Category Social Connections
Jeein Jang returns to UMass Boston this fall with renewed motivation for her third year of the gerontology doctoral program after working as a summer public policy intern for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) in Washington, D.C. “I had… Continue Reading →
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… Continue Reading →
The way she sees it, Kunyu Zhang has climbed a few mountains in her career. Not literal ascents, but long journeys just the same. After earning degrees in physics and applied physics in her native Beijing, she came to the… Continue Reading →
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Shu Xu started having trouble seeing. Several eye surgeries left the gerontology doctoral candidate unable to move around much or do daily work. Then the pandemic hit, prolonging the time she needed to… Continue Reading →
Caitlin Coyle, PhD ‘14, is featured among a handful of fellow leaders in aging in a new podcast, ReiMAgine Aging, produced by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs in partnership with Point32Health Foundation and the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative…. Continue Reading →
The trope about senior centers being the place you go for bingo and a hot lunch has been outdated for years, but especially so ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Challenged to keep their communities of older people connected, informed,… Continue Reading →
Policymakers, researchers, and practitioners will gain insights from a new collection of original research and perspectives on the ramifications of COVID-19 for the older adult population. The COVID-19 Pandemic and Older Adults: Experiences, Impacts, and Innovations (Taylor & Francis Publishing,… Continue Reading →
A 92-year-old marathoner. A woman who still practices law at 96. We love to hear stories like these of very old people who are healthy and high functioning, says Kathrin Boerner, professor of gerontology at UMass Boston. Yet the vast… Continue Reading →
Social scientist focuses on aging, family relationships, and health The COVID-19 pandemic has exaggerated—and brought greater awareness of—the challenges of social isolation for older adults. Jeffrey Stokes is interested in a related, and timeless, challenge: loneliness. For married older adults,… Continue Reading →
In its shift to online classes, OLLI has learned how much more its programs offer beyond course content Jim Hermelbracht has spent the last two years learning to adapt and regroup, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, as… Continue Reading →
