In This Issue: 

Thank you to Amy Schectman, CEO of 2Life Communities, for sharing a very informative and passionate talk about the older adult affordable housing situation in Massachusetts. There is certainly a need for more affordable housing, but since federal money for housing has now become privatized, and the IRS is involved, finding money to build new affordable housing has become somewhat of a nightmare with the cobbling together of 8-11 funding streams sometimes needed. Despite that, 2Life Communities continues to build more houses. The newest community, Opus, will fill a big gap in the housing market as it is meant for those who earn too much money for receive tax credits, but too little money to pay for high-end housing. Opus will be innovative in that all residents will be required to volunteer at least 10 hours/month. This will keep costs lower and encourage socialization and community involvement, which will ward off one of the biggest problems for older adults – loneliness. Kudos to Amy and 2Life Communities for meeting so many needs for older adults.

• Our next meeting on Wednesday, February 15 will be hybrid, and we strongly encourage you to join us in person! Directions to MIT's Sloan School can be found on the homepage of our website. We will meet on the 5th floor in Room 550.
• The Mass eHealth Institute (MeHI) has launched a competition for entrepreneurs to find digital health solutions designed to support healthy aging. Prizes are worth up to $200,000, and eight finalists will be chosen. This initiative is in response to a UN announcement that the world population has reached 8 billion, driven mainly by older adults retiring at the rate of 10,000/day and living longer. Request an application here.
• The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) has given UMass Boston a $410,000 grant to help strengthen the aging services workforce. In collaboration with four AAAs (Ethos, Boston Senior Home Care, Mystic Valley Elder Services and Central Boston Elder Services), students at UMass and employees at the AAAs will qualify for the opportunity to receive training and an internship. If you fit the description, contact martin.hansen@umb.edu.

• In 44 BC, Cicero wrote about aging – its limitations and its opportunities. Today, a Pepperdine University professor, Philip Freeman, has translated Cicero’s wisdom about aging to create a slim book titled How to Grow Old. Sage advice that rings true all these years later is offered in this excerpt and more in the book (available on Amazon!).
• How do we evaluate the success – or failure – of an older adult in the workforce? Perhaps an example of that is in the political world where many people point to “too old” as a reason to not vote for someone, and pre-judge their success at the job. But perhaps an ageist attitude is to blame and there is a need to reevaluate. MarketWatch addresses how American culture devalues age.

• At present, the American workforce often consists of five generations. Yet despite this diversity of knowledge and experience, the promises and problems of age diversity still hamper the productivity of that workforce. Harvard Business Review points to three strategies that will capitalize on age diversity to create better business and organizational outcomes.  Perhaps these strategies can be used in organizations where Boston Bridge members are employed!

• Despite some negative outcomes from the newest Alzheimer’s drug, the FDA has recently approved its use. While the first drug approved was widely seen as too risky to use, Alzheimer’s experts claim that the data on the new drug is greater and the results are worth the risk. Read the assessment and what this could mean for Alzheimer’s disease here.  
• Want to live longer, healthier, happier, with more joy, less depression, reduced stress, and a sharper mind? And maybe even lose a few pounds? Want to help the older adults with whom you work to do the same? The answer is volunteering! After 35 years of studying volunteerism, a professor in New York has concluded that significant health benefits result from volunteering. Find out what to do and how it might be the best New Year’s resolution yet.

• Nursing homes are broken and in crisis! Staff are overworked and underpaid, 61% of nursing homes limit admissions due to staff shortage, and a 2021 survey found 71% of 50+ year-olds will not go to a nursing home. But three breakthroughs in 2022 may indicate that nursing homes are about to reform.
• The Scoop has often reported on the stresses involved with caregiving a loved one. Here are some caregiving New Year’s resolutions to perhaps lighten the challenges and personal toll and help find some of the satisfaction in caregiving.
• From NPR, here is a personal story of how healing and letting go of anger can occur during caregiving. Caregiving is stressful but can also be therapeutic.

• Did you ever wish you had asked a favorite relative who died years ago some questions about their young life? Did you ever wish people would know more about how wonderful your loved one was? An inventor with a desire to make the life – and death – of his father more than just a gravestone with dates on it invented a way to put a QR code on a gravestone that was linked to a web page with his life story. Read how to do that here.  
• Two books that might be especially important and eye-opening to read:
  • Dying Well Prepared by Alan Bingham (available on kindle for free!) - a guidebook for dying your way with peace of mind
  • That Good Night by Richard Probert - a novel addressing the realities of nursing homes and how one man chose to die in his own way