Resources
Below are descriptions and links to our research papers and operations reports.
Click here for our latest annual report!
Waltham Healthy Aging Study
The origin of Waltham Connections lies in research conducted in 2015 and 2016 asking the question – how does Waltham support healthy aging and how could it do better? A long and short version of the report on Waltham (and another on Greenfield) are found on the MA Healthy Aging Collaborative website HERE.
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Report on 2017 Focus Groups
of Older Adults in Waltham
In 2017 the Connections research team conducted 6 focus groups of diverse Waltham seniors: Latinos, Chinese, Haitians, Ugandans, veterans, and people isolated at home. This paper reports and analyzes their descriptions of aging in Waltham. READ MORE
Reports on Latinx & Ugandan Outreach Workers
We have two reports on Connections efforts to assist the CoA to better reach Latinx seniors in Waltham. The first describes and analyzes the work of the first-ever Latina outreach worker/community organizer based at the CoA. In the five months she worked before the Senior Center closed due to the pandemic in March 2020, the worker demonstrated the need and potential for this position. Read the report HERE. The second report summarizes outreach from 2017 through the fall of 2022, including the efforts and accomplishments of the most recent outreach worker, who was hired in July 2022. See HERE.
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In August of 2022 Connections hired a CoA outreach worker to seniors in Waltham’s large Ugandan community. This report summarizes what we have learned from her work through January 2023. It includes a summary of Waltham’s unique role in the U.S. Ugandan community, work and family patterns in the community (including seniors’ roles), how outreach has been conducted, the needs identified, and the responses to those needs to
date. READ MORE
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Our latest report on Latino and Ugandan outreach can be found HERE. It documents the growth and achievements of the outreach work during the past federal fiscal year (October 2023 - September 2024), including substantial growth in participation of Latino and Ugandan seniors in group activities and in accessing services and benefits.
Evaluation of Welcome to
the Digital Age
Latest WDA report: This paper is an evaluation of our 10th WDA course! Held in Fall 2024, this was also the most diverse class yet, with students hailing from at least six different countries. The class improved their skills and confidence using Chromebooks and the internet. READ MORE
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This paper reports on the WDA program during the first six months of 2021. The 20 participants, half of whom were trained in Spanish, were very appreciative of their new connectivity. Said one, “I actually did it! I never thought at my age I’d do it. All my life I’d see people on computers. It’s a dream. Use it. Learn about things. Communicate.” READ MORE
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Fifty-five Waltham seniors have graduated in four offerings of the class between spring 2021 and fall 2022. In early 2023 the WDA team decided to offer a “refresher” course to past graduates. A report was written based on qualitative interviews with 8 of the first-round participants. The largely open-ended interviews, conducted in both English and Spanish, asked about participants' expectations of and satisfaction with the refresher course as well as the impact of the course on their use of technology and relationship with the Senior Center. All 8 respondents said they "learned what they wanted." READ MORE
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During Spring 2024, 10 Ugandan senior women took the WDA course. This was made possible with help from Africano Waltham as well as our Ugandan outreach worker, who also took the class. The students did not only improve their computer and internet skills, but were also introduced to the community and services available at the Waltham Senior Center. READ MORE
Evaluation of Sages & Seekers (Intergenerational program)
After learning of interest from Waltham seniors in more opportunities to connect with young people, a planning group of volunteers selected the Sages & Seekers program for replication. Sages & Seekers is a national, award-winning program that brings seniors (Sages) and young adults (Seekers) together to share their experiences through one-on-one conversation. Bentley University’s Service Learning and Civic Engagement program agreed to become our partner.
In Spring 2024, 14 Sages and 7 Seekers met weekly to share their knowledge and life experiences. Both groups learned from one another, building a community based on mutual respect and understanding. See our evaluation report, including survey responses from participants, HERE.
Evaluation of the Waltham
Senior Civic Academy
The Civic Academy was conducted via Zoom in February and March 2021 for 13 enrolled Waltham seniors. The purpose of the Academy was to familiarize seniors with aging issues in Waltham, to introduce them to elected officials, government and private agency leaders serving seniors, and senior advocates. Another goal was to improve their advocacy skills. The Evaluation included process, outcome, and impact components. READ MORE
Evaluation of Mind/Body/Spirit
Being socially isolated can be difficult at any time but has been especially challenging during COVID. In April and May of 2021, Connections designed and conducted a virtual, six-week program entitled Mind, Body, Spirit (MBS) for Waltham seniors. The MBS program was designed to provide an opportunity to decrease isolation and continue community building in Waltham. The evaluation showed that there were positive outcomes for the MBS class. People got to know one another and liked one another. There were also many opportunities for sharing feedback and impact. READ MORE
Waltham Healthy Aging Summit
The Waltham Healthy Aging Summit provided a vision of Waltham as an ever more age-friendly city. We prepared well before the event by developing and distributing an Issue Brief based on what we learned from seven listening sessions with 86 diverse seniors.
READ MORE
We also created a framework for how Waltham could join the WHO/AARP age-friendly movement. READ MORE
Finally, after the Summit we created and distributed a detailed report with recommendations for next steps. READ MORE
Advocacy for More Benches in Downtown Waltham
A workgroup from the Healthy Aging Summit has made the case for having benches at bus stops on the main commercial sections of Moody and Main Streets in downtown Waltham. In a series of presentations to the Waltham Disability Services Commission, we documented the absence of benches at more than ¾ of bus stops, the hardships the lack of benches causes for seniors and others with mobility limitations, and potential costs of purchase of new benches. READ MORE
