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 […]

Jun 06

Springwell information & referral staff conferring on a call issue

Springwell’s Information and Referral Department – Our Front Door

“We welcome calls from anyone seeking information about aging or caregiving,” shares Jeanne Shapiro, Information & Referral Supervisor. The Information & Referral (I&R) team assists thousands of individuals and families, as well as other community professionals each year. They provide expert information, navigational support, and referrals to helpful and necessary services. The I&R team is [...]

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 [...]

May 19

Springwell Outreach Manager, Larry Poirer, on a visit with local COA staff

Getting Out and About

A top priority at Springwell since our 2022 merger has been getting better acquainted with key organizations in the twenty-two communities we now serve. By better understanding how services for older adults are delivered in each town, we are learning who we can partner with to help support healthy aging and how to enrich those […]

Mar 19

woman sitting doing paperwork with her care manager

Social Work: Combining Compassion and Action

March is Social Work Month, and is a time to explicitly honor the powerful, positive impact the social work profession has had on our society for generations. Springwell social workers share ideas and collaborate to improve in-home services for older adults and families in the twenty-two communities we serve. At Springwell, social workers are problem-solvers […]

Mar 04

National Nutrition Month, 2025 Food Connects Us logo

Food Connects Us: Celebrating National Nutrition Month 

“Food Connects Us,” the theme for National Nutrition Month 2025 reminds most of us how much more we enjoy a snack or meal when it is shared with family or friends. The food we choose to eat can also connect us to positive health outcomes. We know the importance of a varied diet that includes all [...]

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 [...]