In This Issue: 

Rob Weisman has been writing for the Boston Globe for 22 years, and at our November meeting, he shared his latest initiative. Age Beat was launched in 2017 and Rob began writing about retirement and reinvention, aging and second acts, innovations in age-related technology, longevity, ageism, and so many other aspects of living as an older adult in today’s society. There never seemed to be a dearth of material to write about, and Rob found that the articles were met with a greater readership than ever expected. When asked about his observations, he answered that so many people he interviewed tend to look at retirement as a new phase of life and often sought either new work or meaningful volunteer experiences. Knowing this, Rob believes lawmakers should make older adult issues a higher priority. On a recent trip to the Netherlands, he found out that the Dutch do make aging a legislative priority by requiring long-term care insurance, and ensuring that older adults know they will be cared for as they age. Boston Bridge agrees with this assessment! Thank you, Rob, for your reporting, your observations, and for an informative and lively discussion.

• Directions to MIT's Sloan School can be found on the homepage of our website. We will meet on the 5th floor in Room 550.
• Free parking is available after 5PM for MIT affiliates in the Amherst Street E51 lot. Paid garage parking is available in the Hayward and Sloan garages.
• MIT's latest COVID-19 policies: Events are allowed and welcomed on and off campus. All Covid-era event restrictions are lifted: there are no capacity limits, food service constraints, contact tracing requirements, or masking rules. All campus visitors and attendees of MIT-sponsored events are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated and boosted, unless they have a religious or medical exemption. Read more here.
• Please note: MIT is currently on a limited campus access policy. This means you may encounter locked doors at the Sloan School. A Boston Bridge Board member will let you in, and/or we will provide a phone number to call on meeting days. 

• Ageism only in relation to older adults is what comes to mind when we think about ageism. But how about ageism concerning younger women who also feel victimized? A website entitled Goodbye Crop Top, intended to negate all the negative societal images and messages about aging on social media, has been created by an aging influencer in her 50s. Her blog and podcast can be accessed here.
• Older workers tend to receive less favorable annual performance ratings, yet business financial and operational performance rises with increased tenure of its workforce. This paradox can be due to ageist views of those rating the workers, what is called quiet firing (meaning company execs know that older workers tend to stay and not leave), or giving incentives to younger workers instead. Thoughts about how businesses should change their policies, advertising, and benefits to recognize the value of older workers are presented here.

• We are all well aware that exercise is important for healthy aging – at any age! But there has always been a debate about the time of day exercise is most effective. This article says morning - and especially for women after 50.   
• Older adults need to use technology, but too often do not know how to access it. Here is a website that offers numerous articles to read that are associated with ways to assist in this effort. Increasing socialization and showing transformational outlooks in older adults’ lives makes this website worth reading.

• The Nexus Insights think tank has developed a caregiving and long term care report that supports the concept of caregiving navigators. Intended to fill the gaps often left by Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and Geriatric Case Managers, this initiative would be a “national, independent, trusted hub system of caregiving navigators who would be accessible to everyone and serve as a central doorway to long-term care services and supports.” Read about it here with access to the full Nexus report.
• Interested in a heartwarming story of a multi-generational immigrant family? Here is the story of how the pandemic increased the awareness of the importance of being with those you love in a caring “community” – no matter its size.

• Can a humanoid robot actually make a difference in the isolation and loneliness of some older adults’ lives? Apparently yes, according to this report from a nursing facility in Montreal. Meet Grace, a robot that can interact and converse.
• In an effort to curb confusing, misleading, and false advertising, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have announced that all Medicare Advantage advertising must get their prior approval. Thousands of marketing complaints have been received, so beginning in 2023, this policy will go into effect. Read about it here.

• The challenges of aging are acutely felt by the LGBTQ+ community, who too often encounter health and socioeconomic disparities as well as lack of support. SCAN Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage insurer known for its focus on older adults, has created a plan designed for LGBTQ+ seniors, called SCAN Affirm. The program hopes to aid LGBTQ+ older adults, whose numbers could reach 7 million by 2030.