University of Massachusetts Gerontology

“According to the Elder Index, the average minimum income needed by an older American is $29,748 — twice the federal poverty threshold. In high income areas like San Diego, things are much worse.” This opinion piece — from Paul Downey, CEO of Serving Seniors — shows that current guidelines create a risk of housing loss to older adults in high-cost areas. “Replacing the unrealistic federal guidelines with the Elder Index provides another vital tool in the fight against homelessness.”

TheStreet covered the recent AARP report that showed which states allow Social Security benefits to go the furthest. AARP used the Elder Index, developed by UMass Boston's Gerontology Institute, to compare SSA payments to cost-of-living data. The news was best for people in Indiana, West Virginia, and Alabama (but rough for folks in Hawaii, D.C., and California).

A new study found that for each dollar a nursing home spends providing daily care to a Medicaid recipient, the average nursing home receives just 82 cents in reimbursement. “If we really care about our most vulnerable citizens and we require nursing homes to provide high-quality care to them, then it’s incumbent on us to assure that they have the sufficient resources to provide that high-quality care,” says Marc A Cohen, Ph.D., one of the authors of the study and the co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, which initiated this study. The study was led by multiple researchers, including research faculty, staff, and graduate students with the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston. “This study provides a baseline for conversations around the adequacy of payment for the costs that are incurred for caring for Medicaid residents,” says Edward Miller, another study author and professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at UMass Boston. “The question is: How can we encourage efficiency while promoting sufficient access and quality in nursing homes?” #medicaid #nursinghomes #gerontology

Join researchers from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @Umass Boston to learn about their evaluation of the Moving Forward Coalition’s first two years of work. Join Molly Wylie, Robyn Stone, and Verena Cimarolli to learn more about the evaluation. Hear the speaker’s thoughts on coalition-building in long-term care and strategies other coalitions should explore to promote sustainability, public engagement, and effective collaboration. Register for this exciting discussion today. https://lnkd.in/gEyyFMsh

The Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences (the Manning College) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) seeks applications for two full-time tenured faculty positions in the Department of Gerontology to begin September 1, 2025. Review of applications begins October 15, 2024, and continues until the positions are filled.   Professor in Health and Aging   Areas of specialization include a strong research focus on HEALTH AND AGING IN UNDERSERVED AND MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, immigrant, and sexual and gender diverse populations. Please see the full position description and to apply at, https://lnkd.in/eFDyk5QS. Inquiries regarding the position may be directed to Search Committee Chair, Professor Jeffrey Burr (jeffrey.burr@umb.edu).   Professor/Associate Professor in LTSS/Health Services   Areas of specialization include a strong research focus on DISPARITIES IN LONG-TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS (LTSS) AND/OR HEALTH SERVICES, both from a basic science and policy research lines. Please see the full position description and to apply at, https://lnkd.in/gutB6hYa. Inquiries regarding the position may be directed to Search Committee Co-Chairs, Professor Jeffrey Stokes (jeffrey.stokes@umb.edu) or Professor Pamela Nadash (pamela.nadash@umb.edu).

“These findings underscore the potential of older adult centers in curbing health care costs and acute care usage among individuals with ADRD, particularly in smaller communities with centers that provide access to ADS.” Congrats to Caitlin Coyle, PhD and Ceara Somerville of our Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging on this collaboration.

Vice President Kamala Harris has outlined a proposal to allow Medicare to expand its coverage of home health care for older Americans, an issue that Marc Cohen and Jane Tavares, Ph.D. of our LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston have studied in depth. Here, they share what's known about the plan and the critical issue of long-term care for The Conversation US.

Our department chair, Edward Miller, spoke recently with MHAOnline.com about earning a master's in gerontology and nursing home management. MHAOnline.com: What is something you wish the public understood about gerontologists? Dr. Miller: People don’t know what gerontology is. It is often confused with geriatrics. Geriatrics is a branch of medicine focused on caring for older adults. Gerontology is much broader than that. It encompasses the social sciences, behavioral sciences, humanities, and more. This is a field for people interested in a career in aging. It can include any academic discipline, but what unifies it all is a focus on aging. You can work with older adults, families, and even communities. It is truly multi-disciplinary. #agingstudies #gerontology #LTSS

An updated analysis by the National Council on Aging and LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston shows a little over 27 million households with adults age 60+ cannot afford basic living needs. Explore the analysis: https://lnkd.in/gBg9PF4q

Thanks to AARP and reporter Andy Markowitz for letting readers know about the Elder Index and how its county-level data on cost of living for older adults can help people make decisions about where to live in retirement. "Jan Mutchler, who oversees the index as director of the Gerontology Institute, cautions that the Elder Index calculations are just one data point to consider. “'There isn’t a single county in the country where the average [Social Security] benefit is enough to cover the costs specified in the Elder Index for a single renter in good health," she says. The key is “using that information as a launching point, and perhaps as a call to action, to look at your own expenses and your own resources — to dig in deeper, to understand what your situation is likely to look like and begin to think about some strategies for closing the gap.”