Healthy Aging in Massachusetts:Pathways to Life Long Wellness

Walter Leutz, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorHeller School of Social Policy and ManagementBrandeis UniversityWaltham, MA

Structure of Initiative

• Tufts Health Plan Foundation funding for planning - Spring 2009

• Mass Health Policy Forums– Issue Briefs– Conferences

• Steering Committee and Subcommittees• Consensus plan

MHPF is a collaboration of the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis Universityhttp://masshealthpolicyforum.brandeis.edu

First Issue Brief - September 2009

Questions:• What is "Healthy Aging"?• What programs and policies support HA? • What's happening in MA with HA?

Methods:• Research review• Interviews

Ingredients of Healthy Aging

Healthy AgingSeniors will ….

Be physically activeBe socially engaged

Lead meaningful lives

Be pro-active about health

Have good dietsFeel safe and secure

And….Communities will support older

adults to achieve these goals

Health Promotion

Physical, Organizational,

and Social Environment

Individual Behavior

HealthyAging

The Social - Ecological Model of Healthy Aging

This forum is cosponsored and made possible by: Policy

The Social ContextHealth Care

Long-term CareCommunity Agencies

Social NetworksFamilies

Older Adults

Empowerment, Interdependence,and Health

EMPOWERMENT

INTERDEPENDENCE

Empoweringprograms

Empoweredolder adults

Strongcommunityorganizations& supportedfamilies

Coordinatedservices &transitions

Healthy Aging

What’s Happening in MA?

• Rolling out Evidence-based HA programs - NCOA, AoA, and ARRA grants

• Aging Network and Health Department leadership

• AAAs, Councils on Aging, & others on the frontline

• Existing healthy communities efforts

Challenges to the Aging Network

• Evidence-based HA efforts ask the Network to use resources to save resources in health care

• Will the partners in this system collaborate?

• Will the health care system (or someone) pay up?

Can the Network maintain this infrastructure?

October 2009

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December 2009 Forum

• 300+ in attendance• Wide range of agencies and interests• Tufts Health Plan Foundation extended its support for

HA: A Steering Committee Second Forum and Issue Brief

Steering Committee

• Composition:

State agency staff

Health and aging services providers

Advocates

Researchers/academics

• Conveners: THPF & MHPF

2010 Steering Committee Meetings• March - Ideas about key elements of a HA strategy

• May - Ideas for actions on elements

• June - Decided on Core & Cross-cutting elements & to have subcommittees & Forum speakers for Core

Core elements: Evidence-based programs, Public awareness, and Healthy Aging communities

Cross-cutting elements: Systems linkages, Older adult engagement, Evaluation, and Leadership

September 2010 Forum

• MA state agency speakers:• Ruth Palumbo - State Unit on Aging Assistant Secretary

• Lauren Smith - Health Dept Chief Medical Officer

• Outside expert speakers:• Evidence-based programs - Gerry MacKenzie, NJ Department of Health and Senior Services

•Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, AARP Vermont

•John Beilenson, Strategic Communications & Planning

• Launch Subcommittees

General Purposes of Subcommittees

• Develop plans for strengthening HA programming in the area

• Account for the related work by state and local government, providers, advocates, & others

• Interface with the other sub-committees

• Address systems linkages, evaluation, older adult engagement, & leadership

• Be politically & financially feasible & sustainable

Timeline• Nov 2010 - March 2011 Subcommittee

meetings

•March - May 2011 Draft Project Plans

•June 2011 Present Plan to HA Steering Committee

•Latter part of 2011 Launch Statewide HA Initiative at 3rd

Forum

Progress to Date:Public Awareness Subcommittee

• General ideas

• Improve images of older adults

• Raise awareness of benefits of physical activity and social involvement

• Consider a broad range of traditional and alternate media

• Specific recommendations will be developed to support the work of other two subcommittees

Progress to Date:Healthy Aging Programs Subcommittee• Context: Dissemination of HA programs statewide, including training 1,700 in CDSM through ARRA grant

• Micro issues: The nuts and bolts

• Get more master trainers to rural areas

• Address variations in completion rates

• Identify and disseminate best practices

• Macro issues: Environmental change

• Lack of funding, space, employees

• Getting attention, buy-in, and funding at state level

Progress to Date:HA Communities Subcommittee

• Develop road map(s) or model(s) for communities

• Suggest leaders and stakeholders who may be involved

• Specify minimum of organizational and financial resources to start, maintain, and spur on the initiative

• Include HA program agencies and participants as appropriate

• Include evaluation, reporting, and dissemination

• Public-private collaboration and cross-cutting elements

Next Steps

• Subcommittees complete plans

• Steering Committee reviews and votes on plans

• Third Issue Brief and Forum on a state-wide strategy

• Launch the strategy - Fall 2011