1. James Fuccione – Senior Director
Welcome!
MHAC Advisory Council
James Fuccione – Senior Director
October 2017
The work of the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative is supported in part by Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

2. MHAC Strategic Framework
Mission: Believing that strong and healthy communities include older adults of all ages and abilities, we collaborate through networking, communication, and information sharing to optimize opportunities for health, participation, and security to enhance quality of life as people age.
Focused Strategies:
Initiate behavior change among policymakers and planners to use an age-friendly lens and adopt specific asks (aging in all policies).
Create “champions” among the usual and unusual suspects and raise public awareness of healthy aging and age-friendly community efforts.
Build capacity of local communities to embark on the age-friendly designation journey 1 2 3

3. MHAC Progress Highlights
Initiate behavior change among policymakers and planners to use an age-friendly lens and adopt specific asks (aging in all policies).
About MMA
The Massachusetts Municipal Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association that provides advocacy, training, publications, research and other services to Massachusetts cities and towns.
MMA will be including Age- and Dementia Friendly as a Best Practice in their upcoming 2018 Best Practice Series. 1

4. MHAC Progress Highlights
Initiate behavior change among policymakers and planners to use an age-friendly lens and adopt specific asks (aging in all policies). 1

5. Current State: Age & Dementia Friendly Communities3
Build capacity of local communities to embark on the age-friendly designation journey

6. Better Together Strategy3
Build capacity of local communities to embark on the age-friendly designation journey

7. Simplified “Better Together” Strategy3
Build capacity of local communities to embark on the age-friendly designation journey
Age-Friendly Community efforts…
Include people living with Dementia, caregivers, and service/support providers on task force
A Dementia Friendly advisory group that can focus on raising awareness and working through sectors in coordination with Age-Friendly

8. MHAC Progress Updates
Work with MCA to create Action Group on Access, Equity and Cultural Inclusion (AECI)
Presented to 93 attendees in 5 MCOA Regional Meetings, MCOA Conference, MARPA, GIA Webinar, MAPC “MAGIC” Sub-Region, MetroWest Health Foundation, LHIP
Resource table at Falls Prevention Awareness Day
Held first regional MHAC Advisory Council meetings in Pittsfield, Barnstable
Testified to Governor’s Council to Address Aging

9. Access, Equity and Cultural Inclusion
APPROACHES
Promote equity and increased diversity, with a specific focus on vulnerable populations
Be inclusive in taking an intergenerational approach and promoting older adults’ voices
Engage cross-sector actors at both the state and local levels
Be accountable to measureable results
Access, Equity, and Cultural Inclusion (AECI):
Multicultural Coalition on Aging (MCA) on MHAC Executive Committee.
How can MHAC ensure AECI in work with local communities and integrate AECI in broader strategies?

10. Diversity and Demographics

11. MA Senate Health Care Legislation
An Act furthering health empowerment and affordability by leveraging transformative health care
EOHHS, EOEA, MassHealth & DPH shall develop a post-acute care referral consultation program…of regional consultation teams.
1) Assist providers and consumers in determining appropriate post-acute care settings and coordinating patient care.
2) Share best practices among providers
3) Ensure education and outreach on pre-admission counseling
Regional Consultation teams include reps from MHAC, ASAPs, PACE, SCO, MCOA, One Care & SNF

12. AARP Age-Friendly Network Update

13. Dementia Friendly 2.0 Update

14. Defining MHAC Membership
Create “champions” among the usual and unusual suspects and raise public awareness of healthy aging and age-friendly community efforts
Creating “Membership” allows MHAC to:
Be a better strategic partner with organizations, usual suspects
Quantify and map activity and recognize champions for their efforts
Reach out to unusual suspects, bring into movement
Connect the dots
Connect organizations to Age- and Dementia Friendly Communities movement 2

15. Defining MHAC Membership
Membership Statement Examples
MetroWest Health Foundation:
As a member of the MHAC Executive Committee and Advisory Council, the MetroWest Health Foundation is committed to advancing healthy aging as well as Age- and Dementia Friendly Communities to our coverage area as part of addressing the broader health needs of our region. The Foundation will remain committed to working with cities and towns to become Age- and Dementia Friendly through convening informational meetings, disseminating information and data and will continue to consider healthy aging in our grant-making

16. Defining MHAC Membership
Massachusetts Councils on Aging:
The Massachusetts Councils on Aging (MCOA) is represented at the MHAC Executive Committee, Advisory Council and in its subgroups in addition to providing in-kind support to the Senior Director. MCOA will continue its strong commitment to MHAC by promoting Age and Dementia Friendly Community work to its membership statewide, raising awareness with our organizational partners and advancing the cause through awarded grant funding to strengthen the capacity of local communities to adopt Age and Dementia Friendly best practices.
We will also continue to support and strive for aligning the Age and Dementia Friendly Community movements for the convenience of cities and towns that make the commitment to continuous improvement as well as the volunteers and organizations that support those efforts.

17. Defining MHAC Membership
CADER – Boston University:
The Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research (CADER) at Boston University’s School of Social Work are members of the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative Advisory Council and are dedicated to strengthening the workforce that provides health and long-term supports and services to older adults and people with disabilities. CADER and the BU School of Social Work commit to the following:
Continue to train the aging workforce and expand CADER offerings to match emerging trends and concerns in aging services
Measure and evaluate the impact of CADER’s workforce development efforts
Connect interested students with Age- and Dementia Friendly efforts in their communities, and
Report on results and lessons learned from a two-year project in collaboration with Age Friendly New Bedford centered on an anti-stigma campaign combating perceptions of depression and other behavioral health issues, in addition to reporting on findings from a community-wide training program created for all providers and first responders in the area of behavioral health.

18. Defining MHAC Membership
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission:
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will continue to help lead the Age-Friendly Berkshires initiative, which in the upcoming year will include finalizing an action plan, beginning implementation of action steps, and securing municipal resolutions from communities in the region that have not yet signed on formally.
The BRPC will also serve on the MHAC regional Advisory Council for western Massachusetts and, whenever possible, the broader Advisory Council. The BRPC will also support the age- and dementia friendly effort statewide by sharing lessons learned.

19. MHAC Advisory Council Updates

20. MHAC Action Group Report-Outs
Sonja Dahlberg, Ethos: Creating Champions & Raising Awareness
David Aronstein, Boston Alliance for Community Health: Policy & Advocacy
Valerie Spain, AARP-MA: Age/Dementia Friendly Communities
Phillip Gonzalez, Tufts Health Plan Foundation: AECI