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Collective Insight
SubCommittee
Click on the links below to access Member Bios, current and archived Newsletters, upcoming meeting information, and past meeting agendas and notes.
MEMBERS
NEWSLETTERS
MEETING MATERIALS
Beverly Cohen, MBA, CPC
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: Milton, MA
Relevant Experience:
I am a retired Marketing Manager and have started my 2nd chapter as a Certified Career and Life Coach. I help women succeed in reinventing their next Act and overcoming obstacles. My expertise includes re-branding, professional development and strategic leadership. I work with non-profit organizations and individuals along with serving on several boards in the Boston community.
Perspective on Aging:
I believe as we age it is important to continue to be active and engaged in the world around us. Each person has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that comes with age and they are willing to share their life experience. “Don’t let age control your life, let your life control your age”
Personal Pastimes:
- I am an avid Reader
- Researching my Family Tree
- World Traveler
Location: Milton, MA
Relevant Experience:
I am a retired Marketing Manager and have started my 2nd chapter as a Certified Career and Life Coach. I help women succeed in reinventing their next Act and overcoming obstacles. My expertise includes re-branding, professional development and strategic leadership. I work with non-profit organizations and individuals along with serving on several boards in the Boston community.
Perspective on Aging:
I believe as we age it is important to continue to be active and engaged in the world around us. Each person has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that comes with age and they are willing to share their life experience. “Don’t let age control your life, let your life control your age”
Personal Pastimes:
- I am an avid Reader
- Researching my Family Tree
- World Traveler
Brenda Evans
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Relevant Experience:
I am a retired Family Nurse Practitioner. After decades of direct patient care and administrative responsibility I am dedicated to educate and encourage senior involvement in programs and research to promote broader applicability of research findings and healthy aging.
Perspective on Aging:
Aging is a natural process of living which varies between individuals. Healthy lifestyle and preventive health care can contribute to the quality and longevity of life. Healthy aging is also supported by societal focus on equitable social determinants of health for all ages and cultures.
Personal Pastimes:
- I enjoy a brisk daily walk
- I enjoy reading and book discussions with my book club.
- I enjoy spending time with family especially my grandson.
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Relevant Experience:
I am a retired Family Nurse Practitioner. After decades of direct patient care and administrative responsibility I am dedicated to educate and encourage senior involvement in programs and research to promote broader applicability of research findings and healthy aging.
Perspective on Aging:
Aging is a natural process of living which varies between individuals. Healthy lifestyle and preventive health care can contribute to the quality and longevity of life. Healthy aging is also supported by societal focus on equitable social determinants of health for all ages and cultures.
Personal Pastimes:
- I enjoy a brisk daily walk
- I enjoy reading and book discussions with my book club.
- I enjoy spending time with family especially my grandson.
Elizabeth Gavett
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: Newton, MA
Relevant Experience:
I am currently a retired 'older adult' - a speech-language pathologist by training, I spent four decades of my professional life at Boston University preparing graduate students to become clinicians. My area of scholarship and expertise focused on how individuals learn practical skills in a clinical environment and best practices in clinical supervision.
Perspective on Aging:
Entering this 'new phase' of life feels both very similar and yet quite different to previous stages of life. One continues to engage in activities to be well, learn new things and stay connected but 'how' to do that changes and becomes more challenging as aging can take away the social structures that work and family provided earlier in life and physical decline is inevitable. I am particularly interested in learning more about how older adults living alone maintain and create meaning and joy through 'work' and social connections.
Personal Pastimes:
- Playing the flute
- Spending time in Maine
- Cooking
Location: Newton, MA
Relevant Experience:
I am currently a retired 'older adult' - a speech-language pathologist by training, I spent four decades of my professional life at Boston University preparing graduate students to become clinicians. My area of scholarship and expertise focused on how individuals learn practical skills in a clinical environment and best practices in clinical supervision.
Perspective on Aging:
Entering this 'new phase' of life feels both very similar and yet quite different to previous stages of life. One continues to engage in activities to be well, learn new things and stay connected but 'how' to do that changes and becomes more challenging as aging can take away the social structures that work and family provided earlier in life and physical decline is inevitable. I am particularly interested in learning more about how older adults living alone maintain and create meaning and joy through 'work' and social connections.
Personal Pastimes:
- Playing the flute
- Spending time in Maine
- Cooking
Nancy Keeler
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location:
Nashville, TN; originally from Athens, GA. Second time living in MA, years apart. Currently live in Sudbury.
Relevant Experience:
I may look like I’m retired but I’m actually working on my next big idea! As a writer with a background in the arts, I also earned an M.Ed. In Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, and worked in assessment, counseling, and disability advocacy. Mostly I’ve had what’s called a “portfolio career,” combining jobs in diverse fields. I love teaching and small groups, and hope to use my affiliation with this organization to help better the lives of elders like myself, especially those of low income, chronic medical conditions, and other disadvantages.
Perspective on Aging:
I’m still making peace with getting older, but I know that I don’t stand a chance of aging comfortably unless I can accept it. I have to select my narrative. We must be practical and improve conditions for aging. But we also need stories of getting older that are not exclusively negative. Hope and inspiration are crucial for quality of life!
Personal Pastimes:
- Reading nonfiction
- Watching TV and videos
Eating (notice I didn’t say I like cooking!)
- Dancing to Latin music at home and doing daily yoga stretches
Location:
Nashville, TN; originally from Athens, GA. Second time living in MA, years apart. Currently live in Sudbury.
Relevant Experience:
I may look like I’m retired but I’m actually working on my next big idea! As a writer with a background in the arts, I also earned an M.Ed. In Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, and worked in assessment, counseling, and disability advocacy. Mostly I’ve had what’s called a “portfolio career,” combining jobs in diverse fields. I love teaching and small groups, and hope to use my affiliation with this organization to help better the lives of elders like myself, especially those of low income, chronic medical conditions, and other disadvantages.
Perspective on Aging:
I’m still making peace with getting older, but I know that I don’t stand a chance of aging comfortably unless I can accept it. I have to select my narrative. We must be practical and improve conditions for aging. But we also need stories of getting older that are not exclusively negative. Hope and inspiration are crucial for quality of life!
Personal Pastimes:
- Reading nonfiction
- Watching TV and videos
Eating (notice I didn’t say I like cooking!)
- Dancing to Latin music at home and doing daily yoga stretches
Janet Sasser
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Relevant Experience:
I am a retired Senior Paralegal with a
Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) degree with a focus on senior housing. A recent retiree, I volunteer at the Culver City Retirement Center to assist seniors in completing challenging medical and legal paperwork, i.e., medical forms, living trusts, real estate related documents, etc. I also work as a caregiver provider for a physically challenged senior recipient.
Perspective on Aging:
My view on aging is that I am given choices on how I age. I choose to do it gracefully. I have no intent of resting on my laurels, but instead each day I invest in myself spiritually, physically, and mentally. As a "junior" senior, I spend time each day working to assure my own optimal health, so I can then dedicate time to assist other seniors who face physical, emotional, and financial challenges. I enjoy visiting, shopping and going to movies with friends who are also in pursuit of healthy aging.
Personal Pastimes:
- Traveling to Tampa, Florida semi-annually to spend extended visits with my granddaughters
- Volunteering time at the local Senior Citizens Center and volunteering at my Church
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by going to the gym, then for a walk on
Monday - Friday mornings.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Relevant Experience:
I am a retired Senior Paralegal with a
Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) degree with a focus on senior housing. A recent retiree, I volunteer at the Culver City Retirement Center to assist seniors in completing challenging medical and legal paperwork, i.e., medical forms, living trusts, real estate related documents, etc. I also work as a caregiver provider for a physically challenged senior recipient.
Perspective on Aging:
My view on aging is that I am given choices on how I age. I choose to do it gracefully. I have no intent of resting on my laurels, but instead each day I invest in myself spiritually, physically, and mentally. As a "junior" senior, I spend time each day working to assure my own optimal health, so I can then dedicate time to assist other seniors who face physical, emotional, and financial challenges. I enjoy visiting, shopping and going to movies with friends who are also in pursuit of healthy aging.
Personal Pastimes:
- Traveling to Tampa, Florida semi-annually to spend extended visits with my granddaughters
- Volunteering time at the local Senior Citizens Center and volunteering at my Church
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by going to the gym, then for a walk on
Monday - Friday mornings.
Linda Alloy
Role: Older Adult Subcommittee Member
Location: Brookline, MA
Relevant Experience:
Living professionally throughout the United States I worked in a variety of trauma, acute care, rehab, and community settings in positions including healthcare and educational administration and as a dysphagia (swallowing) therapist. I continue active volunteerism in hospital and senior living settings. In addition to exploring the endless cultural opportunities of the Boston area, I continue my interest in developing and leading art groups for senior residents in my independent living community.
Perspective on Aging:
After experiencing my own health care crises in my “early senior years”, I realized how isolating illness and lack of social interaction can be. Now, once again experiencing life changing physical challenges as an aging adult, I embrace continued learning, creativity, activity, and being included with my senior peers. I appreciate this advisory group and its goal of recognizing the need for older adults not just to be included as research subjects but to help advise and formulate a research framework with seniors, about seniors.
Personal Pastimes:
- Continued learning as an adult.
- Art exploration.
- Taking care of animals.
Location: Brookline, MA
Relevant Experience:
Living professionally throughout the United States I worked in a variety of trauma, acute care, rehab, and community settings in positions including healthcare and educational administration and as a dysphagia (swallowing) therapist. I continue active volunteerism in hospital and senior living settings. In addition to exploring the endless cultural opportunities of the Boston area, I continue my interest in developing and leading art groups for senior residents in my independent living community.
Perspective on Aging:
After experiencing my own health care crises in my “early senior years”, I realized how isolating illness and lack of social interaction can be. Now, once again experiencing life changing physical challenges as an aging adult, I embrace continued learning, creativity, activity, and being included with my senior peers. I appreciate this advisory group and its goal of recognizing the need for older adults not just to be included as research subjects but to help advise and formulate a research framework with seniors, about seniors.
Personal Pastimes:
- Continued learning as an adult.
- Art exploration.
- Taking care of animals.
Lisa Douglis
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: I grew up in New Jersey and have lived most of my adult live near Boston.
Relevant Experience:
I am a graphic designer and have an extensive career in book publishing and in the production of other print material. I am also very interested in systems design, and value simple, accessible, and elegant design solutions.
Perspective on Aging:
As the primary care-giver for my nonagenarian mother, I am intimately aware of the issued involved in arranging for an active, engaged, healthy, and rewarding later-life chapter.
Personal Pastimes:
- I spend most of my free time knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, and reading.
Location: I grew up in New Jersey and have lived most of my adult live near Boston.
Relevant Experience:
I am a graphic designer and have an extensive career in book publishing and in the production of other print material. I am also very interested in systems design, and value simple, accessible, and elegant design solutions.
Perspective on Aging:
As the primary care-giver for my nonagenarian mother, I am intimately aware of the issued involved in arranging for an active, engaged, healthy, and rewarding later-life chapter.
Personal Pastimes:
- I spend most of my free time knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, and reading.
Myrna Finn
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: Montreal, Quebec Canada
Relevant Experience:
In my professional career as a college professor, I focused my energies on helping students learn and grow so that they could live full and rewarding lives. Now, I teach older adults whose goal is to continue learning and growing because they can. From the energy and enthusiasm they bring to classroom discussions, I see that they have indeed lived full and rewarding lives and desire to continue to do so. This impulse to keep on developing the mind and engaging intellectually is a life-long process. My role is to motivate and stimulate people’s natural curiosity and expand their mental faculties no matter how old they are.
Perspective on Aging:
Considering the alternatives, growing old is a good thing. What is problematic are some of the ways in which the body, mind and soul can act up during the aging process. The hardest part about this is accepting these changes and challenges, adjusting in ways never imagined in order to navigate life consonant with these changes and staying open-hearted and positive with whatever experiences life bring. Healthy aging is the ability to embrace all of this and continue to move forward.
Personal Pastimes:
- Daily exercising
- Traveling
- Hand Drumming
Location: Montreal, Quebec Canada
Relevant Experience:
In my professional career as a college professor, I focused my energies on helping students learn and grow so that they could live full and rewarding lives. Now, I teach older adults whose goal is to continue learning and growing because they can. From the energy and enthusiasm they bring to classroom discussions, I see that they have indeed lived full and rewarding lives and desire to continue to do so. This impulse to keep on developing the mind and engaging intellectually is a life-long process. My role is to motivate and stimulate people’s natural curiosity and expand their mental faculties no matter how old they are.
Perspective on Aging:
Considering the alternatives, growing old is a good thing. What is problematic are some of the ways in which the body, mind and soul can act up during the aging process. The hardest part about this is accepting these changes and challenges, adjusting in ways never imagined in order to navigate life consonant with these changes and staying open-hearted and positive with whatever experiences life bring. Healthy aging is the ability to embrace all of this and continue to move forward.
Personal Pastimes:
- Daily exercising
- Traveling
- Hand Drumming
Phil Rosen
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: North Easton, MA
Personal Pastimes:
Walking in nature, Adult learning opportunities, active in local retired men’s club, active with OLLI, active with my synagogue. Healthy aging involves staying actively engaged in learning and with your community, exercising and eating to maintain your health, and maintaining close contact with family and friends.
Location: North Easton, MA
Personal Pastimes:
Walking in nature, Adult learning opportunities, active in local retired men’s club, active with OLLI, active with my synagogue. Healthy aging involves staying actively engaged in learning and with your community, exercising and eating to maintain your health, and maintaining close contact with family and friends.
Naomi B. Isler
Role: Advisory Group Member
Location: Live in Brookline MA. Originally from farm in mid-Hudson Valley in New York. Currently age 85
Relevant Experience:
20th Century: Older Women’s League, Mass. General Court’s Elder Caucus, both editions of Ourselves Growing Older, initial and ongoing enrollment in MGH study of memory and aging.
21st Century: Nursing Home Ombudsman, Workers’ Circle Aging in Community Committee, currently resident in “Independent Living” senior housing, former member of its Resident Council.
Perspective on Aging:
Aging happens. Easy for some, degrees of hard for others. Among the major impediments to “healthy aging” are: financial insecurity, problems accessing health care, loss of companions and loneliness, problems with transportation, need for different living arrangements, discomfort with constantly changing technology coupled with demands that it be used more and more, loss of independence – shall I go on????
Personal Pastimes:
- Music, Art, Theatre, Reading, Progressive Politics, Travel
- Concern about increasing numbers of over 65s living longer
Location: Live in Brookline MA. Originally from farm in mid-Hudson Valley in New York. Currently age 85
Relevant Experience:
20th Century: Older Women’s League, Mass. General Court’s Elder Caucus, both editions of Ourselves Growing Older, initial and ongoing enrollment in MGH study of memory and aging.
21st Century: Nursing Home Ombudsman, Workers’ Circle Aging in Community Committee, currently resident in “Independent Living” senior housing, former member of its Resident Council.
Perspective on Aging:
Aging happens. Easy for some, degrees of hard for others. Among the major impediments to “healthy aging” are: financial insecurity, problems accessing health care, loss of companions and loneliness, problems with transportation, need for different living arrangements, discomfort with constantly changing technology coupled with demands that it be used more and more, loss of independence – shall I go on????
Personal Pastimes:
- Music, Art, Theatre, Reading, Progressive Politics, Travel
- Concern about increasing numbers of over 65s living longer
Alice Skenadore
Role: Older Adult Subcommittee Member
Location: Ojibway Tribe
Hayward, WI
Relevant Experience:
I have had some experience with research from Wise Women Gathering Place. I wrote a book named Discovery Dating, It's Not Just About Dating, To see if our program affected any behavior change in the youth who learned it. We did.
Perspective on Aging:
I was also a home-birth midwife for 27 years delivering 750+ babies at home. I also founded and served as ED for Wise Women Gathering Place for 24 years until retiring at the age of 75 in 2022.
Personal Pastimes:
- I enjoy playing Bingo
- I enjoy playing Spades
- I enjoy playing Settlers of Catan
Location: Ojibway Tribe
Hayward, WI
Relevant Experience:
I have had some experience with research from Wise Women Gathering Place. I wrote a book named Discovery Dating, It's Not Just About Dating, To see if our program affected any behavior change in the youth who learned it. We did.
Perspective on Aging:
I was also a home-birth midwife for 27 years delivering 750+ babies at home. I also founded and served as ED for Wise Women Gathering Place for 24 years until retiring at the age of 75 in 2022.
Personal Pastimes:
- I enjoy playing Bingo
- I enjoy playing Spades
- I enjoy playing Settlers of Catan
Loretta Sparrow
Role: Older Adult Subcommittee Member
Location: Edenton, North Carolina
Relevant Experience:
Having retired as an Educator and being a Mother, raising three amazing children and now a Grandmother of 8 Grandchildren who are going to do things that will only makes this world a much better place, I believe I bring an outlook that can only help broaden the aspects of this project.
Perspective on Aging:
My prospect on aging is that because I am getting older it does not limit what I will do, where I will go. It should open up my scope of and vision of the world and its people. All the things that I was unable to do while working at building my career, raising my family, I am able to do presently
Personal Pastimes:
- I enjoy cooking
- I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren
- I enjoy sewing
Location: Edenton, North Carolina
Relevant Experience:
Having retired as an Educator and being a Mother, raising three amazing children and now a Grandmother of 8 Grandchildren who are going to do things that will only makes this world a much better place, I believe I bring an outlook that can only help broaden the aspects of this project.
Perspective on Aging:
My prospect on aging is that because I am getting older it does not limit what I will do, where I will go. It should open up my scope of and vision of the world and its people. All the things that I was unable to do while working at building my career, raising my family, I am able to do presently
Personal Pastimes:
- I enjoy cooking
- I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren
- I enjoy sewing
Taylor Gray
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