ReiMAgine Aging 2030: The Massachusetts Plan is the state’s age- and dementia-friendly state plan, which provides a framework for both communities and state agencies to guide their age- and dementia-friendly actions for the next five years.
We invite you to become a partner and champion of this work. For more information on how to get involved, please contact the Executive Office of Aging & Independence at Aging.Conversation@mass.gov
Below, find three primary messages and talking points to keep in mind when discussing the ReiMAgine Aging 2030: The Massachusetts Plan.
Key Messages
The purpose of this Plan is to align the partners around a shared vision and provide a framework for action over the next five years (2025-2030).
The plan articulates the state’s vision and aspirations for growing older in the Commonwealth. The plan, which includes an analysis of the state’s aging population, identifies challenges older residents face when aging in Massachusetts. Additionally, the plan outlines strategies and specific actions that state agencies, local communities, community-based organizations, and the private sector can implement to ensure Massachusetts continues to be a great place for everyone to grow old.
The Plan is structured around six key goals that describe the desired outcomes for older adults in the Commonwealth. The goals are:
- Economic Opportunity & Security: Every older individual across Massachusetts can meet their basic financial needs
- People & Communities: Older adults and families are empowered decision makers with meaningful connections to their communities
- Places & Spaces: Natural and built environments enhance older adults’ mobility and livability
- Health & Wellness: Older adults have optimal health for a high quality of life
- Aging in All Policies: All local, regional, and statewide policies consider the implications for older adults
- Information, Communication & Framing: Information is broadly accessible and reframes aging to value older adults
The Plan identifies strategies and specific actions that state agencies, local communities, community-based organizations, and the private sector can implement to ensure Massachusetts is a great place for everyone to grow old and thrive.
Communities and partners can use this plan to reflect on their communities’ unique needs, align where possible, and prioritize their age- and dementia-friendly actions. In this way, solutions can be tailored to fit the distinct needs of each community, sector, municipality, and population.
We welcome you to bring your expertise to this work and to find innovative ways to increase the quality of life for older adults and all those who care about them. Partner with us to be an active champion for aging well. If you would like to be a champion of the ReiMAgine Aging 2030: The Massachusetts Plan, or if you have any input on the Plan, please reach out at Aging.Conversation@mass.gov.
Executive Order: Instituting Age-Friendly Practices
On the same day Governor Healey released the plan, she also signed the Instituting Age-Friendly Practices Executive Order. The Executive Order directs all offices across the executive branch to identify areas where age-friendly policies and practices can be embedded in their work to improve the health and wellbeing of aging adults in Massachusetts. All Executive Offices will undertake a policy review to identify ways the goals of ReiMAgine Aging 2030: The Massachusetts Plan can inform agencies’ programs and resources to best meet the needs of older adults. This will include reviewing and updating the language, concepts, and images used to describe or address older adults to be inclusive and person-centered.
The Executive Order also establishes a Governor’s Advisory Group on Age-Friendly Policies and Practices to gather stakeholder and expert input on relevant areas such as transportation, housing, regional planning, economic security, retirement and other issues affecting older adults and aging populations.
Background
ReiMAgine Aging 2030: The Massachusetts Plan is a continuation of the Commonwealth’s commitment to everyone aging in Massachusetts. In 2018, the Commonwealth officially began age- and dementia-friendly work when Massachusetts became one of the first states in the nation to join AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, and a year later, developed a multisector plan on aging, coined the Age-Friendly Massachusetts Action Plan. This milestone was a natural progression of the foundational grassroots age- and dementia-friendly work laid by municipalities, philanthropies, tribal organizations, and community-based organizations that began over 10 years earlier. Throughout this journey, cities and towns across Massachusetts have worked side-by-side with community-based organizations to create places where people of all ages can thrive. AARP Massachusetts, Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, and Massachusetts Councils on Aging have served as statewide backbone organizations providing leadership, strategic support, and technical assistance to communities.