Living with or supporting a loved one with dementia can be lonely, overwhelming and scary. What if the places we live acknowledged and actively worked to change that? That is precisely what the Dementia Friendly movement aims to do, by educating and empowering communities to understand the needs of people living with dementia. Dementia Friendly […]

“Older adults have always been a vital source of strength and resilience in America.  During the pandemic, many seniors came out of retirement to serve their communities in health care and education roles, filling job vacancies in critical shortage areas.  Moving forward, we must ensure that older Americans have the appropriate resources to maintain their […]

Some interesting new research by AARP confirms what we’ve long known anecdotally: being able to age in place is a top priority for most seniors. AARP’s Vital Voices Survey asked Rhode Island adults ages 45 and up about what issues matter to them, and 85% of respondents said “staying in your own home as you […]

Rhode Island seniors who struggle with food insecurity now have more ways to get nutritious, locally-grown produce thanks to the Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). The program began as a pilot last year, and it was announced this month that SFMNP will continue into the spring. A partnership between the RI Department of Environmental […]

Did you know that compared to White Americans, older Black, Hispanic and other people of color are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s Disease? The numbers are grim: among Black Americans ages 70 and up, 21.3% are living with Alzheimer’s. Despite the fact that Black Americans are twice as likely, and Hispanic Americans are one and a […]

Last month, Mark Heffner gave a talk on “Why a Will is Not Enough” as part of a virtual educational conference hosted by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA). This year marks AFA’s 20th anniversary, and we thought this would be a good opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the organization’s fantastic programs […]

Although the term “ageism” was coined over 50 years ago, it seems to at long last be entering mainstream conversation. Bias against an individual because of their age may be a modern concept but it’s just as reprehensible as sexism, racism and other types of discrimination. Given that Rhode Island has the highest proportion of […]

As December approaches, many of us are looking forward to resuming traditions and festivities we missed out on last year. Despite being in a much better place this year, there is still uncertainty and stress inherent to the pandemic, whether it’s related to sickness, socializing, or supply chains. For people who are grieving the loss […]

Overwhelming. All-consuming. Stressful. Those are just some of the words that people often use to describe their experience as unpaid caregivers for family members, friends or neighbours. Here in Rhode Island, it’s estimated that nearly 160,000 people – more than 22% of adults – play the role of unpaid caregiver. Whether it’s a parent or […]