“Words matter,” says Emily Shea, MPH, MSW, Commissioner for the City of Boston’s Age Strong Commission. A belief in the power of words is why she and her team worked so hard to rebrand what was formerly known as the Commission on the Affairs of the Elderly. “That name,” she explains, “just didn’t resonate with the people our office was trying to reach.” As an early adopter of the principles to reframe aging, the department’s stagnant name didn’t align with Emily’s vision and goals. She wasn’t alone; office memos going back to 2004 identified the need for a new name.
Yet, even for a commissioner, changing a city department’s name is no simple task. The Commission’s former Communications Director Cassandra Baptista, a Reframing Aging facilitator, advised that the work had to start internally. Emily and Cassandra engaged city employees in conversations, asking them to fill in the blank, “When I age, I want to _____ or I want to be _____.” This step was important for people to understand that we are all aging, and everyone is invested in the conversation.
Beyond working through the complexities of City Hall, engaging older people to identify the words that matter most to them was indispensable. Emily’s office surveyed constituents to identify the language that best described older people. Overwhelmingly, older people said “strong” and “experienced.” These words resonated across the city’s increasingly diverse older population. After much vetting and engagement, the commission settled on Age Strong. “Every time we say it, we associate aging with something positive,” Emily remarks.
With a reframed name and brand, the Commission sought to change the dialogue about aging. They launched Boston’s Age Friendly work with AARP and developed a public awareness campaign to spotlight eight diverse older adult from the city, who shared their own stories of aging strong. In partnership with the port authority, Massport, the Commission featured these Age Strong individuals on posters at Boston Logan International Airport and at bus stop shelters citywide.
Next, the Commission tackled rebranding the city’s shuttle service for Boston residents ages 60+. After a messaging redesign, it is now known as a shuttle for “transporting Boston’s most experienced people.”
Emily emphasizes that one person can’t do this alone. She recognizes the important work of the staff and credits the many partners who collaborated. Among the many contributors are internal design staff, an intern who collected Aging Strong stories, a professor at Emerson College who shared advice on branding, the staff at Tufts Health Plan (now Point32Health) Foundation who provided feedback on communications strategies and funded a partnership with UMass Boston Gerontology Institute, and Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh who used his platform at the State of the City address in 2019 to announce the new name. Mayor Walsh said it “reflects the City’s efforts to make Boston inclusive, accessible, and positive for people as they age.”
Fast forward to 2024, Emily admits that the work to reframe aging is far from done. She is eager to bring the growing resources of the National Center to Reframe Aging two new staff members and benefit more Bostonians to Age Strong. While Age Strong is now embedded in the vernacular, the Commission’s new name still needs to be made official by the City Council. Meanwhile, community-level work continues — such as UMass Boston’s engagement with intergenerational conversations about aging. No matter your age, you can always Age Strong.
Join the Movement to Reframe Aging
The National Center to Reframe Aging is developing tools to help advocates across the country effectively communicate for policies and funding that support the well-being of all of us as we age.
- What does it mean to “Age Strong” in your community?
- Who are the people leading the conversation about aging where you work?
- How can the tools and tips from the National Center to Reframe Aging help to reshape the way your colleagues and neighbors think about aging?
Reach out to the National Center team to learn how you can inspire change within your state!