• .The Healthy Aging and Disability Unit (HADU) encompasses the Office of Healthy Aging and the Office on Health and Disability. The unit promotes the health and well being of older adults and people with disabilities across the lifespan in Massachusetts.

    HADU coordinates and supports program and policy development that assures access to quality health care. HADU provides opportunities for older adults and people with disabilities to learn about and manage their health. Activities essential to the unit's mission are:

    • Supporting the availability and accessibility of quality health promotion opportunities for older adults and people with disabilities across the lifespan;
    • Collecting and disseminating data related to aging and disability in Massachusetts;
    • Improving accessibility and quality of health services, activities, and programs for older adults and people with disabilities; and
    • Building and expanding aging and disability constituencies that foster individual and organizational awareness and promote health, well-being, and independent living.

    Healthy Aging and Disability Unit Activities

    • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Coordination: provides technical assistance to promote compliance of health programs with the ADA and other disability-related non-discrimination laws.
    • Data Collection and Research: provides the knowledge-base needed to design programs related to healthy aging, health and disability, and secondary health conditions.
    • Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: works with state agencies and community partners to identify, implement, and evaluate evidence-based health promotion programs among older adults and people with disabilities.
    • Education: provides materials and information on health promotion and disease prevention related to health needs and concerns of older adults and people with disabilities.

    • The Massachusetts Partnership on Substance Use in Older Adults: A Resource Network on Prevention and Addictions - provides awareness, education and collaboration on substance abuse and misuse among older adults.

    • Technical Assistance and Training: designs and implements training and technical assistance for health care providers and public health programs on the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure inclusion of persons with disabilities in state funded programs, services, and activities.
    • Policy, Systems Development, and Planning: supports the development of policies, systems and resources to improve access to quality healthcare for people with disabilities.

    Programs for Healthy Aging

    Contact Us

    Healthy Aging and Disability Unit
    250 Washington Street
    Boston, MA 02108

    Anita Albright
    Director, Healthy Aging and Disability Unit
    Phone: (617) 624-5070
    Fax: (617) 624-5075
    TTY: (617) 624-5992
    Email: anita.albright@state.ma.us

    This information is provided by  Healthy Aging and Disability Unit within the Department of Public Health.