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...
Sep 6, 2024 | Grants & Funding Resources, News, Resource finding, State
Many MA artists, performers, and other cultural program-creators routinely partner with senior centers to apply for Local Cultural Council grants. These grants, offered yearly, provide funds for arts programming that might otherwise be inaccessible to Councils on...
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...
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...
Aug 12, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Fitness, Healthy Aging, Legislative Alerts, Nutrition
How do you participate in ActiveAgers? We’re receiving this question often and thrilled to see the interest! If you’re running any physical activity programs through your center, you’re essentially participating. To make it official, submit a summary of your classes...
Aug 2, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Healthy Aging, News, Public Health
Many Senior Centers and other public buildings in Massachusetts are designated Cooling Centers. The Mass.gov website has a page devoted to the creation and implementation of Cooling Centers, which offers many good ideas. These ideas seem obvious when encountered in a...
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...
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...
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...
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...
