Gerontology Commons^™

Supporting People As They Age In Community: Housing, Rachel Filinson, Maureen Maigret

Faculty Publications

Aging in community can be a healthier, happier option for many seniors, but only if they have the right resources and support, starting with suitable housing. Homes must be affordable for retirees on fixed incomes and adapted for those with physical limitations. Older people living on their own need access to community services to keep them healthy and connected. Without affordable, age-friendly housing and access to services, aging in community can be stressful, isolating, and limiting, rather than empowering.

Supporting People As They Age In Community: Information And Service Access, Rachel Filinson, Maureen Maigret

Faculty Publications

As people age, they often rely on the support of public and private programs to help them live healthy, independent lives. What if older people and their caregivers had access to a single website, phone number, or office that could connect them with all the support and resources they need, from applying for Medicare benefits and finding long-term care facilities to accessing transportation and meal delivery services?

Strategies And Substance Treatment: Perceptions Of Older Adults 60 And Over, Kim Malveo Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gather the perceive strategies and substance treatment needs of adults 60 and over. To examine what recovery treatment models and strategies could be most effective for the age-related complex needs of the 60 and over population who are at risk for substance misuse, use or abuse. In the coming years, there will be a substantial increase in the numbers of older adults with substance misuse and abuse problems. Even though one in five individuals who experience substance abuse are older adults many clinicians remain ill equipped to serve older clientele, and particularly those …

A Descriptive Study Of The Elderly In California Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, David Berenschot

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As gerontologists may know, there are a great deal of studies and a variety of academic literature on the misuse of alcohol and prescription medication amongst the elderly population. While there is a plethora of information on alcohol and prescription misuse, there is little reported data about the prevalence of other substance misuse experienced by this population. This study aims to help to fill that gap in the data by using quantitative methods to describe the scope of substance abuse of individuals 55-years or older. This study utilizes data from the Treatment Data Set Admission (TEDS-A). The TEDS-A is a …

2016 Elder Economic Security Standard Index™ For Boston, Yang Li, Ping Xu, Jan Mutchler, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index (Elder Index) is a measure of the cost of living for older adults age 65 or older living independently in today's economy. The Elder Index defines economic security as the income level at which elders are able to cover basic and necessary living expenses and age in their homes, without relying on benefit programs, loans or gifts. The Elder Index defines an “economic security gap” as having incomes between the Federal Poverty Line and the Elder Index. Older adults living “in the gap” have incomes too high to qualify for many means-tested public …

Living Below The Line: Economic Insecurity And Older Americans, Age Disparities In Insecurity, 2016, Jan Mutchler, Yang Li, Ping Xu

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates from the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index highlight the high risk of economic insecurity experienced by older adults, a risk that is especially high for the oldest seniors. The Gerontology Institute compares the 2016 household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index for each state and Washington, DC to calculate Elder Economic Insecurity Rates (EEIRs), the percentage of independent older adults age 65 or older living in households with annual incomes that do not support economic security. The EEIRs allow state …

Living Below The Line: Economic Insecurity And Older Americans, Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Insecurity, 2016, Jan Mutchler, Yang Li, Ping Xu

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates from the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index highlight the high risk of economic insecurity experienced by older adults, a risk that is especially high for racial and ethnic minorities. The Gerontology Institute compares the 2016 household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index for each state and Washington, DC to calculate Elder Economic Insecurity Rates (EEIRs), the percentage of independent older adults age 65 or older living in households with annual incomes that do not support economic security. The EEIRs allow …

Living Below The Line: Economic Insecurity And Older Americans, Gender Disparities In Insecurity, 2016, Jan Mutchler, Yang Li, Ping Xu

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates from the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index highlight the high risk of economic insecurity experienced by older adults, a risk that is especially high for older women living alone. The Gerontology Institute compares the 2016 household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index for each state and Washington, DC to calculate Elder Economic Insecurity Rates (EEIRs), the percentage of independent older adults age 65 or older living in households with annual incomes that do not support economic security. The EEIRs allow …

The National Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index: Methodology Overview, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index (Elder Index) is a measure of the cost of living for older adults in today's economy. The Elder Index helps answer important questions about what it really takes to financially support independent living in later life. For example, what is an adequate income for older adult households to age in place? How does it vary according to life circumstances: whether they are living alone or with a spouse, renting or owning a home? How do older adults’ living costs change as their health status changes?

The Elder Index illustrates how living costs vary …

Cairing4carlisle: A Community Health Needs Assessment, Caitlin Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

Caring4Carlisle (C4C) is a community initiative aimed at addressing the social, emotional, spiritual and physical health of Carlisle residents. Community Health Network Areas (CHNAs) were created by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in 1992. There are 27 CHNAs in the Commonwealth, and Carlisle belongs to CHNA 15. In July of 2016, Carlisle was awarded a planning grant ($20,000) from CHNA 15 to engage in a community needs assessment process with the intention of identifying priority community health needs to be addressed in Carlisle.

The Carlisle Board of Health served as the lead Town Department with the Gleason Public Library, …

When ‘Places’ Include Pets: Broadening The Scope Of Relational Approaches To Promoting Aging-In-Place, Ann M. Toohey, Jennifer A. Hewson, Cindy L. Adams, Melanie J. Rock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Aging-in-place is a well-established concept, but discussions rarely consider that many older adults live with pets. In a ‘pet-friendly’ city, we conducted semi-structured interviews to explore perspectives of community-based social support agencies that promote aging-in-place, and those of animal welfare agencies. Applying a relational ecology theoretical framework, we found that pets may contribute to feeling socially- situated, yet may also exacerbate constraints on autonomy experienced by some older adults. Pet-related considerations at times led to discretionary acts of more-than-human solidarity, but also created paradoxical situations for service-providers, impacting their efforts to assist older adults. A shortage of pet-friendly affordable housing …

The Socio-Political And Economic Causes Of Natural Disasters, Nicole Southard

CMC Senior Theses

To effectively prevent and mitigate the outbreak of natural disasters is a more pressing issue in the twenty-first century than ever before. The frequency and cost of natural disasters is rising globally, most especially in developing countries where the most severe effects of climate change are felt. However, while climate change is indeed a strong force impacting the severity of contemporary catastrophes, it is not directly responsible for the exorbitant cost of the damage and suffering incurred from natural disasters -- both financially and in terms of human life. Rather, the true root causes of natural disasters lie within the …