NBOC Assisted Living Newsletter
  January 2013
Avis Leban and family

Resident Avis Leban

and family celebrate

Hanukkah at NewBridge


Happy New Year! After a busy holiday season, we are pleased to bring you the January issue of To Life!, the quarterly newsletter of the Assisted Living Community of NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham, MA.
 
NewBridge on the Charles is a continuing care retirement community created by Hebrew SeniorLife, a national leader in senior care and an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Have you heard about Hebrew SeniorLife's ReAge movement? To learn more, please visit http://www.agingredefined.org today.

To learn more about Assisted Living and Memory Care Assisted Living at NewBridge on the Charles, contact Tara Fleming Caruso at 781-234-9404 or tflemingcaruso@hsl.harvard.edu.  

In this Issue.... 

We invite you to: 

    • REVEL in the new enhancements to our memory care programming,  
    • RELATE to the personal experience of one of our family members,     
    • REAP the wisdom of our admissions counselor, as featured in the Wall Street Journal
    • READ about Dr. Ruth Westheimer's new book, which cites NewBridge experts, 
    • REMEMBER the dates of some upcoming Resident programming, and, as always, 
    • REACH OUT to talk about how we can help!    

Hint REVEL: Expansion of Therapeutic Programming in Memory Care   

Prescription: Art
Resident Irving Wecker
pictured in Boston Globe

 

We are excited to share that the new year brings significant enhancements to our Memory Care Assisted Living programming. Since opening, NewBridge Assisted Living has emphasized expressive arts therapies for Residents living with Alzheimer's and/or a related dementia. In fact, the Boston Globe recently featured our program, describing it as "what today's cutting-edge Alzheimer's treatment looks like."  

 

Led by a well-credentialed team of masters-level therapists, Memory Care Assisted Living residents engage in four hours of therapeutic programming daily - spanning modalities such as music, visual arts, movement and poetry. Starting this month, we are now offering two concurrent groups (instead of one) led by expressive arts therapists during each of these hours. What does that mean? In addition to smaller group size which allows for far more individualized attention, having two options allows even greater customization of each Resident's experience based on personal interests and cognitive level. This is just one more way Memory Care Assisted Living at NewBridge on the Charles stands apart from any other program in the area.  

 

Learn more about Memory Care Assisted Living at NewBridge on the Charles.    

ReconnectRELATE RELATE: "Nothing can describe the relief a family like ours feels." 

Laura Zigman shares her family's experience navigating the unexpected with NewBridge Assisted Living:
  
Laura Zigman
Laura Zigman
Daughter of Resident 

 

"They say that life is what happens when you're busy making other plans, which is what happened to my father this summer. Two years widowed, he was planning to start the process of moving into an assisted living facility. He was ready, finally, to live alone with less loneliness; to have help with things he could no longer do on his own with absolute certainty and clarity; to enjoy people when he craved company and to have his privacy when he wanted to be alone.


"We, too, were ready to worry less and enjoy the best moments of our time together as a family more. We were ready for his caretaking to be taken care of by others who were more experienced than we were and to know he would be safe at all times.  But no sooner had he visited Newbridge and added his name to the wait-list and we'd all left with a sense of celebration that a new phase of his life was about to start, he was diagnosed with an aggressively-terminal illness. We were shocked, and crushed. The prospects for his future seemed even dimmer not knowing if, after surgery and his stay at NewBridge's Rehabilitation Center, the Assisted Living model would be right for him and if he'd be right for it. But thanks to the compassionate and creative out-of-the-box thinking of the Assisted Living team, we found that fit in an apartment in the Memory Care unit. 


"Nothing can describe the sense of relief a family like ours feels when their beloved elder is in a beautiful and safe place, staffed by truly incredible people:  from administrators and nurses, to aides and caretakers, to rabbis and program leaders and dining room servers -- who treat the residents and their families with unparalleled respect and dignity and thoughtfulness. We are deeply grateful for the care my father has received the past few months and that he continues to receive -- something we are reminded of at the beginning, and end, of every precious visit."     

 

Hear from other family members and Residents.

Heart REAP: Wall Street Journal Interviews Admissions Counselor, Cites eBook

Mother and Son
Get our free e-book at www.agingredefined.org

In our last issue, we told you about Hebrew SeniorLife's popular new ebook entitled "You & Your Aging Parents: A Family Approach to Lifelong Health, Wellness & Care" which includes a chapter on housing authored by our own admissions counselor Tara Fleming Caruso. Since then, almost 1,500 people have downloaded the free eBook and even the Wall Street Journal has taken note.

Family finance columnist Kelly Greene recently interviewed Tara for a column entitled "Can Dad Still Live Alone?" in which she addresses the importance of having direct conversations with family members in advance of aging-related crises. Greene describes a phenomenon we know well when she writes:

"Going home for the holidays can be traumatic when you have an elderly parent.

Geriatric social workers, financial planners and staff at long-term-care facilities have seen the same scenario play out many times: Adult children are struck by dramatic changes in their parents' abilities to care for themselves and their home-or they realize just how quickly Mom or Dad's memory has declined. 

At that point, families swing into crisis mode.  But with little or no time to research their options, they often are limited by what's immediately available, says Tara Fleming Caruso, an admissions counselor at NewBridge on the Charles, a retirement community in Dedham, Mass...." 

 

Read the rest of this column in the Wall Street Journal.   

RECOGNIZE READ: Dr. Ruth's New Book Thanks "Wonderful" NewBridge Team 

Dr. Ruth's new book for Alzheimer's Caregivers
Dr. Ruth's new book for Alzheimer's caregivers.

In 2011, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, famed psychologist, sex therapist, media personality and author came to NewBridge on the Charles to speak at our College of Retirement Living series. After giving a memorable talk about "Staying Sexy" in your senior years, Dr. Ruth met with many Hebrew SeniorLife and NewBridge on the Charles professionals to gather information for her next project -- a book for Alzheimer's caregivers.

 

Now available in stores, "Dr. Ruth's Guide for the Alzheimer's Caregiver: How to Care for Your Loved One without Getting Overwhelmed . . . and without Doing It All Yourself," includes valuable wisdom about the emotional, practical and medical issues caregivers face. We are also pleased to see it include acknowledgement of the "wonderful" NewBridge on the Charles and Hebrew SeniorLife leadership teams, including specific mention of our own Memory Care Program Director Diana Miller.  

   

Learn more about Dr. Ruth's new book.   

 

Happenings REMEMBER: January Programs

 

Assisted Living programming will include these events and more... 

Gore Place
Historic Gore Place
 

Recycling for a Green Future, January 16

Join a conversation about the stuff we buy, use, discard and save with Margaret Stein, Assistant Director for the Foundation for a Green Future. This is the first installment of our new environmental awareness series. 

 

Classical Jazz Piano, 1917 - Present, January 23

Explore the last hundred years of classical jazz piano with acclaimed concert pianist and educator Michael Feldman. Part presentation, part performance, this program brings the "swing." 

 

Historic New England Outing: Gore Place, January 24

Enjoy a private guided tour of the historic house and estate of Massachusetts Governor Christopher Gore, which has been called "the Monticello of the North." 


View our monthly calendar of assisted living programming.   

 

 

 Memory Care Assisted Living programming will include these events and more...   

 

Destination Dining 

Men's Discussion Group, January 21
Join other men to discuss news, sports, music and more from a male perspective.  

 

Dance Movement and You, January 30

Explore movement as a means of expression and exercise in this weekly therapy group.   

 

Destination Dining, February 5  

Venture to a new restaurant each week! Dedham, Needham and Norwood are on the menu.   

  

View our monthly calendar of memory care assisted living programming.  

 

Hello REACH OUT: Let's Talk!  


Tara Fleming Caruso
Call Tara at 781-234-9404
Start with a Personal Telephone Consultation...


Sometimes it's hard to know where to start. As you explore Assisted Living and Memory Care Assisted Living further, please feel free to contact Admissions Counselor Tara Fleming Caruso at 781-234-9404 or tflemingcaruso@hsl.harvard.edu. A 19-year veteran in the field of senior care and a licensed mental health counselor, Tara helps families daily to evaluate their situations and determine whether NewBridge on the Charles may be the right fit.   

 

Then Come for a Tour & More! 

 

Visiting is the best way to get a feel for our community. Private tours for seniors and family members are available by appointment.  


In addition, potential Residents are invited to experience NewBridge through our "Resident for a Day" program. Based on interests and availability, we'll help plan a day that works for the individual -- perhaps enjoy lunch, take in a concert, meet some of our Residents and then explore the grounds at one's own pace. Contact Tara at 781-234-9404 or tflemingcaruso@hsl.harvard.edu to learn more about the many ways to structure this experience.
We look forward to seeing you soon at NewBridge! 

 

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NewBridge on the Charles, 6000 Great Meadow Road, Dedham, MA 02026  781-234-9400  

Jack Satter Assisted Living Residences ~ Gilda and Alfred A. Slifka Memory Support Assisted Living Residences