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 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
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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 its clients and programs, and this past month witnessed five additions to our staff.
Moe Lewis-Wolf joins the agency as our new Nurse Manager, while Susan Burns comes aboard as our new Money Management Supervisor.
Occupational Therapist Elaine Cahill, Case Manager Erin Lacasse and I&R Specialist Stacey Lewis round out the month's additions.
Congratulations and welcome aboard.
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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, April recipients IT Manager Marie Spencer and IT Support Andrew Ravesi passed the sailboat on to Contracts Manager Crystal Alderfer.
Congratulations to her and to all of the former, and future, winners.
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BayPath's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Work Group held its second outreach event in as many months, hosting a Jazz Luncheon at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough on May 9.
The work group will continue to research the needs of LGBT older adults and caregivers in our area and is planning future events to reach out to this underserved community and help provide them with information, welcoming resources and support.
If you are interested in joining our community advisory group or supporting this important mission, please contact us at 508-573-7288.
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An anniversary and an upgrade highlight a memorable month
May has been a big month for Caregiving MetroWest. The interactive website celebrated the third anniversary of its launch on May 16, and introduced upgrades to one of its most popular features.
Throughout those three years, we have regularly added and updated the contents and features of the site to better meet the needs of area family caregivers.
Of all the additions we have made, none has been more important than the creation of Alicia Rego's Wellness Wall. Rego, the Caregiver Specialist at BayPath Elder Services, Inc., provides tips, advice and even the occasional recipe to help caregivers throughout the challenging journey of caring for a loved one.
The revamped Wellness Wall now has all past posts archived in smaller, more manageable pages, and each post has one or more category listing above the headline. You can see all the posts in each category by clicking on the links in the rail on the left side of the main Wellness Wall page. That Wellness Wall homepage is also easier to navigate with a short description of each post. Click on the headline to read the full entry.
There have been plenty of clicks already. In the three years since its launch,
CaregivingMetroWest.org has been visited by nearly 50,000 unique users and earned a national Aging Innovations Award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).
We'd like to thank everyone who has visited the site and helped make it a success and we look forward to helping many more family caregivers in the years to come.
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Older Americans Month provides opportunity to recognize contributions elder continue to make to our communities
Getting older doesn't mean what it used to. For many aging Americans, it is a phase of life where interests, goals, and dreams can get a new or second start. Today, aging is about eliminating outdated perceptions and living the way that suits you best.
Since 1963, Older Americans Month has been a time to celebrate older Americans, their stories, and their contributions. Led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the annual observance offers a special opportunity to learn about, support, and recognize our nation's older citizens. This year's theme, "Age Out Loud," emphasizes the ways older adults are living their lives with boldness, confidence, and passion while serving as an inspiration to people of all ages.
BayPath invites everyone to use this month to focus on how older adults in our community are redefining aging through work or family interests, by taking charge of their health, by staying independent for as long as possible, and through their community and advocacy efforts. We can also use this opportunity to learn how we can best support and learn from our community's older members.
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Board hosts breakfast for Mission Springs residents
The board members of Mission Springs hosted a wonderful breakfast for the residents on May 5. This board is comprised of representatives from BayPath, the Holliston community, and the Community Builders management company.
The members whipped up delicious waffles, eggs, bacon, fruit salad and many sweet treats, and 35 residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves at this now annual event!
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Mission Springs Board Members (front, l-r) Suzanne Shannahan, Allen Goldberg, (middle row, l-r) Kathy Nealon, BayPath Executive Director Christine Alessandro, Martha Cummings, Nancy Chandler, (back row l-r) Jon Juhl, Tony Berthod (TCB) and John Doherty were all smiles after providing residents with breakfast on May 5 at the supportive housing site in Holliston.
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Mental Health Awareness Month offers opportunity to check on consumers and utilize Elder Community Care Program
 May is also Mental Health Awareness Month at BayPath, and our staff has many opportunities to visit with and speak to consumers in our 14 communities. It is important to think about mental health as one area to be mindful of when speaking with a consumer or family member.
Often, it is thought that depression is a "normal" part of the aging process, but depression is not normal. Millions of older Americans thrive and lead happy, healthy lives.
Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand, and during many home visits it is discovered that the consumer has been treated in the past for either one or both of these health concerns. Treatment can include a variety of methods, from medications, to therapy, to hospitalization for severe symptoms. Prior mental health concerns are a "red flag," but symptoms can occur for the first time in those over age 60.
The Geriatric Mental Health Foundation has been cited in a blog sponsored by
"A Place For Mom" and lists warning signs for mental health concerns which include:
1. Sad or depressed mood lasting longer than two weeks
2. Social withdrawal; loss of interest in things that used to be enjoyable
3. Unexplained fatigue, energy loss, or sleep changes
4. Confusion, disorientation, problems with concentration or decision-making
5. Increase or decrease in appetite; changes in weight
6. Memory loss, especially recent or short-term memory problems
7. Feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, helplessness; thoughts of suicide
8. Physical problems that can't otherwise be explained: aches, constipation, etc.
9. Changes in appearance or dress, or problems maintaining the home or yard
10. Trouble handling finances or working with numbers
BayPath is fortunate to have the
Elder Community Care Program, a collaboration with Advocates Community Counseling, The United Way/TeleCheck and Call2Talk programs. Referrals should be made if you are concerned an elder may be in need of mental health services. These referrals can help begin the process of identifying and treating those who are exhibiting signs or symptoms of mental health concerns.
For more information, a good source is the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),
Healthy Aging website. Another source of information is the
National Institute of Mental Health.
Contributed by Cindy Getchell, ECC Coordinator. 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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Dementia-Friendly Initiative Moving Forward
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 COME 2 B Dementia Friendly Program making progress in Ashland, Westborough
COME 2 B Dementia Friendly Coordinator
Susan Longmoore checked in with an update on the community-based program seeking to create dementia-friendly communities in MetroWest.
BayPath Elder Services, Inc., with funding in part from the MetroWest Health Foundation and working in conjunction with stakeholders from all sectors of the community, has begun replicating the Act on Alzheimer's initiative in Minnesota to help MetroWest communities become informed, safe, and respectful of individuals with dementia and their families and caregivers, as well as providing supportive options that foster quality of life.
The town of Ashland is the latest community to join this program, and had its kick-off meeting on May 23 at the Ashland Senior Center to officially start the process. The co-chairs of this initiative are Ashland Council on Aging Director
Joanne Duffy and Ashland Selectman
Steve Mitchell. They have been busy spreading the word around Ashland and getting support to start this initiative.
Meanwhile, the town of Westborough is finishing up surveying its community this month. The co-chairs of the survey process are
George Barrette and
Shelby Marshall. Students from the Westborough High School National Honor Society also took part and volunteered to survey community members. It was a true community effort.
The team is looking forward to analyzing results from the survey over the summer.
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Under New Money Management
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Burns brings experience, unique background to BayPath
For the first time in over six years, BayPath's Money Management Program has a new face leading the program.
Susan Burns joined the agency this month in the role of Money Management Supervisor, and brings a wealth of experience and an intriguing background to the program.
"Sue comes to BayPath by way of Minuteman Elder Services Nutrition Program. She supervised the Nutrition Program for the Town of Stow," said BayPath Area Agency on Aging Assistant Director Fran Bakstran. "This included supervision and training of the volunteers. She also has a background in small business operations as a staff person at Amerscot House Inn, Stow, MA. Combine these two experiences and we have a person skilled in finance who knows how to train, supervise and motivate a volunteer brigade.
"Most interesting though is her education background with a Master's of Science in Epidemiology and Bachelor's in Microbiology," added Bakstran. "So whether you have a consumer in need of a bill payer, or something growing in your unwashed coffee mug, Sue is who you should reach out to."
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New Caregiving Course a Hit in Hudson
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 Ten Savvy Caregivers complete six-week workshop in Hudson
The first offering of our new training workshop for caregivers held our sixth and final class on May 11, with 10 area caregivers successfully completing the Savvy Caregiver class.
The Savvy Caregiver Program is a free six-week training series for family and friends who are active caregivers taking care of a person living with Alzheimer's or related dementia. The course is designed to help caregivers understand the impact of dementia on both themselves and the person they are caring for, learn the skills to manage daily life, take control and set goals, communicate more effectively, strengthen family resources, feel better about their caregiving, and learn to take care of themselves as well as the loved one they are caring for.
"This has been a wonderful opportunity, a chance to learn and ask questions," wrote one participant in the post-workshop survey. "Thank you for making this program available. The manual is a good tool that can be shared with other family members.
"I try to process 'my challenging times' with my mom through her eyes, understanding what life is like for her right now," added the same caregiver about the changes she has made as a result of the Savvy Caregiver training.
The course was taught by Caregiving MetroWest Program Manager Douglas Flynn and BayPath Caregiver Specialist Alicia Rego. We would like to thank the Hudson Senior Center for providing the space for the class and to both the Hudson Senior Center and Pleasantries Adult Day and Consulting Services for providing lunches to the participants each week.
And most of all, we would like to congratulate all of the participants who have now acquired the knowledge and skills to be true Savvy Caregivers.
Next stop: Southborough
We will be offering the course again soon, with a workshop planned for the summer at the Southborough Senior Center.
That will take place on Tuesdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m., beginning on July 11 and ending on August 15. For more information or to register, call Southborough Senior Center Program Coordinator Peg Leonard or Outreach Coordinator Cynthia Beard at 508-229-4453.
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All of us at BayPath Elder Services, Inc. wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend and thank all who have served and sacrificed to defend our Nation's freedom.
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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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