New
report on dementia-friendly activities across the Commonwealth
Today the Foundation released Report on Demographics, Programs, and Services for an Age- and Dementia-Friendly Commonwealth: What We Have and What We Need. The report provides a comprehensive look at the current activities and resources in place to support populations over 65 years old and those living with dementia and their caregivers.
"One of the recommendations in the report is to be deliberate in coordinating efforts between age-friendly and dementia-friendly initiatives," said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship for Tufts Health Plan. "By working together, we are stronger in providing what communities need."
"Our aim is to not 'reinvent the wheel,' but to facilitate and accelerate progress in making Massachusetts a great place to grow up and grow old," said lead investigator Elizabeth Dugan, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Boston Gerontology Institute.
Key recommendations include:
- Increasing awareness of the dementia prevalence rates and trends.
- Developing and disseminating toolkits and resources on building age- and dementia-friendly communities.
- Targeting underserved communities to help build their capacity for dementia-friendly work.
