Economic Security

National Nutrition Month: Highlight on the Elder Index and Food Insecurity

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Developed by the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the Elder Index tool is used to measure the income older people need to meet their daily living expenses while staying independent in their own homes. The Elder Index tool is specific to household size, location, housing and health status, unlike the Federal Poverty Level, another index used to assess income level.

Additionally, the Elder Index accounts for the cost of healthcare, transportation, miscellaneous essentials, and food. After attending the webinar “Promoting Better Communities for Older.... Read More

             

Why The New ‘Public Charge’ Rule Could Hit Older Immigrants Hard

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by Jaya Padmanabhan. This article originally appeared on Next Avenue.

Devyani Dave immigrated from India to California in 1995 in her early 60s to live near her son and his family. Her green card was sponsored by her son (who prefers not to reveal his name), a citizen who came to the U.S. in 1973. When Dave arrived to start her new life, she had no health insurance and relied on her son to support her. Now, sitting on a bench at Priya Living, a senior community facility in Santa Clara, Calif., Dave said she feels fortunate to be in close proximity to her only child, especially as she ages.

But some immigration experts say the.... Read More

             

Recent State of the Union Highlights Unfinished Work on Paid Family Leave

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By Jason Resendez and Stephanie Monroe of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

During the State of the Union, President Trump touted his administration’s progress on expanding paid leave for parents who work for the federal government. According to the President, “As we support America’s moms and dads, I was recently proud to sign the law providing new parents in the Federal workforce paid family leave, serving as a model for the rest of the country.” While this accomplishment is undoubtedly worthy of praise, it also highlights the unfinished work of establishing a comprehensive paid leave policy that values diverse forms of caregiving, from the cradle to later life. 

Our nation’s 41 million family caregivers remain shamefully undervalued, even as our.... Read More

             

Aging in Massachusetts is Getting Harder

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by Tibisay Zea. This article originally appeared in El Planeta, New England’s Spanish-language newspaper. Haga clic aquí para leer este artículo en español.

One of the biggest challenges of aging is securing economic stability while productivity progressively decreases. This seems harder to achieve in Massachusetts, as it has the worst financial security numbers for older adults, shows a recent study by the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMass Boston).

More than half of people 65 or older in the state live alone, and a third of those living as a couple do not have enough money to cover their basic needs on their own (housing, transportation, health care.... Read More

             

7 Reasons We Need the ‘Caring for the Future’ Report Series

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Last week, PHI released an urgent, new report on the direct care workforce. It’s Time to Care: A Detailed Profile of America’s Direct Care Workforce provides a thorough overview of the direct care workforce (including key concepts and definitions), an analysis of how the direct care role has evolved, and a statistical profile of the workforce with key demographics, socio-economic characteristics, and future projections.

But It’s Time to Care not a stand-alone report. It’s the first installment in a yearlong series of reports that will examine the importance and impact of the direct care workforce. The final report— Caring for the Future:.... Read More

             

What we owe to one another

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by SAGE Communications

In Fall 2019, the SAGE team jetted to Los Angeles and Miami to produce our national LGBT Speed Mentoring program. Just like ‘speed dating,’ a speed mentoring includes facilitated one-on-one conversations and time to mingle. Cue cards prompt conversations about participants’ current projects, goals, and skills in a fun atmosphere with peppy music and tasty food and drinks.

Within two hours, some are exchanging Instagram handles, and others are asking “can you teach me Instagram?” And this is exactly the crux of mentorship: building and maintaining a relationship based on.... Read More

             

The Double Whammy for Older, Low-Wage Workers With Chronic Conditions

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by Richard Eisenberg. This article originally appeared on Next Avenue.

Sixty percent of Americans have at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease or diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic diseases are even more common among older, low-income adults and minorities. But when Kendra Jason, a sociology professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, studied workplace supports for older, low-income black workers with chronic conditions, she found some serious problems.

Jason, who specializes in issues of work and inequality, interviewed 10 female and five male black workers at an urban university in the Southeast who were 50 and older, had two or more chronic conditions and earned.... Read More

             
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