Nov 22, 2024 | Age & Dementia Friendly
Person-Centered Dementia Care: Understanding Behaviors and Effective Communication
Thursday, December 12, 2024
12:00-1:30 PM
Zoom
As people living with dementia progress in their journey, their ability to communicate also changes. Professionals must discover new ways to communicate effectively for all stages of the disease. Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as the ability to use verbal communication diminishes. Join us to learn how dementia affects communication, how person-centered approaches can improve communication, how to decode behavioral messages, identify common behavior triggers, and learn strategies to help intervene with some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.
Free CEUs for social workers and nurses
Nov 22, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Public Health
I have a friend who is an audiologist, so when I recently saw an advertisement for using the Apple AirPod Pro 2 as a hearing aid, I decided to ask her if she knew anything about its performance, since it seems to be a cost-effective option ($259 at the time of this writing). She tested the product, wrote the following summary of her experience, and gave me permission to share it.
I’ve fooled around with my AirPods to test this out. I programmed a mild high-frequency hearing loss in, and then evaluated the sound that the AirPods were outputting, and they actually did a pretty good job! I was surprised. There are some downsides:
- You’ll get the best results by having an actual hearing evaluation so you know that the numbers you are giving the AirPods are correct (they ask for input from a hearing test). If someone hasn’t had their hearing tested, there are free apps that Apple recommends, but I think the jury is out on how accurate those “over the phone” tests actually are.
- Comfort. You have to have a good fit with the earbuds, or it just won’t work.
- You have to be technically savvy enough to figure it out. I am technically savvy, and I had to do a lot of messing around to figure out how to make it work.
- Your ears are completely plugged up by the AirPods. There’s no air-flow in or out of the canal. They do a pretty good job about not making your voice sound like it’s bottled up in your head, but other body sounds are magnified. When I’m walking with my AirPods in, I hear the loud thump, thump, thump of my feet hitting the ground. It’s a little weird, but I’m sure you’d get used to it.
- The battery life is not great. You get maybe 4 hours out of them. So they are really only good for situational use. Like… I’m going out to dinner and I won’t be able to hear. Definitely not putting them on in the morning and having corrected hearing all day long.
- You will look to the rest of the world like you don’t want to interface with them because you have your AirPods in.
All that being said, they seemed to do a good job, and for someone who is looking for situational help with mild hearing loss, I think they are by far the best option on the market, and the price is right!
Review by Dr. Sarah Moore, AUD
Nov 8, 2024 | Age & Dementia Friendly, News
The 2024 Dementia Friendly Massachusetts (DFM) survey results indicated a strong interest in learning about grant funding opportunities. Several responses also pointed to a lack of financial support being a barrier to growing DFM initiatives. Here are some grant programs and funders that might be a fit for your ideas (each title is a link):
Categories of SIG grants are subject to change, but the FY25 categories most relevant to DFM work were for Memory Cafés, Age-and Dementia-Friendly initiatives, and Caregiver Respite. The link takes you to an overview of the FY25 grant timeline (starting in spring 2024), which will be similar for FY26.
Point32Health Foundation has an equity in aging focus. It supports programs that acknowledge and seek to remedy systemic barriers to better health. If your program idea would help meet needs of high-risk people within your community of older adults, it might be eligible for support. Inquiry forms are accepted at any time.
Community Foundations in Massachusetts are regional nonprofits that span the state and have various means of doing philanthropic work in their communities, either by giving grants directly or directing donors to organizations and programs that they endorse. Find out about the one close to you: if they give grants, and if your program ideas might be eligible.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
The Boston Foundation
Brookline Community Foundation
Cambridge Community Foundation
Cape Cod Foundation
Community Foundation of Nantucket
Community Foundation of North Central MA
Community Foundation of Western MA
Essex County Community Foundation
Foundation for MetroWest
Greater Lowell Community Foundation
Greater Worcester Community Foundation
Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation
South Coast Community Foundation
Watertown Community Foundation
LCC funds could support musicians and artists featured at Memory Cafés! Every municipality has an LCC that distributes MA Cultural Council money. Usually COAs partner with an artist who will write the grant and be the direct recipient of funds.
Providing small grants ($1,000-$20,000) to nonprofits and government entities for a broad array of programs or operating support. November 12 is the next deadline. Learn more on their FAQ page; they have not defined specific funding priorities.
We are keeping a growing list of these on the DFM website’s Resources page.
Oct 17, 2024 | Age & Dementia Friendly, News, Public Health
We all know what it’s like to be mired in the day-to-day demands that make it increasingly hard to see the forest for the trees and to maintain the vitality of our connection to the meaning of our work.
But there are unique ideas and programs aiming to improve how we build a society that is livable for older adults that are brilliantly worthy of our attention. They encourage us to slow down and take the time to grow our compassion through the extraordinary experiences of others.
A couple programs of this nature came to my attention in the past week: Gold Coats and the living experiment that inspired the Human Forever documentary film (2024).
Gold Coats
The Gold Coat program, based at the California Men’s Colony State Prison in San Luis Obispo, trains inmates to provide a high standard of care for their fellow inmates who are living with dementia and other cognitive disorders. Testimony from the Gold Coats provides extremely moving insight about the power of caring for others in the most trying circumstances.
Human Forever
Teun Toebes, a 25-year-old Dutch nursing student and now an international spokesperson on dementia and healthcare innovation, lived in a closed ward memory care unit in a Dutch nursing home for three years. He wrote a book about that experience and then toured the world with independent filmmaker Jonathan de Jong to learn about international models of care and to create the film Human Forever (2024).
Teun Toebes’ book about his experiences: The Housemates: Everything One Young Student Learnt about Love, Care and Dementia from Living in a Nursing Home
Go ahead—give yourself permission to learn a little bit about creative and innovative ways to provide care and special experiences for people living with dementia.
Oct 4, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Health Insurance, Medicare, News
Chances are if you’re an Outreach Coordinator you’ve helped someone with a MassHealth application: a daunting task under any circumstance.
The Massachusetts Health Care Training Forum provides regularly updated information via trainings to staff members of community-based agencies—including COAs—and health care organizations. Their trainings cover topics that either are directly related to MassHealth or are adjacent.
The MHCTF website hosts webinar videos and slide shows from past presentations such as:
- How to Apply for Long Term Care
- MassHealth 2023-24 Redeterminations and Renewals
- Understanding the Medicare Savings Program
- Understanding Immigration Requirements and Application Completion for Health Insurance Coverage in MA
There are opportunities to register for their live, virtual meetings. October’s offerings that could be useful to Outreach Coordinators and SHINE Counselors are:
- MassHealth & Health Safety Net Updates
- Medicare in 2025
- Disability Evaluation Services Overview & MassHealth
Click here to register for the MTF meetings
Sep 13, 2024 | Digital Equity, News
The digital divide experienced by many older adults in MA and the epidemic of loneliness have at least one relationship: access to one would alleviate the other. That is, the availability of low-cost, high-speed internet service would greatly increase human to human connectivity of isolated older adults. Another synergy that some COAs in MA are already utilizing is connecting young people—teens or college-age young adults—with older adults to provide tutorials in tech skills.
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly in Boston is doing just that in public senior housing complexes. In their words, “LBFE Boston helps prevent social isolation by offering free, intergenerational, digital equity, and arts programs to older adults in public/affordable senior housing and community centers.” Tech access and training provides benefits such as mental stimulation, reduced isolation, empowerment, and skills needed for the job market, transportation, navigating medical appointments & records, and more.
Their Digital Dividends program offers instruction in Zoom, Google Maps, Uber/Lyft, AI tools, G-Suite (including Gmail), and Microsoft Office applications. Classes are held once a week for an hour, Monday through Friday, typically between 12 PM and 5 PM. Each older adult receives a free laptop and reliable internet access. With the support of younger participants, they build and expand their tech knowledge. In 2023 alone, Digital Dividends conducted more than 222 digital literacy training sessions in both English and Spanish. For a closer look, check out this recent story about one of their programs in South Boston.
Digital Dividends has been supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and the state, administered through the Digital Equity Partnerships Program. Funds from this grant paid for Chromebooks and mobile hotspots for the older adult participants in these classes.
The need for programs like this is even more acute now that the federally funded Affordable Connectivity Program has come to an end (April 2024). COA staff serve people who lack personal access to high speed internet, and they see the disadvantages that come with that. A leader in this arena is the MA Healthy Aging Collaborative, which offers quarterly meetings on the topic of older adults and technology access, to which COA staff members are welcome.
Sign up for their newsletter to stay tuned for meeting dates, and check out the MHAC blog, which regularly offers pieces on digital equity and technology access for older adults. If you want to grow your understanding of this issue and what’s currently being done in Massachusetts to help older adults gain affordable broadband access and other important connectivity resources, read the Community Resources Guide: Technology Access and Programming for Older Adults (Sept. 2021).
Is your COA working on enhancing digital equity for older adults in your community? Are you harnessing the power of young people for this work? We’d love to learn about your creative efforts on MCOA’s InfoHub Forum!
Note: Photo used with the permission of LBFE Boston.
Aug 23, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Employment, Part Time
Many but not all communities in Massachusetts offer a tax-abatement option to homeowners: the Senior Citizen and Veterans Tax Work-Off programs, which provide opportunities for residents to perform a job for the municipality at minimum wage (currently $15/hour) in order to see a reduction—based on what they earned—in their property tax bills. The maximum abatement defined in the state law for people 60 and older is $2,000, and the maximum abatement for Veterans, as defined in the state law for that program, is $1,500.
Often, COA Directors or other COA staff members and Town/ City Assessors work in partnership to organize these programs and spread the word to residents. Together they create a system for applications, eligibility screening, and the matching of qualified residents with jobs that have been determined by municipal department heads ahead of time. Municipalities determine their own income eligibility guidelines.
The best programs offer several job opportunities in various departments—and ideally the jobs will draw upon diverse skill sets, maximizing appeal to the public.
If you are already involved with this program, you’ve probably started asking for job descriptions from your municipal colleagues (my experience has led me to believe that you can’t start too early). If your municipality does not have either program yet and you want to start one, consult with your Town Manager/Town Administrator/Mayor. These programs are voted in by City Councils, Select Boards, and other authorizing officials.
It’s easy to find model program guidelines all over the state—and they do differ from community to community. Just Google “Senior Tax Work Off MA” (or “Veterans Tax Work Off MA”) and many communities’ program guidelines will come up.
These programs are an effective way of creating lasting, positive relationships with community participants. They can be the means of getting some help that your budget may not allow, such as Memory Café leadership, Age- and Dementia-Friendly Action Team leaders, meal deliverers, receptionists, greeters, etc. If you can dream it up, it’s possible!
Aug 16, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Housing, Mental Health
Our behavioral health colleagues at the MA Association of Mental Health (MAMH) received a two-year grant from the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds that will enable the MA Hoarding Resource Network to focus on stabilizing housing and strengthening eviction prevention for people living with hoarding disorder. The initiative will involve people with lived experience and other stakeholders and professionals working in housing, aging, behavioral health, human services, public safety and code enforcement, and academic researchers. They will collaborate and craft strategies for broad environmental and systemic change, working towards nuanced community responses to assisting MA residents whose housing is at risk.
The MAMH has created a webpage with a blog about the project, and they welcome ideas and information about relevant resources that you might know about.
The MAMH project coordinator for this is Cassie Cramer, who is also the project director of the Older Adult Behavioral Health Network.
For our September 12 Outreach Zoom Meeting, Cassie will conduct a listening session, seeking insights from COA staff members about assisting older residents whose accumulated belongings pose a danger and could lead to eviction or their homes being deemed uninhabitable.
Jul 19, 2024 | Age & Dementia Friendly, Housing, News
The mic-drop moment at the July 11 Outreach meeting was when the presenter, Tim O’Reilly, who manages building projects for Backyard ADUs, shared that Massachusetts’ Home Modification Loan Program (HMLP) will provide 0% interest loans of up to $50K to eligible households for the building of accessory dwelling units.
Older or disabled adults who are interested in making changes to their homes to increase their long-term, at-home independence, may apply to the program.
Additionally, household members who are not disabled or over 60 can submit applications for home modifications or the creation of accessory dwelling units (free-standing or in the existing home) that will aid older adults or people with disabilities in their households.
Distinct from a home repair program, HMLP provides loans that support projects that may include: ramp and lifts, bathroom and kitchen adaptations, sensory integration spaces, fencing, and, as noted, accessory dwelling units. It’s all about increasing accessibility.
The HMLP is administered for the state by the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), which in turn has delegated the processing of applications to regional agencies. For a list of regional provider agencies and eligibility and application information, see the program brochure.
More general information on the program can be found on CEDAC’s HMLP webpage.
2023 Income Limits
| Household size |
Maximum Annual Income |
| 1 |
$207,800 |
| 2 |
$237,600 |
| 3 |
$267,200 |
| 4 |
$296,800 |
| 5 |
$320,600 |
| 6 |
$344,400 |
| 7 |
$368,200 |
| 8 |
$391,800 |
Jul 5, 2024 | Housing, Mental Health, News, Resource finding
Some may remember that in March of this year the US Senate’s Special Committee on Aging distributed an RFI, seeking written testimony from people with lived experience and other stakeholders on the effects of hoarding. Committee members have finished their report, and responses from Massachusetts were strong. You can read or download the report here:
The Consequences of Clutter: How Hoarding Disorder Affects America’s Older Adults, First Responders, and their Communities
The report is long; one way to dip in is to start with the statements from people in Massachusetts—all of the pieces of the report are conveniently hyperlinked in the table of contents, and you can search for any word using ctrl/F on your keyboard. You will probably recognize some names of well-known hoarding disorder advocates and experts from MA. The statement written by members of the MA Hoarding Resource Network Steering Committee can be found on page B-106.
There are several statements from task forces around the country, and federal support for hoarding task forces is the top recommendation in the report:
SAMHSA and ACL should provide training, guidance, and technical assistance
regarding HD. Although HD is relevant to the mission of the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration for
Community Living (ACL), neither agency identified programs specific to the con-
dition. SAMHSA and ACL should develop training, technical assistance, and other
guidance for social service providers, health care providers, and first responders
on how to respond to HD. Technical assistance should include tips and training for
professionals likely to encounter people with HD. Technical assistance should also
include guidance for communities on establishing a coordinated, evidence-based
response to HD – including best practices for forming and sustaining hoarding task
forces (page 43)
The statements from people living with hoarding disorder are particularly powerful and support the idea that with consistent, skilled assistance, people living with this disorder can make meaningful change in their lives.
Jun 21, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Stopping Driving, Transportation
It’s not unusual for senior center personnel to witness visitor driving that makes them question whether or not the driver should still be behind the wheel. Below are some resources that can bring this topic to the surface and support family members with ideas for starting the conversation.
Articles about Stopping Driving
Carless Cost Savings
Jun 14, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Medicare, Prescription Drugs
More Medicare-enrollees than ever are now eligible for the Medicare Savings Program (MSP), which covers the monthly $174.70 Medicare Part B premium, eliminates some co-payments for outpatient services, and provides a program called Extra Help that significantly lowers prescription drug prices.
But sometimes a pharmacist over-charges for drugs because the customer’s MSP enrollment status has not been updated in any of the systems they use in order to know what to charge.
How can we help clients in this situation?
Recently my fellow Hampshire County SHINE counselor Anna Viadero shared her process with untangling the pharmacy knot with a client who had paid more for a prescription than she ever had before. The pharmacist told her that none of her insurance cards were “working”: her Medicare card, MassHealth card, or her Medicare Advantage Plan card.
Anna called the MA College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ Pharmacy Outreach Program (1-866-633-1617). (This community program serves anyone.) The following was written by Anna in her email to the group:
Deb at the Pharmacy Outreach Program said they’ve been having a lot of trouble with people new to the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) going to pharmacies WITHIN 2-3 WEEKS of the date they were granted MSP and not getting Extra Help prices. She said the Social Security Administration and Medicare are not communicating in a timely manner. She said people can get reimbursed for meds for which they overpaid from the drug plan. They would need all or some of the info listed in the “Best Available Evidence” list, including receipts for the meds. She looked up a link for my client’s Medicare Advantage plan that details the reimbursement process and provided a fax number. She said the Pharmacy Outreach Program would help SHINE volunteers find reimbursement protocols on their clients’ drug plans.
She said this week I should call the Center for Medicare Services with my Unique ID first and check that my client’s Extra Help comes up on Medicare [becomes visible in their consumer database]. If it does, I should work with the client to get reimbursement from their Medicare Advantage Plan.
If Extra Help DOES NOT come up in Medicare, tell CMS her start date and tell them to fix it—then they may send you to Medicare ID Team (see below).
My client brought all necessary documents to the pharmacy–things considered “Best Available Evidence”–her new cards (including her MassHealth card) and Medicare card. She didn’t bring her notification letter, but I’m not sure if that would have helped if the pharmacist wasn’t finding Extra Help for her in the system.
There’s also the Medicare ID team that Deb said could help clients. They are at 1-800-462-1120 Option 3. You must have the client with you. You can also share the phone number with any client and they can call themselves. This would likely be for someone who tried to get meds, didn’t get Extra Help prices and didn’t pay full price for the meds–they could wait. Deb said calling this number lets Medicare do a workaround which will take 24-48 hours.
Here’s the list of “Best Available Evidence” (more detail on BAE is available on the CMS website):
- A copy of the member’s Medicaid card which includes the member’s name and an eligibility date during the discrepant period;
- A report of contact including the date a verification call was made to the State Medicaid Agency and the name, title and telephone number of the state staff person who verified the Medicaid status during the discrepant period;
- A copy of a state document that confirms active Medicaid status during the discrepant period;
- A print out from the State electronic enrollment file showing Medicaid status during the discrepant period;
- A screen print from the State’s Medicaid systems showing Medicaid status during the discrepant period; or
- Other documentation provided by the State showing Medicaid status during the discrepant period.
Jun 7, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Housing
If you’re working with a client on a housing search or improving their housing stability because of a landlord conflict or other issue, staff members at Housing Consumer Education Centers might be able to assist. The regional centers are listed below; the best way to find the one for your community is to go to the HCEC website and search by the name of your municipality.
The organizations that house this program are not identical, and best points of entry will differ. Several of these organizations are the main local contact for RAFT (Residential Assistance for Families in Transition) applications, and several offer the services of Special Service Coordinators, who will provide finite case-management for clients.
Even though “Families” is in the RAFT title, individuals may also be eligible for emergency financial assistance. Some eligibility guidelines include:
- At risk of homelessness
- Income less than 50% of local Area Median Income (AMI)
- Income less than 60% of AMI and at risk of domestic violence
A quick RAFT eligibility tool can be found here.
List of HCECs in MA by Region:
Boston/Metro-Boston Region:
Metro Housing Boston
1411 Tremont Street , Boston, MA 02120-3401
Phone: (617) 425-6700 – For Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Phone: (617) 859-0400 – Metro Housing Boston Main Number
Phone: (800) 272-0990 – MA Only
Fax: (617) 532-7559
Email: resourceline@metrohousingboston.org
Berkshires:
Berkshire Housing Development Corporation & Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority
1 Fenn Street, 3rd floor, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Phone: (413) 499-1630 x168 or x167 – For Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Fax: (413) 469-9831
Email: HCECIntake@berkshirehousing.com
Berkshire Housing Development Corp: https://berkshirehousing.com/
Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority: https://bcrha.com/
Cape and Islands:
Housing Assistance Corporation
460 West Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601
Phone: (508) 771-5400 – For Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Fax: (508) 775-7434
Email: hcec@haconcapecod.org
Central MA:
RCAP Solutions, Inc.
191 May Street, Worcester, MA 01602
Phone: (978) 630-6772/6771 – For Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Phone: (978) 630-6600 – Directory for All Services
Phone: (800) 488-1969 – Toll Free
Fax: (508) 365-6008 – Fax
Email: hcec@rcapsolutions.org
Metro-West:
South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc.
7 Bishop Street, Framingham, MA 01702
Phone: (508) 872-0765
Fax: (508) 620-2697
Email: hcec@smoc.org
Northeast MA:
Community Teamwork
17 Kirk Street, Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: (978) 459-0551 – For Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Phone: (800) 698-0551
Fax: (978) 459-0513
Email: CovidResponseCTI@commteam.org
Southeast MA:
NeighborWorks Housing Solutions
169 Summer Street, Kingston, MA 02364
Phone: (781) 422-4204 – For Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Phone: (800) 242-0957
Fax: (781) 585-7483
Email: HCEC@nhsmass.org
Western MA (Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties):
Way Finders
1780 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: (413) 233-1600 – For Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Phone: (800) 332-9667
Fax: (413) 731-8723
Email: info@wayfinders.org
May 17, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Housing, PACE
Photo of St. Therese Apartments in Everett by ROBERT UMENHOFER
Some PACE Centers in Massachusetts have special partnerships with housing entities, local housing authority- and privately owned properties that contain a variety of unit-styles, including rooms in congregate homes with shared amenities (such a kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms).
Considerations for Combining PACE with Housing, a 2022 report developed by MassPACE, LeadingAge MA, the EOEA, and MassHealth, discusses the potential for meaningful partnerships and unit-set-aside agreements. Note: their report does not include information about Assisted Living units and their possible connections with PACE programs. The main intended audience for this report is housing authority administrative personnel. You can always forward it to your local housing authority.
If you are working with a client and/or their family members who is already a PACE enrollee or could be PACE-eligible and benefit from independent housing options, the best starting point is contacting the PACE program affiliated with housing, but staff involved with tenant selection at housing authorities should also be able to provide details on how they maintain a PACE waiting list. Housing authorities and management companies are still the gatekeepers and in charge of tenant screening and selection, but learning how to place a client on a waiting list for specific PACE-set-aside units will increase options for PACE enrollees.
The following is a selection of the properties and their partner PACE Centers listed in that report (2022):
May 10, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Housing
We all know that assisting clients with housing issues—seeking housing or stabilizing existing housing—is among the most demanding, stress-laden challenges we cope with. We also know that the landscape of affordable, low-income, and supportive housing options is complex. It seems that no matter how many resources we gather and training opportunities we take, there’s always more to learn, or a new scenario that defies our knowledge of what’s available to help.
For those who want to dig into this area of knowledge, MassHousing has an excellent series of trainings: Housing Stability Trainings. They provide support to housing advocates as well as property managers of rental units to increase their capacity to support tenants and cope in a fair and humane way with conflicts that arise.
Who and what is MassHousing? It is a quasi-public agency that works in partnership with the state, in particular the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, to finance the growth of affordable housing. It also supports first-time, low- and moderate-income home-buyers. An example of how they support the initiatives of the state is their administration of Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants.
MassHousing also maintains a searchable database of affordable rental housing.
Learning about what MassHousing does and its various training opportunities is a great way to increase your housing literacy and learn about bigger picture state initiatives to improve housing access.
May 3, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Resource finding
Since 2019, western Massachusetts has been served by 413CARES.org, a database of resources in several important categories including, but not limited to: food, housing, transportation, caregiver support, mental health, substance use, reentry, digital resources, and mentoring.
In 2023 they launched a campaign to grow awareness and invite organizations and agencies to create accounts and enter programs (or, for agencies with programs already listed, to “claim” them and manage their information regularly).
This effort has been working, and they have seen significant increase in engagement from both organizations who contribute their program information and users who search the database and make referrals.
Their community education campaign, funded by a grant from Baystate Health, is still active, and they have collected data on how the database is being used.
COA staff in W. MA can use this and ensure that their COA’s programs are listed so that residents of their regions can learn about them when needed! I suggest giving it a whirl to see how many programs come up when you type in a key word!
There are many ways to learn more about this resource, including video tutorials and scheduling a training.
Give it a whirl!
Apr 12, 2024 | Digital Equity, Economic Security & Outreach Blog
The Affordable Connectivity Program, a broadband internet discount program funded by Congress and administered by the FCC, is discontinuing. Many MA residents will know this program as the LifeLine Program. The program stopped accepting applications on February 7, 2024, and the estimated last month of discounted service is April.
The Massachusetts Health Aging Collaborative (MHAC) has prepared a one-page description of the Affordable Connectivity Program winddown.
What can be done to assist older adults who may lose access to affordable service?
- MA broadband customers should be encouraged to contact their service providers to learn if they have provider-specific discount programs.
- Free Wi-Fi is available at many senior centers and public libraries—encourage visitors to take advantage of this access.
- Learn about the libraries in your area that offer outdoor Wi-Fi.
- Cellphones can be used as internet hotspots for tablets, laptops, and computers (with data limitations).
- Learn if your community has a municipal broadband system, and, if not, support efforts to create one.
- Read about MA digital equity resources on the MA Healthy Aging Collaborative’s website.
- Encourage residents to contact their local legislators to let them know how they are affected and ask for their ideas on improved internet equity.
MHAC is also facilitates a quarterly Technology Learning Collaborative Zoom conversation open to all. To stay apprised of their updates and meeting invitations, sign up for their newsletter here.
Apr 5, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Health Insurance, PACE
Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) are in sites spanning most of Massachusetts. They offer a strong opportunity for high-needs older adults to receive all the medical and social services they need in one place while continuing to live in their homes.
PACE offers transportation to their sites where doctors, specialists, clinicians, and other service-providers are available in a uniquely efficient and easy-to-access way. PACE also offers memory care day programs, meals, and social activities for people with and without memory impairment. PACE programs can also provide home care!
PACE was designed to provide a way for older adults to maintain independence while having their medical needs met at one site.
Eligible applicants must be clinically eligible for nursing home care, and they tend to be “dual-eligibles”: people eligible for both MassHealth Standard and Medicare (there is no cost to being in the program for these enrollees). PACE enrollment specialists assist applicants and families with the application process. More often than not, PACE is an option for extremely low-income clients with income below 300% of the Federal SSI rate and assets under $2,000. People over the financial eligibility threshold for MassHealth Standard can pay a monthly premium to be in PACE. For married applicants, the non-applying spouse’s income and assets are not counted, as with the Frail Elder Waiver.
As beneficial as it is, PACE can be a tough sell. Many older adults, particularly those living with dementia, are not at ease boarding a van and leaving their homes for an institutional setting, even just one day a week. If you are working with a client whom you suspect would be a good candidate for PACE, involving caregivers or other family members can be one strategy: if you have a chance to describe the benefits of PACE to a caregiver who will get some much-needed respite from the program, that approach may pave the way.
PACE can also provide a means of securing supportive housing. For more information on this, see pages 9-16 in the 2022 report created by MassPACE, LeadingAge Massachusetts, and the EOEA, Considerations for Combining PACE with Housing.
PACE is an evolving program, open to new partnership opportunities that increase access to its services by partnering with natural allies like AAAs, ASAPs, and community health centers. One such collaborative PACE site is Element Care in Lynn, a partnership between Greater Lynn Senior Services and Lynn Community Health Center.
Want to learn more about it so that you are comfortable talking about this option with your community? A newly developed, self-paced, web-training is available!
Apr 5, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Money Management
How many times have you worked with a client who is struggling to stay in their home in part because they are no longer paying bills? Sometimes other elements of maintaining a household are stable, but this lapse is putting the client at risk.
I have never had a client accept help with their finances willingly, but I keep thinking about how we can describe available services in a way that makes it easier for someone who needs them to say yes.
For one thing, I’d emphasize that clients accepting help from trained volunteers and agency staff members may define the level of help that they want. If they just want monthly assistance opening and paying bills, that’s an option. If they want help creating a budget, that’s an option. If they are ready to cede bill-paying responsibility to a representative payee and give that person the authority to sign checks on their behalf, that, too, is an option.
Twenty-one of the 24 ASAPs in MA offer a local version of the MA Money Management Program, which is overseen by Mass Home Care and supported by EOEA and AARP.
The AARP Money Management Program recruits volunteers. From their webpage: “There are many volunteer opportunities available with the Massachusetts Money Management Program, including bill payer, monthly account monitor, office assistant, outreach assistant, and special projects. The biggest need is for bill payer volunteers who work one on one with individuals.”
If you’re interested in learning what’s offered in your community but not yet connected with your local ASAP, here’s the list:
Money Management Program Directors in ASAPs are usually eager to present programs at Senior Centers! Even if the people attending aren’t in need of these services, they often know people for whom money management would be helpful—these attendees can become trusted spokespeople. Some might even want to volunteer for the program.
Stay tuned for my next blog essay in which I’ll break down the levels of help available so that you can be familiar with the vocabulary and have clarity when describing options to your clients.
Apr 5, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Money Management
Money Management Programs, offered in several ASAPs in MA, have two levels of assistance:
Bill Pay: The Bill Pay program utilizes trained and supervised volunteers to support older adults in their current living situations by assisting with paying bills and reviewing budgets. The volunteer-client connection generally is the result of a referral from a Care Advisor, Protective Services Case Worker, Outreach Coordinator, or other social services professional. Clients must voluntarily accept this service. On a monthly basis an MMP volunteer will meet with the client and review the bills for that month, assist in writing checks (but not signing the check), reviewing bank statements to make sure there are no issues. The MMP volunteer will report any concerns to the MMP Supervisor for follow up.
Representative Payee: The Rep Payee program is a program that offers eligible older adults a greater degree of assistance, and the Rep Payee—the volunteer or MMP staff member– is given authority to write and sign checks using the client’s Social Security Retirement income (and only that income!).
The Rep Payee program requires a medical, or therapeutic diagnosis from a professional stating that the elder does not or cannot perform the essential function of paying bills. In addition to the normal resistance that people feel to giving this level of control over their finances, obtaining the diagnosis necessary for eligibility can be a barrier, but Protective Services departments may be able to offer assistance when the need is demonstrated, particularly when the referral comes from a Money Management Program colleague. At some ASAPs, Money Management Programs are under the supervision of Protective Services departments.
Possible reasons for needing this level of help can include a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, dementia or a mental health disorder.
The Social Security Administration must approve the use of a Rep Payee on an individual basis and the Rep Payee program only uses Social Security income. Pensions, stocks, trusts are not eligible sources of money for bill paying in the Rep Payee Program. Once Social Security approves the application, the Rep Payee will use the client’s money to pay all bills owed on a monthly basis. The Rep Payee is also responsible for changes to the bills, making sure the bills are current, and making the best use of the client’s statements. Social Security performs regular audits on Rep Payee programs.
Family members can also become Rep Payees, and information on taking on that role can be found here:
This program can help older adults stay in their homes longer! Do you have success stories regarding referrals to MMP? We’d love to hear about them! Destigmatizing saying yes to this kind of help can go a long way.
