo Finance quotes Marc Cohen in this story about the financial pressures that Gen Xers face while caring for their families.