Healthy Aging Task Force receives $133,438 grant

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The Tufts Health Plan Foundation announced that it will provide a total of $133,438 over two years to fund the Martha’s Vineyard Healthy Aging Task Force and the Aging Friendly Island Planning & Implementation initiative, as part of more than $2 million in grants distributed under the foundation’s new guidelines.

These investments advance community efforts toward the World Health Organization’s standards for age-friendly communities, and fall within the categories of Systems and Best Practices and a new President’s Leadership Fund, according to a press release. The foundation is moving to fewer, larger grants and multiple-year investments. This year, 61 percent of grantees are new to the foundation, and represent collaborative work among more than 250 organizations.

“Martha’s Vineyard will feel the impact of baby boomers reaching their golden years much more than the rest of the country,” said Paddy Moore, chairman of the Martha’s Vineyard Healthy Aging Task Force. “As a small, isolated community, we can only meet the demands of our growing elder population through collaboration and new models of service delivery. The Tufts Health Plan Foundation is making it possible for us to take our initiative to the next level and mobilize the Island community into a force capable of making the structural changes — in health care, housing, and other key areas — required to meet the needs of Island seniors, their families, and the workforce that cares for them.”