Newton Organizations Receive $156K in Grants from Tufts Health Plan

The following is a press release issued by Tufts Health Plan: 

The Tufts Health Plan Foundation announced today that it has awarded more than $1.7 million in grants to 46 Massachusetts and Rhode Island based organizations in its first cycle of funding for 2012.

Three Newton and West Newton organizations are among recipients.

Atrius Health Foundation of Newton receives $57,301 to provide “Stepping On” fall prevention classes to eight different sites.  Participants will learn about fall risk, home and community safety, safe footwear, nutrition, bone health, coping after a fall, strength and balance exercises, and medication review.

The Carroll Center for the Blind of Newton receives $50,000 for Project Safe Home. This program enables mobility specialists to make in-home visits to 75 Greater Boston area older adults at risk of falls through vision impairment.  The mobility specialists will assess the safety risks presented by the home and fix them, assess each older adult’s vision function and mobility skills, and provide safety enhancing instruction to prevent falls in the home.

Newton Community Service Center/SOAR 55 of West Newton receives $48,994 to recruit, train, place and coach unemployed and underemployed professionals age 55 and older to serve in volunteer leadership and team consulting positions at non-profit organizations. Volunteers will receive customized training to provide them with the knowledge to effectively transition into meaningful leadership or consulting roles to help retain skills and better position them in their search for work.

Tufts Health Plan Foundation and the awardees share a common mission, which is to promote healthy lifestyles and the delivery of superior programs for elders in our communities. The grantees provide a range of programs and services that promote healthy aging physically and mentally in four targeted areas: caregiver support, fall prevention, intergenerational collaboration and vibrant lifestyles. 

“It is a pleasure to continue this great work for the older adults in our communities” said David Abelman, president of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation. “Having been a part of these foundation grants for many cycles I am humbled by the continued commitment of our community organizations to help and enhance the lives of seniors.”

This summer marks the fourth year of Tufts Health Plan Foundation’s healthy aging program. The foundation become focused on health aging in 2009, since then the foundation has awarded nearly $9M in grants to enhance the lives of older adults and enable them to contribute their experiences and knowledge to their communities; and ultimately help them healthier lives.