Dec 19

A picture of Ana in her living room

A Place to Call Home

Ana is a friendly, optimistic woman with a heartwarming smile and bright eyes. But even Ana got discouraged when chronic health challenges landed her in a nursing home after a hospital stay for an urgent medical condition. Her chronic issues don’t require nursing home care but do make some help necessary for her to live [...]

Dec 10

Community Transitions Staff Member

It’s so good to be home

No one hopes to live in a nursing home, but sometimes circumstances result in the need for a skilled care facility. The quandary then becomes whether the move will be permanent or a steppingstone back to a home environment. James moved to a skilled nursing facility from a group home he loved due to a [...]

Oct 24

Jay, with his volunteer, Don

Managing Finances is Less Stressful with Assistance

Jay fell in love with snow when he moved to Massachusetts from Arizona in 1980. He spent his career as a chef and especially enjoys preparing Mexican food with bold flavors. As Jay got older and faced some chronic health challenges, he retired on a fixed income.  With a tight budget, he used his maximum [...]

Sep 28

Nancy with her care advisor, Nicole

National Good Neighbor Day: Nancy’s Story

As each of us hurry through our days, it is easy to miss the opportunity to get to know an aging neighbor. Undoubtedly each senior citizen that you see quietly living nearby has a wealth of stories about the adventure of their life. Your neighbors’ stories will likely amaze you, bring a smile to your [...]

Sep 09

National Good Neighbor Day: Springwell Stories

Are there people in your neighborhood who have lived nearby for years but you haven’t had the opportunity to get to know? Everyone has an interesting story about their journey through life. At Springwell, each year we have the opportunity to hear thousands of stories, and as National Good Neighbor Day (September 28th) approaches, we [...]

Feb 13

Title page: "Caregiving: A Love Story" text over two hands holding each other

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 […]

Jan 10

Smiling Woman with her Friendly Visitor volunteer

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 […]

Nov 21

smiling woman with her medical escort and friendly visitor volunteers

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 […]

Feb 13

No Place Like Home

Greta and John Merchant bought their Needham house over 60 years ago when they first moved to the United States. As they faced some of the health issues of aging, it was important to them to stay together in the comfort of their beloved home. They shared this sentiment with their daughter, Sandra and her [...]

Mar 06

Making the Impossible Possible

In December of 2008, it seemed impossible that 83-year old Jeanne would ever return to the home she loved. A bad fall months earlier sent her first to the hospital and then to a rehabilitation facility. Though long-term symptoms of post-polio syndrome meant Jeanne used a wheelchair, she had managed independently for years and was […]