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WHAMglobal Board Hosts Aging Experts to Explore Resources to Enhance Women’s Healthspan

Type: News

Focus Area: Women’s Health

From left to right are presenters: Maria Zamora, Lynn Mertz, and Karen Donelan, all presenters at April’s WHAMglobal Board meeting.

Women’s Health Activist Movement (WHAMglobal) Board convened this month for a meeting centered on advancing women’s healthspan —defined as the years of life lived in good health—particularly as women age. The session featured two renowned expert speakers and updates from committee chairs as momentum continues to build following the 2024 "Women’s Health Inequity: The Next Frontier" gathering in San Diego.

Maria Zamora, MBA, CEO of the Center for Elders’ Independence, joined the meeting to share insights on the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a comprehensive and holistic services model for qualifying older adults that integrates medical, personal, and social services to help individuals continue to live at home rather than in nursing facilities, highlighting how highlighted how PACE reduces hospital visits and enhances quality of life for seniors. Most of the participants who are in PACE are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

Board members from around the world gather for WHAMglobal Board meeting.

Lynn Mertz, PhD, a senior strategic policy advisor with AARP’s Global Thought Leadership team, emphasized the critical importance of empowering older adults to protect themselves from medical harm. She underscored the value of ongoing collaboration to enhance healthcare safety for aging populations. In partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, The Leapfrog Group, and Patients for Patient Safety US, AARP is advancing this mission through initiatives such as the development of the “4M” patient safety framework and the “My Health Checklist,” which is designed to be accessible not only within the health care system but also to patients, families, and caregivers, promoting broader engagement in patient safety. AARP is also working with Patients for Patient Safety US through Project Pivot to implement patient-centered, patient-reported experience and outcome measures, with a strong emphasis on equity in health outcomes. Its partnership with The Leapfrog Group is elevating awareness about patient safety by focusing on its hospital safety grades for the care outcomes of older adults.

Karen Donelan, ScD, EdM, of Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, presented preliminary findings from a Jewish Healthcare Foundation-funded study into how financial policies, resources, and structures have disadvantaged women and detracted from their ability to be healthy and safe in their older years. Her research thus far has revealed staggering long-term care costs and systemic inequities, such as lower savings, limited home ownership, and the financial implications of reliance on women as unpaid caregivers.

The Board used these presentations and insights to build upon prior conversations around longevity hubs—community-based solutions for healthy aging inspired by a recent study tour to Japan. WHAMglobal remains committed to ensuring not only longer lives for women, but better ones.

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