Nov 05

Marilyn, sitting in her living room

You’re Like a Raw Nerve: A Caregiving Story

Marilyn is a true jack-of-all-trades: a scuba diver, a former professional singer, and a skilled craftswoman. For 25 years, she helped her lifelong friend Jeanne turn craftiness into a thriving home renovation business. The business worked so well because of the depth of their friendship and their teamwork. Eventually they also became housemates, when Marilyn […]

Oct 30

Maura Donohue, Julie Arias, Carolyn Fenn, and Mary Brooks

Assisted Living Ombudsman Program Profile

Moving into an assisted living facility is a major life change. Residents leave behind the comfort of home and step into a new environment where it can be difficult to have their voices heard. Springwell’s Assisted Living (AL) Ombudsman Program ensures those voices are heard by offering residents support, guidance, and advocacy. This work builds […]

Oct 10

Martha Connors

For Residents’ Rights Month: Ombudsman Martha Connors

Springwell volunteer Martha Connors brings empathy, compassion, and extensive experience with caregiving to her role in our Ombudsman program. In fact, she began helping people who are old or ill when she was in middle school. But her comfortability with helping others became personal during her twenties when her father was diagnosed with cancer. She […]

Sep 15

Four Springwell staff leaving the building to go for a walk

Falls Prevention at Springwell: Stepping Up

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 36 million older Americans experience a fall each year. Among older adults, one out of five falls cause a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury. As a result, falls are the leading cause of injury and death among people over age […]

May 26

Woman checking her monitoring bracelet to help manage chronic illness

Managing Chronic Illness

As we age, chronic illnesses seem to take hold and can have a way of taking over our lives. Is your chronic illness managing you or can you manage it better to improve your quality of life? We hope the ideas below help you and your family or caregivers manage your chronic illness. Gain a [...]

Jan 14

Social worker Heather Berry standing outside the Timothy Daniels House, a long-term care facility

Community Transitions Liaison Program

Over the next eight years, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has committed to ensuring that 2,400 residents of long-term care facilities, like 71-year-old Jeanine at Timothy Daniels House, will get the help they need to transition back into the community. In June, with the help of the Community Transition Liaison Program at Springwell, Jeanine happily moved [...]

Dec 31

Annette and Michael, two members of the Springwell community, smiling at one another at a supportive housing site.

Supportive housing services change lives

This year, Springwell’s Supportive Housing Program, funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence, has expanded into Northborough housing sites at Colonial Village and Heritage Village, and to Hudson housing sites at Brigham Circle and Norma Oliver Village. Supportive housing partnerships like these offer adults aged 60 and older, as well as people [...]

Dec 09

Rosemarie and her care liaison from the Hospital to Home Program

Hospital to Home

Rosemarie, a retired paralegal, is happy to be living independently in her own home following an unexpectedly challenging stretch that started with a double hip replacement. The resulting weakness and loss of mobility led to multiple hospital admissions and eventually a recommendation that she consider assisted living. In April, during Rosemarie’s stay at Newton Wellesley […]

Nov 03

The Grandma Scam

If you are lucky enough to have a few grandchildren, you may sometimes get a call that starts with “Hi Grandma, it’s me..” which then leaves you to rapidly sort through names in your head and quickly respond, “Is that you, Richard?” The phone connection may not be completely clear or your hearing may not [...]

Sep 26

Springwell Wants to Hear from You!

Every four years, the Massachusetts State Plan on Aging is revised based on the needs of older adults (age 60+) and family caregivers. The Plan serves to shape the policy development and programs that the Executive Office of Elder Affairs will pursue to promote independence, empowerment, and well-being so those in need will have resources [...]