Aging happens to everyone. It crosses every area that the state’s work touches -- whether it's transportation, housing, the economy, or health care, we can all benefit from thinking about creating an age-friendly Massachusetts when crafting policies and services. That is why Governor Healey signed Executive Order 642 (EO 642) in May 2025 to recognize the cross-sector nature of age-friendly work.
EO 642 directs all Executive Offices to coordinate a policy review to identify ways the goals of age-friendly policy and practice can inform agencies’ programs and resources to best meet the needs of older adults.
The purpose of EO 642 is to build a shared understanding of age- and dementia-friendly state action, collectively examine policy, programs, and practice through an age- and dementia-friendly lens, to assess and improve the impacts of these on older adults. The ultimate outcome of this work is to embed age-friendly policies and practices throughout the Commonwealth to improve the health and wellbeing of all aging adults for years to come.
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.
We believe there is more we can do to harness the vast potential of our growing community of older adults. We have a unique opportunity to build on the intentional and thoughtful work of countless residents, communities, organizations, agencies, philanthropies, tribal organizations, non-profits, and private sector partners. Each of us plays a critical role in ensuring that our infrastructure, programs, and services are prepared to support older adults in leading high-quality, active, independent, and healthy lives.
This plan is structured around six key goals that describe the desired outcomes for older adults in the Commonwealth.