MIT AgeLab Partners With Tivity Health for Connectivity Summit on Rural Aging

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab recently participated in a summit in Portland, Maine, committed to fighting social isolation among older adults in rural communities, reports MIT News . The 2018 Connectivity Summit on Rural Aging was hosted by Tivity Health in collaboration with AgeLab, Health eVillages, and the Jefferson College of Population Health. Attendees worked to find actionable concepts to reduce the effect of social isolation and enable better health for seniors in rural areas. The AgeLab researches business and policy innovations in the longevity economy and opportunities to improve quality of life for older adults and their caregivers. It also organizes and upholds outreach and community groups for seniors and professionals in the field of aging. The summit was informed by the results of a new national Tivity Health survey showing that 29 percent of rural older adults experience daily social interaction, and many are dealing with physical impairments including vision loss, hearing loss, and loss of mobility. Furthermore, 66 percent of seniors in rural areas say they want public officials in their states and the business community to do more to address their needs. "My vision when launching this summit two years ago was to ensure that actions, not just words, would empower stakeholders to work together to reverse the effects of social isolation," says Tivity Health CEO Donato Tramuto. "I am pleased that less than two years later we have successfully created a movement that has mobilized actions to support older Americans by addressing the impacts of social isolation."