Sep 3, 2024 | Education & Training, Events, Member Services, News
MCOA and Dementia Friendly Massachusetts are co-sponsoring “Let’s Talk about Dementia and Culture 2024.”
This virtual symposium is brought to you by Dementia Friends Massachusetts, and will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Zoom.
This year’s theme is: Brain Health for All Communities.
Join researchers, advocates living with dementia, public health leaders, and community-based dementia educators as we explore current evidence-based tips for brain health, how these link to the structural and social determinants of health, and what research and life experience tell us about continuing to live well with a dementia diagnosis.
Register in advance on Zoom here. Attendance is free. CEUs will be available for a fee – check here for updates. Simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, and captions in English and most other languages available.
Contact Beth at bsoltzberg@jfcsboston.orgwith questions.
Aug 26, 2024 | Education & Training, Falls Prevention, Fitness, Healthy Aging, Malnutrition, Member Services, Nutrition, Public Health
ActiveAgers data is due in only a few weeks (September 15)! Remember to submit your data covering Jan 1 – Aug 30 to be eligible for individual and COA prizes. See p. 4 for details. Email them (and any questions) to tara@mcoaonline.org Kudos to those who already submitted reports!
Feeding America Research Finds nearly 12 million adults 50+ experienced food insecurity in 2022. New research from Feeding America “estimates 1 in 11 [60y+] faced hunger in the United States in 2022.” These numbers are up from the previous year, and food insecurity can greatly impact the way we age. Nationwide, this percentage is 8.7% and in Massachusetts it’s 7.1%.
Malnutrition Awareness Week is September 16-20 – Use the special code MAW-MCOA to access complimentary webinars. Additional resources on ASPEN’s Spread the Word page to help you plan and promote Malnutrition Awareness Week include:
-
- A tip sheet and ambassador success stories for organizing MAW activities
- A media toolkit with tips for contacting local newspapers and TV and radio stations, a press release template, and prepared public service announcements (PSAs)
- Malnutrition Awareness Week stickers (PDF) in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. And if you’re in the U.S. or Canada, you can order pre-printed stickers by filling out this form.
How HIP Works: We are deep in produce harvest and farmers’ market season. Remember, if one has SNAP benefits, they automatically receive HIP benefits which boost purchases on fruits, vegetable, etc. Check out the video for a refresher on the program.
Falls Prevention Week is September 23-27 – In addition to NCOA’s toolkit, remember to access the free Stepping Up Your Nutrition workshop leader training.
An eLearning Library from the National Center for Equitable Care for Elders – includes modules such as:
Aug 13, 2024 | Events, Member Services, News
MCOA Membership Meeting Via Zoom September 5, 2024 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Agenda
10:00 Welcome
- Emily Shea, MCOA Board Chair
10:05 Art Pharmacy
- Adrienne Hundley, Head of Community Strategy
10:50 MCOA New Training Series
- Andrea Cordis, Training and Education Manager
11:00 An Introduction to Behavioral Health Training for Councils on Aging
Interim Chief, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Director of Digital Psychiatry Translation, Director, Technology and Aging Lab
McLean Hospital
11:45 Business Meeting
- Betsy – Legislative Updates
- Vote – Board and Regional Reps
- Sharon Mercurio/Board
- Sharon Rice/Regional Rep
- Cynthia Tarail/Regional Rep
- Lisa Clark Viklund/Regional Rep
12:00* Please note the Advisory Council will meet from 12:00 – 12:30 pm
Please note the Advisory Council will meet from 12:00 – 12:30 pm with a separate meeting link.
Don’t have an MyMCOA Infohub account yet? Contact Kelly Burke, Member Services Manager (Kelly@mcoaonline.org) or Paula Hersey, Digital Communications Manager (paula@mcoaonline.org)
May 21, 2024 | Events, Member Services, News
MCOA Membership Meeting | Via Zoom June 6, 2024 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Agenda
10:00 Welcome
- Emily Shea, MCOA Board Chair
10:05 Remote Access to Vote
- Tatum Pritchard, Director of Litigation, Disability Law Center, Inc.
10:20 My Healthy Brain: Lifestyle Habits that Promote Brain Health with Aging
- Ryan Mace, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR)
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
- Nicole McGurin, Programs & Services Director
Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter
11:20 Business Meeting
- Betsy – Legislative Updates
12:00 * Please note the Advisory Council will meet from 12:00 – 12:30 pm
Apr 10, 2024 | Member Services, News
… in their effort to understand how organizations in Massachusetts are responding (or not responding) to the public health epidemic of loneliness and social isolation!
Stage one of this statewide survey will be focused on the work of Councils on Aging (COAs). In future stages, we hope to gather information from different types of agencies. Your insights will help identify best practices, lessons learned, and ongoing needs, contributing to a comprehensive strategy to combat social isolation within our communities!
We are looking for one COA staff member to respond to the survey on behalf of the organization. The respondent should have a broad understanding of the agency’s programming and activities, for instance the executive director or outreach coordinator.
Completion of the survey should take about 5-15 minutes.
As a thank you for your participation, you will have the option of adding your name to a drawing for a chance to win 1 of 4 $50 Amazon gift cards.
The information we are gathering affects the collective well-being of our communities. While your participation is voluntary, we hope you will respond. All survey responses will remain anonymous, unless you chose to disclose your identity.
If you have any questions about this, please contact Dr. Christina Matz at matzch@bc.edu/617-552-1634.
Please complete this survey by Friday, April 19, 2024
Mar 27, 2024 | Member Services
Dear COA Director,
We know many of you are in the midst of planning you FY25 budgets, and we have had a few inquiries regarding MCOAs Dues rates for FY25. You may recall that an increase in the Formula Grant rate ( i.e.: $12 to $14 per elder), triggers consideration of a MCOA Dues increase. After achieving the Formula Grant rate increase last summer, MCOA’s Board recommended increasing MCOAs Dues rate from .24 to .28 and that recommendation was approved by the membership at the Membership meeting on September 12, 2023. Please see the below updated MCOA Dues Rate Schedule which goes into effect for FY25.
Thank you,
Betsy Connell
