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| HISTORY |
| OVERVIEW |
| Building Partnership |
| The Boston Partnership for Older Adults (BPOA) began when the City of Boston’s Commission on Affairs of the Elderly and a group of elder service providers came together to discuss the creation of a comprehensive and coordinated elder service system in Boston. The BPOA was formally founded in August 2002 as one of only 13 communities across the United States to receive support from the Community Partnerships for Older Adults program, a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Since that time, the Partnership has grown to become a groundbreaking coalition of over 200 individuals and organizations from throughout Boston. We recognize the critical importance of improving and enhancing our system of support for older adults so that it functions more effectively and efficiently today and is prepared to meet the demands of our aging society tomorrow. |
| Understanding the Needs and Experiences of Boston’s Older Adults |
| Beginning in January 2003, we spent several months gathering and analyzing over 50 sets of data and information collected on older adults in Boston. The culmination of this effort was the publication and release of a seminal report entitled, “100,000 Voices on Growing Older in Boston: Understanding the Experiences and Needs of Boston’s Older Adults.” Combining hard data and real life stories, this report presented an accurate and at times grim picture of the experiences of the older adults in Boston. This document served as a strong foundation for the creation of our four-year strategic plan, as a resource for community organizations, and as a catalyst for change in the larger community. Media coverage of the report included articles and citations in the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and numerous community newsletters, and in interviews and stories on WBUR (local NPR affiliate), WBZ, WBIX, Boston Cable, BNN, and in a half-hour feature on WCVB-TV’s nightly news magazine, Chronicle. |
| Developing a Community-Wide Strategic Plan |
| Based on the data we studied, the Partnership identified four core priority areas on which we wanted to focus: Health Care, Mental and Cognitive Health, Housing and Homelessness, and Social Services. Building on these priorities, we worked with over 75 individuals in over 70 hours of community meetings to develop this comprehensive strategic plan to improve the long-term care and supportive services systems for older adults in Boston. |
| Implementing Our Shared Vision and Strategic Plan |
| In December 2003, the Boston Partnership for Older Adults was selected as one of only eight communities (from the original 13) across the Unites States to receive four-year grants from the Community Partnerships for Older Adults Program, a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to begin putting its plan into action. We are fortunate to have additional local financial support for this initiative from the Boston Foundation, the Charles H. Farnsworth Charitable Trust, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Tufts Health Plan, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, and many other local businesses, community-based organizations and individuals. |
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