The welfare of our consumers and staff come first!

BayPath Elder Services is in close contact with the  MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs , the  Department of Public Health , and other state and local agencies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to follow their guidance, as well as the CDC recommended best practices. We are also in close communication with our extensive network of in-home service providers and community partners during this crisis.

We are continuing to provide services and thank all of our consumers for being patient with us as we make the necessary adjustments to enforce all possible precautions to safeguard wellness. 

Home Delivered Meals

This week Meals on Wheels delivery resumed on a restricted Tuesday and Friday schedule for all consumers who are part of the Meals on Wheels program. We are providing three meals on each delivery day so that our consumers are covered for the days in between deliveries while practicing proper social distancing. Additionally, the Elder Nutrition Program is now processing new Title III consumers.

A huge shout out to all staff who volunteered to deliver shelf-stable meals last week! We also want to send a big thank you to our office team led by Kim Ketron, with support from Ines Barros and Nez Fontes, for fielding many Meals on Wheels calls during the past two weeks. It is excellent to have phone support to help consumers navigate through the many changes the past few weeks have brought.

Internal communication while sheltering in place.

We have had great success through the use of technology in keeping our work flowing and communication open. We have weekly "All Staff" video conferencing to stay in touch, update each other, and generally boost each other's morale while self-isolating. 

Additionally, Jeff Gardella, BayPath's IT Applications Specialist, worked very hard, uniting our staff via technology. All BayPath staffers are up to speed working via a VPN connection and using Microsoft Teams as a way to rapidly communicate, video chat, and create workgroups for specialized discussions within our departments. We thank our staff for their extra efforts in learning these new ways to collaborate in such a short time. 

This communication is what is enabling us to provide the best support possible for our consumers while we ensure our collective safety.

The LGBTQ+ Initiative

Though we have been unable to conduct our Pathways Cafe or our chat group "Coffee & Celebration," we are still offering support and working hard to connect community members with information and services. Julie Nowak, our LGBTQ+ Initiative Coordinator, is willing to talk to anyone in need. You can contact her via the following methods:

This resource, created in conjunction with MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the  Department of Public Health , offers family and community members one central contact to reach out to if they have questions or concerns about the care their loved one is receiving during the COVID-19 outbreak. The line is staffed from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days a week. Staff will coordinate across state agencies to help callers find answers to their questions. Families and community members can call the line at (617) 660-5399.

Stay-at-home advisory still in place

The state's stay at home advisory and mandatory closures of non-essential businesses are still in place until noon on May 4, 2020.

CVS offers rapid testing in Lowell

A new CVS rapid testing site has launched in Lowell, stopping COVID-19 testing at the original Shrewsbury pilot testing site. CVS Lowell will provide on-the-spot COVID-19 testing and results at no cost. Patients will need to pre-register in advance online at CVS.com to schedule a same-day time slot for testing.

READ MORE

Additional information from Mass.gov

Click here for more information from the 4/8/2020 press release from the Baker-Polito Administration.

In the release:

Information on avoiding scams

" How to Spot, Avoid and Report CORONAVIRUS SCAMS"

Tips from the Federal Trade Commission.

Keep up with proven facts regarding coronavirus

The best place to stay informed from data from a credible medical agency.

As previously mentioned, BayPath will continue to update our website and social media platforms as rapidly as possible. (See below for links.)



The welfare of our consumers and our staff continues to be our top priority. We have dedicated ourselves to uniting together so that we may all get through this crisis as safely as possible. Below is one of many examples of this unity.

Bree Dao and her mother/mask-maker Heather Crump (both of Marlborough) have been making cloth masks for Marlborough community members and Massachusetts hospitals, nurses, etc. BayPath Information and Referral specialist Alexis Smither reached out for two masks, one for a BayPath consumer and the other for her in-home health aide. The receipt of these two masks helped to reduce the consumer’s anxiety about receiving much-needed support. Alexis reached out to Bree again to see if we could get any more masks for high-risk consumers, and Bree and Heather graciously have donated 12 additional masks*. ( *Please note, BayPath is not making masks. These were special circumstances.)

Angela Yildiz , Senior Care Options (SCO) Supervisor, delivered two masks to BayPath consumer, Diane from Marlboro (pictured at right) , who is beyond appreciative of having a mask for herself and for the friend who takes her shopping for groceries!

In these times, it is incredible that a small piece of cloth can bring our community together and provide a bit of security to each other. Thank you, Alexis, Bree, and Heather, for your efforts and thoughtfulness.