Media Advisory: In Celebration of Older Americans Month Springfield Hosts Age-Friendly Health and Tech Showcase

May 30, 2023
A poster for an age-friendly health and tech showcase on may 31st.

Contact: Samantha Hamilton, Sr. Manager of Community Engagement, (413) 241-4658 | SHamilton@PublicHealthWM.org 


Who: LiveWell Springfield, Dept. Of Elder Affairs, Mayor Dominic J. Sarno, Commissioner of Health and Human Services Helen Caulton-Harris, Rep. Bud William, Rep. Carlos González, Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts.

 

What: Connecting Innovation and Health: Age-Friendly Health & Tech Showcase 

When:  Wednesday May 31, 2023, 11:30am -2:00pm 

Where:  Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center, 1476 Roosevelt Street, Springfield, MA 01109 

The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts (PHIWM) Live Well Springfield Coalition in collaboration with the Springfield Department of Elder Affairs Outreach Division will be hosting a Health and Tech Showcase on May 31, 2023, 11:30 am-2:00 pm at the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center located at 1476 Roosevelt Street, Springfield, MA 01109.   


This free event will highlight Health, Wellness, and Tech Innovations for older adults in celebration of Older Americans Month. This event aims to support caregivers and empower older adults to take control of their own health and wellness by sharing possible solutions to foster easier connectivity between older adults, caregivers, and providers. 

“We are so excited to host this event, which is the culmination of 6 years of working to address health inequities among older adults,’ said Jessica Collins, Executive Director PHIWM. “We encourage older adults, caregivers, and providers to attend.” 


The showcase will feature 15-20 health, digital equity, and tech venders. It will kick off with remarks from Mayor Dominic J. Sarno, Commissioner of Health and Human Services Helen Caulton-Harris, State Rep. Bud L. William, and PHIWM Executive Director Jessica Collins. Lunch will be provided. 


The Live Well Springfield Age-Friendly City Initiative collaborates with community partners and residents to assess racial inequities and barriers to access for Older Adults in housing, transportation, health, and community services. The coalition advocates for initiatives and policies that address inequities and ensure that residents have what they need to be healthy as they age. The coalition is currently working to advance health care at home options for older adults while addressing the Digital Divide. The “Digital Divide” refers to inequities in access to devices, internet, and skills to connect digitally. TechSpring has worked with the coalition to introduce innovative solutions for older adults. 

In the morning there will be two invite-only workshops for older adults and caregivers. Tech Spring and Live Well Springfield will host a workshop with 30-40 older adults and caregivers to understand their motivations and hesitation about health solutions at home, and the Alliance for Digital Equity will host a workshop to introduce a cyber senior peer-to-peer model. 


“Any time we host an event where we team up with community partners who align themselves with our mission to improve the quality of life for older adults is an opportunity we whole-heartedly embrace! At the Department of Elder Affairs, we encourage everyone to enhance their quality of life by creating their own handbook for aging well, via services and programs that support living better. This event passionately showcases this ideal,” shared Elder Affairs Director Sandy Federico. 


The Live Well Springfield Age-Friendly Coalition is funded by Point32 Health formerly Tufts Health Plan Foundation and Harvard Pilgrim. 



To register for this free event, go to: https://qrco.de/Age-Friendly. We look forward to seeing you there! 

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