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Our Mission
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 40 years of 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

   

Our Services
Our Service Area
BayPath Elder Services, Inc. serves the following communities:

Ashland
Dover
Framingham
Holliston
Hopkinton
Hudson
Marlborough
Natick
Northborough
Sherborn
Southborough
Sudbury
Wayland
Westborough  
Welcome Aboard
BayPath continues to expand to meet the needs of its clients and programs, and this past month witnessed four additions to our staff.

Jeanette Hall joins the agency as a Geriatric Senior Services Coordinator in our Senior Care Options program, while Shawna Terkanian comes aboard as a case manager. Mateus Heitz is the agency's new billing coordinator and Leslie Clark joins the Elder Nutrition Program as a kitchen assistant and driver.

Congratulations and welcome aboard.

Sailing On
BayPath has long followed a special tradition to recognize the dedication, selflessness and passion of its staff.

At each month's staff meeting, a staff member is chosen to receive the coveted sailboat. It
is awarded to a staff member who deserves some special recognition for their efforts. Adding significance is the fact that the current holder of the sailboat gets to select the next winner, so this is an honor bestowed by a fellow staff member who sees their co-worker's special contributions every day.

This month, Area Agency on Aging Assistance Director Fran Bakstran was the recipient, getting the sailboat from last month's winner, SCO GSSC Angela Yildiz.


Congratulations to Bakstran and all of the former, and future, winners.

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Caregiver Corner

BayPath offering Savvy Caregiver course in Hudson this spring
BayPath's Family Caregiver Support Program and Caregiving MetroWest are offering a new caregiver training class this spring at the Hudson Senior Center.

The Savvy Caregiver Program is a FREE six-session training series for family and friends who are active caregivers of a person living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.

This class will help you become an expert in caregiving for someone with Alzheimer's or related dementias by helping you understand the impact of dementia on both you and the person you are caring for, learn the skills you need to manage daily life, take control and set goals, communicate more effectively, strengthen family resources, feel better about your caregiving and take care of yourself.


The class is open only to current family caregivers and is not intended for professional caregivers. It will meet once a week on Thursdays from 12-2 p.m. (please arrive at 11:45 a.m. for check-in, as class will begin promptly at 12 p.m.). The first class in on April 6 and the final class will be on May 11.

Complementary lunches will be provided thanks to the generous donations of the Hudson Senior Center and Pleasantries Adult Day and Consulting Services, and respite care is available on site at the DayBreak Program. To register, contact Caregiver Specialist Alicia Rego at 508-573-7239 or arego@baypath.org or Caregiving MetroWest Program Manager Douglas Flynn at 508-573-7204 or dflynn@baypath.org.

Ready, Set for Spring
Statue of George Brown stands ever ready to get the Boston Marathon under way at the start line in Hopkinton.
 
March, 2017

Four Decades and Still Going Strong
BayPath Executive Director Christine Alessandro helps commemorate the agency's 40th anniversary at March's staff meeting.

BayPath celebrates a special milestone as agency turns 40 
For most of us, turning 40 isn't something you want to dwell on too much. Not when you can celebrate that 39th birthday a few more times anyway.

But for a non-profit agency, reaching a fourth decade is a milestone to celebrate proudly. And heading into its fifth decade of operation, BayPath and the services it provides to older adults, persons with disabilities and caregivers remain more vital than ever. Our commitment to the 14 MetroWest communities we serve is as steadfast today as it was when we first opened our doors in 1977.

BayPath Elder Services celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding on March 28, with the occasion recognized at the monthly staff meeting. Breakfast treats and decorations greeted the staff in the board room, but, more importantly, Executive Director Christine Alessandro and other members of the senior management team offered reflections on the growth of the agency, the contributions of the staff and the impact our work has had on the communities we serve.

Hopefully, our 40th year is just the beginning for us. As we've learned many times over from the consumers we serve, there are still many, many good years to come.
BayPath, Advocates Team Up to Address Needs
BayPath adds to its mental health supports with Advocates Psychiatric Emergency Services on site two days a week
BayPath Elder Services has introduced a new project in partnership with Advocates Psychiatric Emergency Services. Beginning the week of March 27, Advocates will have one of their PES clinicians, Nancy King Bolger, on-site at BayPath all day on Wednesdays and Fridays. 
                                                                                                    
King Bolger will be here at BayPath to assist with consumer psychiatric crises or urgent mental health concerns. She will be available to do mobile assessments, joint visits, and consultations for cases where BayPath staff are unsure what course of action should be taken.
 
This program will complement the existing Elder Community Care Program, which BayPath participates in with Advocates and the United Way of Tri-County to provide comprehensive assessment and counseling services to elders and their families in MetroWest.
Stating Our Case on Elder Lobby Day
Representative Carolyn Dykema (left) poses with Christine Alessandro, Douglas Flynn and John Cooper. / Photo Courtesy of Dykema's office
BayPath staff make their pitch for programs at State House
Advocates for elder care packed Nurses Hall with a standing room only crowd to kick off this year's Elder Lobby Day on the morning February 27, at the State House in Boston.
 
BayPath Elder Services was represented by Executive Director Christine Alessandro, Caregiving MetroWest Program Manager Douglas Flynn and Case Manager John Cooper. They met with Representatives Carolyn Dykema, Carmine Gentile and Danielle Gregiore, as well as staff from Senator Karen Spilka and Representative Chris Walsh.

BayPath expresses its appreciation for all of the representatives and staff who took the time to meet and discuss the issues facing older adults, persons with disabilities and caregivers and some of the pending pieces of legislation that could help support them.
 
Spring Planning
April is Healthcare Decisions Month, with plenty of events on tap to highlight the importance of advance care planning 
April is Healthcare Decisions Month, with the 10th anniversary of National Healthcare Decisions care being highlighting a month-long recognition of the importance of advance care planning.

This year, National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) will actually span a full week, from April 16 to April 22. On its website, NHDD notes that it "exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning. NHDD is an initiative to encourage patients to express their wishes regarding healthcare and for providers and facilities to respect those wishes, whatever they may be. The theme for 2017 is 'It Always Seems Too Early, Until It's Too Late.' "

In addition to NHDD, the upcoming month will feature a number of other informative events throughout the Commonwealth as Honoring Choices Massachusetts has teamed with The Conversation Project and the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care to produce a series of downloadable tools and a series of public events to help consumers make a plan and get connected to person-centered care in their community. Check out their calendar of events topics, times and locations.
 
T here is a free Getting Started tool kit from Honoring Choices to start to make your own health care plan. You can view and download Write Your Script from the MA Coalition for Serious Illness Care and   The Conversation Project Starter Tool Kit to help adults talk about their wishes for end of life care. 
Granting Help for Older Adults and Caregivers
BayPath seeks proposals for Older Americans Act grants
BayPath Elder Services, Inc., a federally designated Area Agency on Aging, invites organizations to apply for grants under the Older Americans Act, Title III, Parts B (supportive services) and E (support services for family caregivers).

Grants will be awarded through a competitive proposal review process, to support and extend comprehensive and coordinated services enabling persons age 60 and over to remain living in their homes and communities. The communities are Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Natick, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland and Westborough.

Proposals must support or extend (1) access to services, (2) in-home services, (3) legal services, (4) community-based services and/or (5) nutrition services. Grant year is October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.

"Letters of Intent" are requested from organizations and should be submitted with a brief program description, budget estimates, number of elders / caregivers to be served, estimated service units, and community or communities to be served. The "Letters of Intent" will be screened and the applications for Title III funding will then be issued to appropriate agencies and programs.

The deadline for "Letters of Intent" is 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The deadline for completed grant application is 5 p.m. Friday, June 2, 2017. A technical assistance session for prospective applicants will be held Thursday May 4, 2017 at 10 a.m., at BayPath Elder Services, 33 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough, MA 01752. To attend the technical assistance session, or for further information, contact, Fran Bakstran at 508-573-7346 or fbakstran@baypath.org.
Survey Process Under Way in Westborough
Action team seeks input from town stakeholders as COME 2B Dementia Friendly makes progress in Westborough
COME 2B Dementia Friendly Communities Coordinator
Susan Longmoore checked in with the BayPath Bulletin with an update on progress in Westborough. Longmoore reported that the Westborough COME 2B Dementia Friendly action team has begun the survey process in the fourth community served by this BayPath initiative.

Westborough's action team began the survey process on March 27 and will continue reaching out to community stakeholder for their feedback through May 8.

The action team has identified 164 sites in Westborough that it plans to survey. Longmoore noted that it is an ambitious target as they are looking to gather input from many local key entities, but the team was excited to begin the process.

Directing this assessment phase are the co-chairs of the action team, George Barrette and Shelby Marshall. Assisting the team with the surveys will be approximately 8-10 students from the Westborough High School Honor Society. The students will be trained on how to conduct the surveys by members of the Westborough action team.

Longmoore concluded by adding that the Westborough team continues to grow with the addition of new members and word is spreading fast about creating a dementia friendly Westborough.
Connecting to All Communities
LGBT work group hosting film screening, jazz luncheon
BayPath's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender work group is hosting a pair of events in the coming weeks for the LGBT community and allies.

On Thursday, April 6 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Southborough the documentary "Gen Silent," which focuses on six LGBT elders living in the Boston area, will be shown. Following the film, there will be a community discussion about the "Gen Silent" film and how BayPath can support LGBT elders in the MetroWest area.

On Tuesday, May 9, a Jazz Luncheon Social for LGBT older adults will be held at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Come hear some great music, meet others, and enjoy a free lunch buffet. 

If you are interested in attending either event, volunteering as part of our advisory group, sponsoring an event, helping to develop a comprehensive resource guide, or donating to this important mission please contact us at 508-573-7288.

Tasteful Outreach
BayPath Caregiver Specialist Alicia Rego (left) and Caregiving MetroWest Program Manager Douglas Flynn were on hand at the Sheraton Framingham for the 7th Annual Taste of MetroWest on March 21. We would like to thank all of the people who stopped by our table to learn about the programs, resources and services BayPath Elder Services provides.
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.
BayPath Elder Services, Inc.| 508-573-7200 | http://www.baypath.org

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