Apr 24
Apr 18
Volunteering leads to a surprising connection
Volunteering is well understood to have benefits to both the community and to the volunteer. Sometimes the benefits can be surprising. As the Springwell Volunteer Appreciation event last year an unexpected surprise came in the form of a reunion of two childhood friends. Sherry and Ed, long-time volunteers at different Springwell Community Dining sites, saw [...]Apr 02
Diet Fads: Facts and Fiction for Seniors
For National Nutrition Month, Meghan Ostrander, Nutrition Director at Springwell, presented a special program titled, Fad Diets- Pros and Cons at Community Dining sites in Springwell’s service area. Ostrander succinctly laid out claims, as well as potential benefits and risks, of four of the new most popular diet trends. Before starting any new diet plan, [...]Mar 27
Taking the Mystery Out of Hospice Care & Palliative Care
Mary Crowe, LICSW, ACHP-SW of Care Dimensions visited Springwell to teach a continuing education program for staff about hospice care and palliative care. Crowe kicked off the program by asking what the terms hospice and palliative care mean because she said there are many misconceptions about both words. Hospice care is a philosophy of care [...]Mar 19
Neurologic Music Therapy
At their March meeting, the Ombudsman volunteers welcomed Kirsten Stockel, MT-BC, NMT, from MedRhythms Therapy for a presentation about the benefits of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT). NMT is used in the rehabilitation of neurologic injury and disease and has been found to be especially helpful for traumatic brain injury, stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Some Neurologic [...]Feb 13
Caregiving: A Love Story
Maria and Alex have been taking care of each other for over 40 years. While things are different now that Alex is dealing with memory impairment, Maria feels fortunate. Alex shares lots of hugs with Maria and often asks her if she is okay. He used to write love letters and poems to Maria. Now […]
Feb 11
8 Tips for Caregivers on Valentine’s Day
8 Tips for Caregivers on Valentine’s Day While we traditionally think of Valentine’s Day as a time for expressions of romantic love, it can also be a great time to show yourself some love and share some special moments with your care recipient. Stretch– take a few moments to do some simple stretches and notice […]
Jan 10
Thriving through social connection
Social isolation can challenge senior citizens who find it more difficult to get out of the house than when they were younger. A friendly visitor can make a valuable difference in their quality of life. Ruth, an energetic 90 year old artist, relocated to Waltham two years ago to be near medical care and her […]
Dec 12
Our Holiday Wish for Caregivers: Take Care of You, Too!
Caregiving is stressful enough at any time of the year but during the holiday season there are many sources of extra pressure and tension. We often remind caregivers of the importance of self-care to maintain well-being during the holidays but accomplishing that with a busy caregiver’s schedule in the midst of holiday activities isn’t easy. Here are […]
Nov 21
Companionship & Community – Better Together
When you enter the home where 93-year old Tecla has lived since 1973, her welcome is warm, friendly and lively. As you chat and learn about her early widowhood, her determination to raise her two children independently, and her long work life cleaning homes, her resilience is inspiring. Tecla is animated on many topics, but […]