The BayPath Bulletin
All the News You Need ASAP
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BayPath Elder Services, Inc.'s mission is to be a trusted partner in providing an array of services and programs to older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities to support their independence and dignity.
BayPath offers home care and related services enabling people to live independently and comfortably in their homes while promoting their well-being and dignity.
Founded in 1977 as a nonprofit corporation, BayPath has nearly 40 years experience serving and advocating for the needs of older adults as a designated Massachusetts Aging Services Access Point and
a designated Area Agency on Aging.
Visit BayPath's website
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BayPath Elder Services, Inc. serves the following communities:
Ashland
Dover
Framingham
Holliston
Hopkinton
Hudson
Marlborough
Natick
Northborough
Sherborn
Southborough
Sudbury
Wayland
Westborough
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BayPath continues to expand to meet the needs of clients and programs, and this past month witnessed three more additions to our staff.
John Cooper joins the agency as a case manager, while Kim Ketron comes aboard as a Home Care assistant and Andrew Rumney is our newest receptionist.
Congratulations and welcome aboard.
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Critical Case Review Teams formed to assist staff on toughest cases
BayPath has formed a new team of Executive and Senior Managers to assist and support staff with the most difficult of the cases we see.
The Critical Case Review Team at BayPath is comprised of Associate Director of Client Services Liz Tretiak, Director of Client Services Mary Lou Sheehan, Senior Nurse Manager Carolyn Hochard and Director of Strategic Initiatives Stephen Corso.
It is a decision-making forum to determine if a client remains "safe to be served" in the community, as well as a means to offer staff support to those involved with complex cases. The ultimate goal of the CCR Team is crisis prevention.
The CCR Team will meet monthly to begin with, and is open to critical case presentations from Homecare, PCA/AFC, GSSC and Money Management staff.
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Residents enjoy trip to Tri-County for lunch
In May, 11 Mission Springs residents enjoyed a lunch outing to Gerry's Place, the restaurant inside Tri-Country Regional High School. A van rented from Blaire House in Milford provided transportation for the residents.
The high school students did a great job cooking and serving an excellent and very affordable lunch. Gerry's Place is open to the public during the school year, so anyone can support this great program!
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COME 2B Dementia Friendly Marlborough Meeting on June 16
Marlborough is becoming dementia friendly!
A grassroots effort has been initiated to understand the needs of our community and implement changes that will enrich the lives of those living with
Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
Do you have an interest in preparing Marlborough for the impacts of Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia?
Join COME 2B Dementia Friendly for an informational meeting and refreshments on Thursday, June 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Marlborough
Senior Center (40 New Street, Marlborough, MA). Please RSVP by June 13 by calling 508-485-6492.
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Caregiving MetroWest celebrates two years since launch of website
Last Monday marked the two-year anniversary of
Caregiving MetroWest. We launched our site to the public on May 16, 2014 with the goal of bringing as complete a collection of information and resources for family caregivers as possible, and have continuously updated and added to those offerings in the 24 months since.
Nearly 28,000 unique users have come to the site in that span, and we appreciate every one of them and hope that the information and resources we've provided have helped them in the care of their loved ones. There have been nearly 100,000 pageviews recorded on the site since launch, with visitors averaging nearly three pages viewed and almost three minutes spent on the site in each visit.
It's hard to believe that it's been two full years already, but we'd like to thank everyone for helping make the site a success and we look forward to helping caregivers for many more years to come.
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Alessandro Named to n4a National Board
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BayPath Executive Director to serve as alternate on national Board of Directors in upcoming term
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Christine Alessandro
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BayPath Elder Services, Inc. Executive Director
Christine Alessandro has been named to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) Board of Directors.
Alessandro will serve as an alternate from Region I and be eligible to become a full board member should a seat become vacant. The board is comprised of two members and two alternates from each of 10 federal regions and two members and two alternates representing the Title VI Native American aging programs. All members are elected for three-year terms.
"I am excited for this opportunity and looking forward to serving the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a board member of n4a," said Alessandro. "This is a great opportunity to network and help advance a positive aging agenda in the nation, and I think it will be a great learning opportunity for me as well."
Alessandro noted that she hopes to join n4a's Public Policy and Grassroots Committee, which would allow her to pursue her interest in public policy and help shape aging policy with outreach to legislators. Alessandro and BayPath Area Agency on Aging Assistant Director
Fran Bakstran attended the 2015 Aging Policy Briefing and Capitol Hill Day event in Washington D.C., and working on the Public Policy and Grassroots Committee would give Alessandro an opportunity to play a bigger role in that annual event.
As a board member, Alessandro will travel twice a year to Virginia for board meetings as well as to the n4a national conference each summer. That conference will be held in San Diego this July, where Alessandro, Caregiving MetroWest Program Manager
Douglas Flynn and Caregiver Specialist
Alicia Rego will be on hand to present on BayPath's integrated home-, web- and community-based caregiver support program and accept an Aging Innovation Award for the Caregiving MetroWest website. Next year's national conference will be in Savannah, Georgia.
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ECC Providing Needed Help
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Checking in with the Elder Community Care program during Mental Health Awareness Month
 May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which provides us the chance to check in with one of BayPath's most important programs - Elder Community Care. ECC Program Triage Coordinator Cindy Getchell, MA was kind enough to explain a bit about the program and what it does.
The Elder Community Care program: What is it?
Getchell: ECC is a multi-agency community outreach program serving older adults who lack access to mental health care. The program offers in-home depression screening, mobile assessment and access to a crisis team, as well as providing resources and referrals to community services.
Why is a program like this important to elders and their families?
Getchell:
Depression is not a part of the normal aging process. Over seven million people over the age of 65 have some form of depression. Many elders do not want to receive traditional counseling for a variety of reasons, and barriers, which may include medical conditions and physical frailty, lack of transportation or financial resources, stigma around receiving therapy/traditional waiting rooms/clinics, and the idea that feeling "blue," are normal.
How can elders and their families find out more about the Elder Community Care program?
Getchell: For more information, go to the ECC website at www.eldercommunitycare.org. You can also access that site through the BayPath website by
clicking on "Our Services," then on "Elder Community Care." You may also call the Elder Community Care line directly at 508-573-7250. A referral can be made to the program, or community resources and information can be obtained. If you are having a mental health emergency, please contact 508-872-3333, a 24-hour mental health hotline.
Have news from your department or a staff member worthy of some recognition? Let us know about it for next month's BayPath Bulletin.
Send us your updates.
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Caregiving MetroWest Wins National Award
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BayPath earns n4a Aging Innovations Award for Caregiving MetroWest website program
Caregiving MetroWest has earned national acclaim. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) announced this month that BayPath Elder Services will be among the recipients of a 2016 n4a Aging Innovations Award for its Caregiving MetroWest program.
The award will be presented at a luncheon at the n4a national conference in San Diego in July. BayPath Executive Director
Christine Alessandro, Caregiving MetroWest Program Manager
Douglas Flynn and Caregiver Specialist
Ali
cia Rego will be on hand to accept, as well as to lead a presentation on the Caregiving MetroWest program at the conference.
We'd like to express our gratitute to n4a for the recognition and primary funder the MetroWest Health Foundation for helping make this program possible, and congratulate all the staff at BayPath who have contributed to this innovative project to address the growing needs of family caregivers.
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 Alessandro spreads word of BayPath's positive impact on community in television, print features
BayPath Elder Services, Inc. Executive Director
Christine Alessandro was a guest on Senior Scene, the Cable Show of the Secretary of Elder Affairs, on Tuesday, May 10.
The topic of this episode was Dementia Friendly Communities, with Alessandro (above right) joining Executive Office of Elder Affairs Assistant Secretary Carole Malone (left) and Olivia Mastry, the founding partner of The Collective Action Lab (Minnesota).
ACT on Alzheimer's is one of the initiatives under the Lab, and Mastry is also guiding national replication of ACT through an initiative entitled Dementia Friendly America. BayPath, through a grant from the MetroWest Health Foundation, is utilizing the ACT on Alzheimer's model to create dementia-friendly communities here in MetroWest, and has already begun the process in Marlborough, Hudson and Northborough.
That wasn't the only positive press BayPath has received in recent weeks. The agency was also featured in the
Fifty Plus Advocate. In a story that included an interview with Alessandro, Managing Editor
Bonnie Adams noted, "One of the most daunting events that can rock a family is when it is apparent that a beloved elder is in need of help due to a medical, physical or emotional change. ... For anyone facing this situation there is one nonprofit organization,
BayPath Elder Care Services, Inc., that can help guide and offer information, resources, and references in a compassionate, supportive way."
Alessandro was also featured in a
MetroWest Daily News article earlier this month that highlighted the ongoing effort to create dementia-friendly communities in Marlborough, Hudson and Northborough.
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Presenting a Bright Future at BayPath
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BayPath SCO GSSC Christen Papile stands beside her presentation on "The Effects of Aging in Place on an Elder's Quality of Life" that she delivered at Framingham State University before graduating earlier this month.
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I&R Specialist Cherry earns AIRS Certification
BayPath Information & Referral Specialist
Ellen Cherry earned her
AIRS (
Alliance of Information & Referral Systems) Certification this month.
The AIRS Program awards professional credentials internationally based on established standards for the field of information and referral. The program identifies specific competencies and related performance criteria, which describe the knowledge, skills, attitudes and work-related behaviors needed by I&R practitioners to successfully execute their duties.
BayPath Area Agency on Aging Assistant Director and ADRC Coordinator Fran Bakstran praised Cherry's hard work and accomplishment, noting that Cherry spent hours pouring over the 484-page training manual. Each section (26 in all) had a practice test which she completed as part of her preparation prior to signing up for the online three-hour certification test. The exam consisted of 100 multiple-choice questions.
She had two hours and 10 minutes for the exam and was required to score 75 or higher to pass.
Cherry began her studies in December while continuing to manage her other I&R responsibilities. She took the test on April 26, 2016. The certification is for two years with a re-certification test requirement in 2018 and ongoing training requirements of 10 hours per year on specific I&R related workshops and/or presentations.
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Thank you for taking the time to look through our newsletter, and please check out our website,
www.baypath.org. Have news, information or feedback from a client that you want to see in our next newsletter?
Let us know
BayPath Elder Services, Inc. is a member of the MetroWest ADRC,
a partnership with HESSCO and the MetroWest Center for Independent Living.
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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