UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY NEWS | |
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“I’ve enjoyed life more because of my association with OLLI and the people I’ve met," says Rita Wolfson (left), with Arlene Wolk at OLLI's 25th anniversary celebration on campus on June 23, 2024. The women attended the first lifelong learning classes at UMass Boston and served on its first board. | |
On OLLI's 25th anniversary, two founding members recall early days | |
The Gerontology Institute's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, or OLLI, began at UMass Boston 25 years ago as Life Enrichment Through Studies, or LETS. When Rita Wolfson and Arlene Wolk signed up for their first LETS classes in 1999, they were hoping for a little intellectual stimulation along with the chance to meet new people. Both women had raised kids and reached the point in life when making friends isn’t always easy, they say. Their 25 years of membership in OLLI has given them far more than they had hoped for. They became instant and dear friends, and they say that their years of taking classes and socializing with others are helping them live longer, healthier lives. | |
OLLI members celebrate at the 25th anniversary event on campus June 23, 2024. | |
Learn more about OLLI at July 11 open house | |
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The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UMass Boston engages its older adult members by providing stimulating opportunities to enrich their intellectual, social, and cultural lives, regardless of educational background. No grades and no tests, just the fun of learning!
An open house on Thursday, July 11, offers a look at the OLLI community and its programs, including free summer offerings. Attend the 10:30 am program in person at UMass Boston campus, live via Zoom, or at Thayer Public Library in Braintree to view with others via Zoom. To RSVP, write to ollireg@gmail.com and indicate if you’ll attend at UMass Boston, Braintree, or remotely via Zoom.
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GSA honors Edward Miller with prestigious Maxwell A. Pollack Award | | |
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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is honoring Edward Alan Miller, PhD, with its prestigious Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Contributions to Healthy Aging. The award recognizes an individual who has distinguished themselves by bridging the worlds of research, policy, and practice. Miller chairs the Department of Gerontology at UMass Boston and serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy, based at the university. | |
Study: How to save low-income older adults from the Medicare cliff | |
Over the last three years, researchers at the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston have partnered with colleagues at the National Council on Aging to study the "Medicare cliff," the situation when low-income adults receiving Medicaid benefits turn 65 and face higher costs under Medicare. The researchers looked at who is affected by the coverage cliff, how and why it occurs, and what can be done to soften the blow. | |
Celebrating the opening of an art installation on Hudson Street in Boston's Chinatown, an Asian Community Development Corporation project supported by Activating Boston partners Healthy Places by Design, John Hancock, AARP Massachusetts, and Boston's Age Strong Commission along with UMass Boston's Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging. | |
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UMass Boston’s Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) is serving as project evaluator for a three-year grant program, Activating Boston, that aims to build and support social connections, health, and well-being in four city neighborhoods. The initiative is funded by John Hancock and led by Boston’s Age Strong Commission and other city agencies, AARP of Massachusetts, and Healthy Places by Design.
“Our work with Activating Boston offers an extension and intersection of our age friendly community work and the development of evidence-based solutions to social isolation,” says CSDRA Director Caitlin Coyle, PhD ‘14, cofounder of the Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness.
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Annual report showcases growing impact of Pension Action Center | | |
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In fiscal year 2023, staff members and volunteers at the Gerontology Institute’s Pension Action Center opened 330 cases and recovered $1.1 million in pension benefits at no cost to clients. These facts and more are featured in the center’s latest annual report, detailing its work to secure retirement benefits through advocacy and education.
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UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY IN THE NEWS
"How can you find a missing pension?" Tyler Compton talks with Broadcast Retirement Network, July 1, 2024.
"It's time for HUD to act on nursing home quality improvement," Marc Cohen co-authored an opinion piece for Health Affairs Forefront, June 17, 2024.
"At-home care costs for the elderly have reached record highs. Here's why," Marc Cohen speaks with Consumer Affairs, June 5, 2024.
"Center for Retirement Research partners with UMass Boston," the CRR blog shares news of partnership with UMass Boston gerontology, June 4, 2024.
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Gerontology Institute at University of Massachusetts Boston
Wheatley Hall 3rd Floor, Room 124A
UMass Boston,100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125
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