Recognizing Older Americans Month in Massachusetts

This May in the Commonwealth, and throughout the country, is Older Americans Month (OAM). Originally established by former President John F Kennedy in 1963, as a way to bring awareness to issues that older Americans face. At that time, roughly one-third of seniors were living in poverty and almost half of them were without health insurance. President Kennedy saw denoting May as Older Americans Month as a way to raise awareness about the issues and needs facing American seniors. Since the original proclamation, it has been a tradition for every president afterwards to proclaim the month of May as Older Americans Month.

In similar fashion, Governor Healey proclaimed May Older Americans Month in the Commonwealth this year, marking the first time a Massachusetts Governor has done so. Governor Healey’s decision to make this proclamation was likely done with the intent to highlight Massachusetts seniors and the issues they face. This allows for more specific mention of the problems seniors face within the Commonwealth rather than grouping them in on the national level. The desired effect of this decision is likely that with more focus on these problems within the Commonwealth, more solutions will be provided.

Certainly since the initial establishment of OAM, measures and legislation have been passed to aid the older population (i.e. affordable healthcare programs). There are still, of course, areas of concern for older Americans. In order to better understand the efforts that the Commonwealth is making to improve the lives of older residents, it is also important to look at the legislation filed this session involving elders. Looking at these pieces of legislation shows us that the extent to which the Commonwealth is working towards creating a better place for seniors extends beyond Older Americans Month. This work shows that there are consistent efforts to improve their lives, occurring all year and not just in the month of May.

Healthcare affordability and access is one of the first that comes to mind, and though some legislation has been passed in the Commonwealth, it is still of high importance. Over 70 bills filed this session related to senior health care. This includes HB648 (An Act to Improve Quality and Oversight of Long-Term Care). This bill would provide several resources aiming to improve long-term care including nursing supervising and leadership training, increasing reporting requirements, as well as putting in place stronger regulations for facilities. HB648 aims to ensure the quality of care given to elders in these facilities. HB634 (An Act Relative to Expanding the Availability of Personal Care Homes for Older Adults) is similar to HB648 in that it establishes the necessities for senior facilities  to be considered  personal care homes, which signals more safe and humane care. Housing is also of utmost importance state-wide but especially for older residents, with 40 some bills aiming to better housing for elders. This includes rental protection (HB1799) and tenant protection (HB1304) as well as inclusion of the elderly in various other housing legislation. 

There have additionally been several bills filed relating to protective services to help prevent and mitigate instances of elder abuse. One of these bills, HB621 (An Act Relative to Mandatory Reporting of Elder Abuse), establishes a mandatory duty of elder care facilities to report suspected abuse. This duty requires mandated reporters to file reports of suspected abuse with the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, with the goal of protecting older residents from the abuse of others. Similarly, HB647 (An Act Protecting Elders from Bullying), includes bullying in certain existing legislation surrounding elder abuse.

There are evidently still challenges to overcome, and this month aims to highlight the importance of older Americans in the community. The Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the national observance of OAM. The theme of the 2023 observation is ‘Aging Unbound’ meant to celebrate people’s “diverse aging experiences” and works to combat stereotypes about aging. They have several activity and event suggestions listed on their website. This includes community-building events such as game nights, story-telling, lectures, and fundraisers that are relevant to the older population. Local senior centers also have events running throughout the month.

With a stronger focus on seniors of the Commonwealth, there is hope that dedicating a month to highlight their needs will create real and enduring change in their lives. As we have seen in the past with the original proclamation of Older Americans Month in 1963, change has come from that and there is hope that similar change will happen in the Commonwealth. Keeping track of this legislation can be daunting, but InstaTrac makes it easy. With each bill’s outlined history and a status bar, the progress of the bill is easily seen and kept track of. Additionally, with daily bill and amendment alerts, InstaTrac does the hard work of tracking for you! Never miss a blog post - and stay on top of what’s happening on Beacon Hill! Follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, or Instagram.