Publications & Resources for Aging In Place
Below are Aging In Place-related research reports, guides, and fact sheets published with the support of The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation.
Direct Care Workers Face Persistent Wage Gap Across All 50 States
How do direct care wages compare to occupations with similar or lower entry-level requirements, such as fast food, retail sales, and housekeeping?
Reframing Aging Quick Start Guide
Words are a powerful tool for advocacy. Research has shown that our words and the way we frame them matters, especially when advocating for policies and programs to support aging.
West Health – Gallup 2024 Survey on Aging in America
Since 2018, West Health and Gallup have partnered to track perceptions of aging and the U.S. healthcare system in relation to quality, affordability, equity and access, with the aim of giving voice to the American experience. The goal is to identify strengths, weaknesses, issues and trends that can better inform public policy and healthcare practice and delivery.
Together in Care
Direct care workers and family caregivers remain deeply undervalued and are still often overlooked entirely, despite ongoing federal, state, and community-level calls for investment in the care economy. As the U.S. population ages, demand for care will continue to rise across the full spectrum of long-term services and supports (LTSS), including demand for home and community-based services (HCBS).
A practical resource guide for direct care workforce state advocacy
This document includes 20 concrete strategies—based on the lessons learned from Essential Jobs, Essential Care states—organized across five dimensions of advocacy: strategizing, designing, persuading, advocating, and evaluating. Each strategy includes specific steps and key resources, which can be leveraged and customized by New Jersey advocates.
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Innovation at Work 2020: Promising Practices Reshaping the Aging Services Industry
Each year, through the Promising Practices Awards, Mather Institute recognizes organizations working with older adults in a variety of settings that are moving away from conventional practices by developing and implementing innovative approaches. Challenging times can lead to innovation and invention. Mather received 35 submissions from organizations around the world that were willing to share powerful ideas and practices to move the industry forward.
Mather Institute – 2021
Aging in the 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas: How Do Older Adults Fare?
New estimates from the 2020 Elder Index show that many older singles and couples lack the resources needed to get by in their communities. Focusing on the 100 largest metropolitan areas, we compare the 2020 Elder Index to household incomes among adults aged 65 years or older living in one- and two-person households. Rates of economic insecurity are far higher in some locations, reaching 60% or greater for singles and more than 40% for couples in selected metro areas.
Jan Mutchler and Yang Li / University of Massachusetts Boston – 2021
Assessing New Jersey’s Need for Supportive Housing for an Aging Population
This analysis uses publicly available data across multiple public systems like nursing homes and homeless assistance programs, in conjunction with insight from local providers and agencies to determine the need for additional supportive housing units for aging residents of New Jersey. While supportive housing is not limited to older adults, the increase in homelessness and housing insecurity among older adults necessitates a concerted look at the need for new supportive housing development tailored to their needs.
CSH / Taub Foundation – 2020
Crisis on the Frontline: New Jersey’s Direct Care Workforce
More than ever, direct care workers are a lifeline to older adults and people with disabilities in a variety of settings throughout New Jersey—from private homes to nursing homes to a range of residential care environments. As New Jersey’s residents live longer and the number of older adults increases every year, demand for these workers will also multiply. Yet as this report describes, direct care jobs are too often poor in quality, which drives many workers away from these roles at a time when they are much needed.
PHI / Taub Foundation – 2020
How Innovative Community Responses to COVID-19 Support Healthy Aging
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, and Tufts Health Plan Foundation partnered with FSG to conduct research and create a resource that can be used to understand older adults’ experiences of the pandemic; learn from community adaptations during the COVID-19 crisis response; and act together on the programs, policy and funding changes, relationship-building efforts, and other steps required to reach a desired future.
Tiffany Clarke, Melissa Oomer, Victor Tavarez / FSG – 2020
engAGING Practices: Best Practices for Helping Older Adults Stay Socially Engaged
Social isolation and loneliness have increasingly been recognized as critical and growing public health issues impacting the lives of millions of older adults and their caregivers. This publication provides an overview of best practices highlighted by 11 programs identified by engAGED to help others within the Aging Network enhance social engagement among older adults in their communities. Programs were selected based on criteria that included innovation, replicability and sustainability.
engAGED / N4A – 2020
2019 Profile of Older Americans
This report is prepared by the Administration on Aging (AoA), part of the Administration for Community Living, an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Profile of older adults incorporates the latest data available, and provides data used by the AoA to advocate for older adults within the federal government and work to encourage and coordinate a responsive system of family- and community-based services throughout the nation.
Administration for Community Living / U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – 2020
Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity and Older Americans Insecurity in the States 2019
This report from the Gerontology Institute compares the 2019 household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2019 Elder Index for each state and Washington, DC to calculate Elder Economic Insecurity Rates (EEIRs), the percentage of independent older adults age 65 or older living in households with annual incomes that do not support economic security.
Jan E. Mutchler, Yang Li, Nidya Velasco Roldán / UMASS Boston – 2019
Mobility Loss Puts Older Adults at Risk: Research Shows Exercise Can Help
Research on mobility loss and the value of exercise. From the School of Public Health at Baylor University.
Baylor University – 2019
The Best of Both Worlds: A Closer Look at Creating Spaces that Connect Young and Old
To shed light on factors inhibiting the creation of shared sites in the United States, this report interviews staff and board members of intergenerational shared sites, real estate developers and national policy and program experts. This report identified four key phases in the development and operation of shared sites, and explores these phases and shares lessons learned from intergenerational shared sites around the country.
Generations United/Eisner Foundation – 2019
Workforce matters: The Direct Care Workforce and State-Based LTSS Social Insurance Programs
The direct care workforce serves as the paid frontline of long-term services and supports, yet direct care jobs are too often characterized by low compensation and minimal training, among other indicators of poor job quality. Many workers leave these roles and the industry—or choose not to pursue direct care jobs at all. Due to workforce attrition as well as increasing demand, about 7.8 million jobs in direct care will need to be filled between 2016 and 2026.
Caring Across Generations/PHI – 2019
Creating Places to Age: Land-Use Analysis of Aging-Friendliness
This report summarizes an assessment of the land use plans and regulations that shape the built environment in the Township of Teaneck, New Jersey. The report evaluates the extent to which the community’s physical form enables older adults to remain active, healthy, engaged, and capable of continuing to live in their community.
New Jersey Future/Township of Teaneck, NJ – 2019
Creating Places to Age: Land-Use Analysis of Aging-Friendliness
This report summarizes an assessment of the land use plans and regulations that shape the built environment in the Village of Ridgewood, New Jersey. The report evaluates the extent to which the community’s physical form enables older adults to remain active, healthy, engaged, and capable of continuing to live in their community.
New Jersey Future/Village of Ridgewood, NJ – 2018
Creating Places to Age: Land-Use Analysis of Aging-Friendliness
This report summarizes an assessment of the land use plans and regulations that shape the built environment in the Borough of Westwood, New Jersey. The report evaluates the extent to which the community’s physical form enables older adults to remain active, healthy, engaged, and capable of continuing to live in their community.
New Jersey Future/Borough of Westwood, NJ – 2018
Age-Friendly Initiatives in the Early Implementation Phase
This report provides an overview of nine age-friendly initiatives in northern New Jersey during the early implementation phase. The report describes the initiatives’ activities and outputs across six domains; addresses the evolution of their leadership teams and community partners; and presents the concept of “gaining traction” to conceptualize their progress.
Emily A. Greenfield/Rutgers University – 2018
Achieving Mobility Access for Older Adults through Group Travel Instruction
This report shares findings from a group travel instruction program with older adults in New Jersey that encompassed classroom training and a field trip. The report highlights the important role of transportation to older adult quality of life; high participant satisfaction; evidence of participant knowledge and skills gained after completion; and participant interest, willingness, and actual usage of public transit after the program.
Lubin, Alexander, and Harvey/Transportation Research Record – 2017
Bergen County: Your Guide to Public Transportation
Bergen County enjoys the benefits of an excellent public transportation system. Rutgers University’s New Jersey Travel Independence Program (NJTIP) has developed this guide to help older adults in Bergen County understand available local transportation resources.
New Jersey Travel Independence Program – 2017
Age-Friendly Community Initiatives
This report is an overview of the initial development of nine age-friendly community initiatives in northern New Jersey. Based on interviews with initiative leaders, the report identifies two inter-related goals of the early planning phase: better understanding aging in the community and greater engagement of local stakeholders around aging. The report describes key activities in working toward these goals, as well as the role of diverse people and organizations in the early planning phase.
Emily A. Greenfield/Rutgers University – 2016
Passaic County: Your Guide to Public Transportation
Passaic County enjoys the benefits of an excellent public transportation system. Rutgers University’s New Jersey Travel Independence Program (NJTIP) has developed this guide to help older adults in Passaic County understand available local transportation resources.
New Jersey Travel Independence Program – 2016
Creating Places to Age: Land-Use Analysis of Age-Friendliness for Fair Lawn, NJ
This is the final report provides detailed information on the City of Fair Lawn as a municipality that has the potential to shape its community design and character through local planning, zoning, subdivision and land development regulations, as well as redevelopment and revitalization plans, in order to create options that meet the needs of an increasing population of older adults. The report summarizes an analysis of aging-friendly characteristics in land-use and planning for the City of Fair Lawn.
New Jersey Future – 2016
Creating Places to Age: Land-Use Analysis of Age-Friendliness for Garfield, NJ
This report provides detailed information on the city of Garfield as a municipality that has the potential to shape its community design and character through local planning, zoning, subdivision and land development regulations, as well as redevelopment and revitalization plans, in order to create options that meet the needs of an increasing population of older adults. The report summarizes an analysis of aging-friendly characteristics in land-use and planning for the City of Garfield.
New Jersey Future – 2016
Aging in Place with PALS
This report presents information about the Portable Assisted Living Services (PALS) program in Westwood, NJ. To better understand how PALS operates from the perspectives of consumers, the report features findings from interviews with current and potential PALS participants, including residents and family members. Results indicate the strong perceived effect of PALS on aging in place and family caregiver well-being, as well as what consumers identify as factors influencing enrollment in PALS.
Emily A. Greenfield/Rutgers University – 2016
The Population 65 Years and Older in the United States: 2016
Comprehensive data on the population 65 years and older in the US: from the American Community Survey 2016.
Andrew W. Roberts, Stella U. Ogunwole, Laura Blakeslee, and Megan A. Rabe/U.S. Department of Commerce – 2016
Creating Places to Age in NJ: Housing Affordability and Aging Friendly Communities
This report by New Jersey Future builds on the 2014 report, “Creating Places to Age in New Jersey”. It focuses on the built environment and the affordability of living in or moving to places where those environments are more aging-friendly. Housing options and affordability are examined as potential barriers for older adults who wish to live in places with the best aging-friendly land-use patterns.
New Jersey Future – 2015
Aging In Place In Bergen County
Emily A. Greenfield, is Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Rutgers School of Social Work’s Programs on Aging. This report summarizes the challenges and opportunities for aging in Bergen County as conveyed through interviews with key informants, highlighting several key challenges for Aging in Place in Bergen County.
Emily A. Greenfield/Rutgers University – 2015
Building Bonds to Last a Lifetime: Creating Community among Beverly’s Aging Population
Despite limited resources, the City of Beverly, MA, created a database that allows the city’s senior center to locate and contact both new and long-time resident seniors to build a better relationships with them. The Senior Center designed a two-part targeted outreach program that allowed the City of Beverly and its collaboration partners to expand its presence and impact in the community of older adults.
Steinman, Butt, Somerville and Gleason/University of Massachusetts Boston – 2015
Elder Economic Security Index for New Jersey Counties
A deeper dive, further analyzing New Jersey data at the county level.
New Jersey Foundation for Aging – 2014
Village Sustainability Study
This report describes the national trend in which villages have emerged as models for community aging initiatives, exploring perceived challenges to sustainability, and successful strategies for responding to those challenges. It also presents information regarding the racial, ethnic, and economic characteristics of village members, challenges associated with recruiting under-represented groups.
Emily Greenfield/University of Maryland – 2014
Elder Economic Security Index Statewide Fact Sheet
The 2014 Elder Economic Security Index provides statewide information on the cost of living in New Jersey for older adults. Data is collected on gender, housing type, race and ethnicity, and age for meaningful comparisons on expenses for couples and singles on a monthly and yearly basis.
New Jersey Foundation for Aging – 2014
Creating Places To Age In New Jersey
This “Municipal Guide to Best Land-Use Practices” explores the question: Does your community have the necessary policies, plans and infrastructure in place to meet the demands of an aging population?
New Jersey Future – 2014
Struggling To Get By
This report, produced by Wider Opportunities for Women, summarizes focus group discussions with seniors in Bergen and Passaic counties regarding economic security and the struggle to cover basic needs. The PDF also includes fact sheets that analyze gender gap, housing, and public assistance data in Bergen and Passaic counties.
Mary Gatta/Wider Opportunities for Women – 2013