The BayPath Bulletin                                         All the News You Need ASAP




 
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 consumers and programs, and this month a number of new faces joined our staff.

Theresa Eckstrom joins our management team as the Director of Client Services. Theresa comes to BayPath with many years of experience at Elder Services of Worcester, and will oversee SCO/OneCare, Home Care and Quality.

Also new to BayPath are Barbara Finkemeyer (Contracts Administrative  Assistant), Sabrina Litalien (SCO Supervisor),
Elizabeth Cost (Administrative Assistant) and Christen Auger (Case
Manager).

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.

At the January staff meeting, the previous recipient, PCA Nurse Robin Logan, passed the sailboat on to Nutrition Program Coordinator Kathy Villanueva for her dedicated work for the agency.

Congratulations to Kathy and to all of the former, and future, winners of this unique honor.

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Caregiver Corner
Caregiving Chronicles offers information for those caring for loved one with hearing loss
CaregivingMetroWest.org continues to provide in-depth and updated information and resources for family caregivers.

In our Caregiving Chronicles Q&A series, we cover some of the pressing issues and concerns that caregivers may face in caring for a loved one in a variety of circumstances and with a wide rang of health conditions. 
 
Our most recent Q&As have included discussions of issues involving hearing loss for older adults and some strategies for caring for a loved one with hearing loss, as well as ways to recognize the early signs of Alzheimer's or another dementia, how to differentiate those signs from the normal aging process and what to do when a loved starts to show such signs. Juanita Allen Kingsley of the Natick VNA provided insight on both of those topics. 
 
Check out the Caregiving Chronicles blog archive for other past Q&As and all of our informative posts.
Black History Month

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. provides an inspiring sight in the nation's capital. The monument is inscribed with, "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope" from King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and serves as inspiration during Black History Month and every day of the year.

BayPath Elder Services gratefully acknowledges the contributions African-Americans have made throughout the nation's history.
February, 2018

Starting the Year in Style 
Ed Hutchinson and Tony Saluci enjoy the food and fun at the Marlborough Supportive Housing New Year's party.

BayPath Kitchen Coordinator Karen Basinet serves up some tasty party treats.
Marlborough supportive housing carries the holiday spirit into the New Year
The New Year at our Marlborough Supportive Housing site has started with a lot of fun!

We rang in 2018 with a special holiday luncheon celebration. The tenants came out in droves for the great food and all had a fabulous time. Special thanks go to BayPath Elder Services Kitchen Coordinator Karen Basinet, who served up a lot of food, cake and good times for our residents!

On Valentine's Day, Senior Whole Health sponsored a Valentine's Day event for our residents at 397 Bolton Street, bringing goodies and craft items. Love was in the air as one resident who professed that he was a "secret admirer" created a gift and card for his special someone!

Senior Whole Health also hosts a monthly Blood Pressure clinic at 240 Main Street for the supportive housing tenants, which is well attended and appreciated by our consumers. Thank you to Marketing Specialist Hellen Moreira and Van Dam, RN from Senior Whole Health for providing these services free of charge to our consumers.

-- Submitted by Jane Rourk, Marlborough Supportive Housing Coordinator
Staff Benefiting from LGBT Training
BayPath LGBT Initiative Coordinator Julie Nowak (right) and Elder Community Care Coordinator Cindy Getchell lead a recent staff training.
LGBT Initiative's staff competency training under way, informational events scheduled for March and June
BayPath's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Initiative is expanding its reach! About a third of our staff has completed our LGBT Elders Cultural Competency Training, and we have had some excellent conversations as well as positive feedback. Thank you to all who have participated so far!

We will continue to offer more opportunities to take part in this training until we have met with all our staff, and then we will offer this training quarterly so that new hires can participate. Meanwhile, we'll be offering our training to local agencies and groups to increase awareness and understanding of the elder LGBT community in MetroWest.

Recently we offered an information table in the vendors' room at First Event, a Marlborough-based convention of Transgender, Nonbinary (NB), Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) and Genderqueer people.   We made some new friends as we talked with older participants, and they seemed very happy to know that BayPath is welcoming to their community and working to ensure each client is treated with good care, dignity, and respect.

Our Facebook page, Pathways of Baypath Elder Services, continues to feature articles about achievements and concerns of the LGBT community. It also showcases welcoming events hosted by BayPath and other groups in the MetroWest area, as we continue to work in partnership with our friends at the Natick Community Center's LGBT Program and Pinwheels Café in Newton. We want to provide our elders with as many social and/or educational opportunities as possible.

In March, we'll begin our Coffee & Conversation series with a talk from our friend Sandy Austin, who will bring her legal expertise to the topic of preparing official documents and estate planning for LGBT people on March 2 at 9:30 a.m. here at our BayPath offices. This is particularly necessary when a person has become estranged from their family of origin, to ensure that properties, effects, and legal rights are given to their partner.

In June, in collaboration with Framingham State University, we will screen the documentary Gen Silent which follows the lives of several Boston-area LGBT elders. We're excited to announce that the film's directors, Stu Maddux and Joe Applebaum, will be present along with Lisa Krinsky and Bob Linscott from the LGBT Aging Project for a very special conversation with the audience.
 
-- Submitted by Julie Nowak, BayPath Elder Services LGBT Initiative 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.    
Learn More About Traumatic Brain Injuries
BayPath's Courtney Cassels contributing information and resources on traumatic brain injury with weekly columns
Each Tuesday, BayPath Options Counselor and TBI Specialist Courtney Cassels provides an informative column on subjects related to traumatic brain injury for the BayPath staff and the community at large through our Facebook page.

Her most recent entry discussed how certain foods and help brain injury recovery: 
 
Good morning and Happy TBI Tidbit Tuesday!
 
According to scientific research conducted by Fernando Gomez-Pinilla and Kristina Kostenkova, findings indicated that diet and exercise are two non-invasive approaches that can be used to improve molecular mechanisms of neural repair after brain surgery.

The researchers found that the following have been proven to show improved cognition and protection of neurons when looking at recovery after a brain injury: Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Vitamin E, Curcumin, and Caffeine.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to have healthy effects of dietary factors on the brain. For example, fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve cognition, plasticity, and recovery of neurons after TBI. Another benefit of omega-3 fatty acids is they help to reduce oxidative stress damage that results from trauma.

Another dietary supplement that has shown promise in protecting neurons is Vitamin E, found in certain oils, nuts, and spinach. Vitamin E functions as an antioxidant, reducing free radicals in the brain which would otherwise impede optimal function of neurons. Vitamin E has also shown positive effects on memory performance in older people.

Curcumin, a yellow curry spice, has also been suggested to enhance recovery events after brain trauma, displaying particular potency in preserving cognition. Curcumin was found to improve neuronal function in individuals afflicted with Alzheimer's disease by reducing oxidative stress and amyloid pathology.

Studies observing the effects of caffeine on neuronal regeneration and function are recently emerging. A new study shows that chronic, but not acute treatment with caffeine protects the brain against injury in animal models of Parkinson's disease and stroke by increasing glutamate release and inflammatory cytokine production.

Not all forms of exercise show the same effects on brain cognition and synaptic plasticity. The most effective form of exercise is cardiovascular exercise. A study that compared the effects of treadmill running, swim training, and stand training were compared in injured rats. The study found that treadmill exercise to be the most effective in the recovery process. The findings indicate that cardiovascular activity similar to running or walking is most closely tied to neuronal regeneration out of the three exercise methods studied.

A Healthy Brain is a Happy Brain!
Volunteers Needed
BayPath Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program seeks volunteers with next training scheduled for the spring
BayPath Elder Services' Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program needs volunteers to visit long-term care facilities to make sure residents are getting the care and service they expect.

Volunteers work with residents, staff, and families to achieve this end. The initial time commitment is a three-day certification training and then up to three hours a week in the nursing home. There is also a monthly volunteer meeting to discuss issues and best practices.

The next Ombudsman Certification training will be held at BayPath in the spring. Stay tuned for more information on that once the dates have been finalized.

The training is three full days and includes topics: Ombudsman Basics; Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest; Resolving Concerns and Resolution Strategies; Documentation; DPH Regulatory Process; Resident Rights; and more.

If you have a few hours a week and are interested, please contact Mary Brooks, Director of Ombudsman Program, at 508-573-7200, x235. And please do so soon as there is a process before training which includes  interview, CORI check and visits to a couple of facilities.
Communications Upgrade
Mission Springs introduces One Call Now system
Mission Springs Resident Services Coordinator Julia Schneiderman, MS, LSW, checks in this month with the exciting new that Mission Springs has started to utilize the One Call Now system!

"This is a great communication system where the staff can notify all residents simultaneously about important events," writes Schneiderman. "It has been used to inform residents about water issues, building maintenance, and moving cars for snow removal. It can also be used to remind residents of social events. Resident response for this system has been very positive." 
BayPath Bowl Bonanza

BayPath got an early start on the Super Bowl festivities on the Thursday before the big game with a tailgate-themed lunch gathering.

The "BayPath Bowl Bonanza" was organized by the FUN Committee and drew a large crowd of staffers and an even larger feast as staff members brought in a wide array of tailgate foods for the potluck party. Thanks go out to the FUN Committee for putting this together and especially to everyone who brought in food to share.

Unfortunately the Pats couldn't complete the festivities with a win over Philadelphia, but everyone who participated in the BayPath Bowl Bonanza was definitely a winner.
 
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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