UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY NEWS

OCTOBER 2025

New Report: The Poorest Americans Live Nine Fewer Years than the Richest

“Low-Income Older Adults Die 9 Years Earlier than Those with Greatest Wealth.” The title of this report—released this month by the National Council on Aging and research partners at LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston—could double as a breaking news headline.

This report reveals startling results that measure the relationship between wealth and mortality in the United States. From 2018 to 2022, older adults in the three lowest quintiles of net worth had a mortality rate nearly double than those in the top two quintiles. In the bottom quintile, people died an average of nine years earlier than those at the top.

This study has gained national attention, including the following coverage:

• Earn More, Live Longer: Later-in-life Income Closely Linked to Lifespan (USA Today)
• For Older Americans, the Cost of Poverty is 9 Years of Life, Study Finds (CBS News)
• More Weath Translates to Nearly a Decade Longer of Life, Study Reveals (Boston Globe)
• Poverty's Hidden Cost: Why the Poorest Americans Die Nearly a Decade Earlier (Money)
• Money May Not Buy Happiness, But It Can Buy a Longer Life (Morningstar)
• Poverty Costs Older Americans Nearly a Decade of Life (Association of Healthcare Journalists)
• Low-income Older Adults' Lack of Resources Has Consequences for Them and for Senior Living Providers (McKnights Senior Living)

Meet the 2025 Caro Fellows

The Caro Fellowship recognizes high-performing doctoral students at UMass Boston Gerontology who conduct empirical research on health and health disparities topics that affect vulnerable and underserved older adults. The inaugural cohort of Caro Fellows includes five students: Wuyi Dong, Jeein Law, Megan Siebecker, Elizabeth Stam, and Calvin Tran. The students' research honors the legacy of Frank Caro, who was an architect of UMass Boston Gerontology.

"The students are working on an impressive array of thoughtful and impactful projects that would surely make Frank, the model community engaged scholar educator, proud," says Edward Alan Miller, chair of the UMass Boston Gerontology Department.

Two Major Conferences Coming to Boston

Two major gerontology conferences will come to Boston in November, and UMass Boston Gerontology will have a table at both. If you attend, please visit us to learn more about the work of the Gerontology Institute, and academic program offerings from the Gerontology Department.

LeadingAge 2025 Annual Meeting

November 2 - 5, 2025
Menino Convention Center
Boston, MA
Booth #606

Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting

November 12 - 15, 2025

Hynes Convention Center

Boston, MA 
Booth #111

PAC's Fall Fundraiser

Making an imPACt: PAC's Fall Fundraiser

November 12, 2025 - 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Virtual via Zoom

The guest speaker will be Karen Friedman, executive director of the Pension Rights Center. Please join us in supporting PAC’s crucial work in creating retirement security!

Register to attend.

UMass Boston Gerontology in the News

The Tyranny of Aging Well: Why the Ideal Leaves So Many Behind: AARP interviewed Michelle Putnam about "successful aging." While the concept may be empowering for many, it's not inclusive of all. "We want that for everyone," Putnam says. "But the likelihood of that easily happening for people who have experienced disability over the life course, and have had these cumulative effects [that contribute] to not being as healthy or well later, then they're not going to fit that model."

Millions of Poor Retirees Have Lost an Easier Path to Help With Medicare: This New York Times story cites research by the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston in its examination of older adults' struggle to pay for Medicare.

Social Security Announces a 2.8% Cost-of-Living Increase for Beneficiaries: The New York Times reports that much of the COLA increase will go toward healthcare costs, citing the Elder Index and the new study by NCOA/LeadingAge LTSS @UMass Boston.

Do Social Security Adjustments Stack Up Against Seattle Inflation?: The Seattle Times talked with Michelle Putnam for this story about how the increase in benefits will affect older adults, and how crucial it is to ensure the program's future.

Social Security Recipients Can Expect a 2.8% Increase in Benefit Payments for 2026: NBC News cites the Elder Index and the new wealth/mortality study by NCOA and the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston in its look at the effects of the upcoming benefit increase.

The Future of Transportation and Health for Older Adults. Dr. Nina M. Silverstein, professor emerita of gerontology at UMass Boston, served as a guest editor for this special issue of the Journal of Transport & Health. The issue features work by two UMass Boston Gerontology PhD alumni, Shu Xu and Shayna Gleason.

COA Needs Assessment: Harich is Aging Fast. A study, conducted by the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging at the Gerontology Institute, revealed that financial security is top of mind for older residents in the town of Harwich. That population is projected to double by 2040.

Quality Senior Care Knows No Geographical Boundaries. In this Patch story, the 2025 Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report proves the need for quality care for the nearly 1.2 million seniors in the state.

Thrive Where You Are: The Power of Connection in Aging. This column--written by Sandra Faber, executive director of Monadnock at Home--cites the 2025 Healthy Aging Data Report as it examines the importance of soclal connection for older adults who live alone.