Age- and Dementia Friendly Massachusetts

Creating communities to grow up and grow old together

MA Age and Dementia Friendly

Age- and Dementia Friendly Massachusetts is a powerful movement, coordinated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to make communities more welcoming and livable for older adults and people of all ages. Over 200 Massachusetts cities and towns are exploring ways to become more age- and dementia-friendly.

ReiMAgine Aging is a multi-year state plan that brings together key leaders in state & local government, health care, housing, transportation, and community and philanthropic organizations to create cities & towns where people can grow up and grow old together. Excitingly, the movement empowers older persons to have a leading voice in creating ways to live well, work and volunteer in their community.

MA Age- and Dementia Friendly Integration Toolkit  is a great place to start to help make your community welcome for people of all ages and abilities. Learn more in Resources below.

Honoring Choices Partners and Health Care Planning Ambassadors are taking part in Age-and Dementia Friendly MA and New England!

Honoring Choices Partners & Ambassadors

Make a plan for quality care all through your life

Age Friendly Journey

Being part of an age- and dementia friendly or livable community means ensuring adults & families can access key services, quality health care, affordable housing options, reliable transportation, and have open spaces to gather together.  For adults 50 & older, it also means being able to live as independently as possible, and work and volunteer in their community.

The Honoring Choices Community Partners and Health Care Planning Ambassadors strengthen communities by helping adults, 18 years old and older, make a personal health care plan and connect to essential care to improve healthy living.  Over 500 trained Ambassadors have become the eyes and ears of their community. They confidently help adults complete a Health Care Proxy and Personal Directive using the Getting Started Tool Kit,  address barriers such as language, culture and ability,  and help to improve community resources so all adults can access lifelong quality care.

The Alzheimer Association and Honoring Choices have partnered to provide the Ambassadors with a packet of information and tools to help engage adults with memory concerns in planning conversations.  The Ambassadors also inform adults, families and caregivers about the supportive network of Memory Cafés throughout Massachusetts, thanks to our partnership with Dementia Friends MA and Jewish Family and Children's Services.

Age- and Dementia Friendly Framingham

Ambassadors help improve access to equitable care

Engage Listen Connect
Framingham Logo

Age- and Dementia Friendly Framingham coalition members, from the council on aging, housing, transportation, public health, assisted living and community groups, became Health Care Planning Ambassadors to confidently:

  • ENGAGE adults in planning discussions to complete a Health Care Proxy & Personal Directive;
  • LISTEN to consumer feedback to identify real-life barriers and create a more livable community;
  • CONNECT adults to needed care, using vital feedback to improve access to quality equitable care.

Each coalition member brings the Ambassador Program and Tool Kits back to their individual organizations to train staff and volunteers and host fun & informative community events.

Working with Lauren R. Pratt, MPH, REHS/RS, Community Health Program Coordinator, Honoring Choices supports Age-and Dementia Friendly Framingham's collective goal to elevate the voice and knowledge of older persons and help shape and improve community resources.

Recently Age- Dementia Friendly Framingham (ADFF), and the ADFF coalition members had a great idea. They suggested HCM make a bilingual “I Have A Health Care Proxy” wallet card for their Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese speaking residents, to name an Agent on the backside of the card to be contacted in an emergency. The ADFF Ambassadors now can provide culturally sensitive conversations with a packet of translated documents and wallet cards, to help Framingham residents make a plan and receive equitable care in their community.

To host a no-cost Ambassador Workshop for your Age- and Dementia Friendly group, contact Ellen DiPaola,  edipaola@honoringchoicesmass.com

New England Healthy Living Collective

6 New England states working together

Map of New England

Honoring Choices has joined forces with the Age –and Dementia Dementia Friendly and health care leaders across New England, to support more livable communities and improve access to health care information and equitable care. Thanks to a generous grant from Tufts Health Plan Foundation, Honoring Choices is convening key leaders from 6 states to share their deep expertise and successful programs to help transcend the barriers of race, language, culture & ability, while improving access to care through better transportation, housing options, nutrition programs and community services. Together, we can flex a New England muscle to improve high quality care for all adults living and traveling in New England.

New England Healthy Living Collective webpage includes-

  • Free, downloadable state-specific health care planning tools and documents
  • State-by-state resources to access local care
  • Come join the NE Collective. Everyone is welcome!  Learn more here.

Resources

Free information, tools and local events

Come join the movement! You can download free information, tool kits and learn how to get involved.  Please let us know how you are helping your community become age-and dementia friendly, and we'll post your information here. Contact Ellen, edipaola@honoringchoicesmass.com