March 29, 2022
Dear Colleague,
Even though there has been snow on our campuses this March, spring is here and we look forward to all the things we appreciate most in the warm weather. For many of our residents, patients, and employees, this means the walking trails, paved paths, community gardens, and outdoor seating areas across our six campuses.
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The Many Benefits of Community
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Our continuing care retirement communities in Canton and Dedham offer people age 62+ a continuum of care ensuring that they have access to services as their needs change. You may already know that Orchard Cove is a welcoming community for older adults where friendly neighbors, social opportunities, the arts, and natural beauty abound. But do you know why the town of Canton is a great place for seniors? Boston's local ABC-TV affiliate featured Canton's fascinating history and future as home to the Paul Revere heritage site and an up-and-coming restaurant scene. If you haven't visited Orchard Cove, I invite you and your clients to see for yourself, and better yet contact our sales counselors, David Calnan and Sandra Spring, at 781-821-1730 for a tour. We'll also participate in the Canton Heritage Festival on May 14 and hope you'll come down and learn more about Orchard Cove and the town of Canton.
At NewBridge on the Charles, our approach to assisted living is focused on taking care of the little things so that residents can focus on what matters most to them. Our apartment-style residences offer privacy when desired while allowing easy access to social experiences and lifelong learning opportunities. The NewBridge care team is there to help with the activities of daily living, including personal care, medication management, meals, laundry, housekeeping, and personalized fitness training. With current availability in our traditional assisted living, we welcome you and your clients to come for a tour and see all we have to offer. Please contact our sales counselors, Amanda Phillips and Roz Fisher, at 781-234-9421.
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Hebrew SeniorLife Expands Supportive Housing Communities
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Consistent with our mission to help vulnerable seniors live their best lives in the best place, we're adding new affordable housing units for seniors in the Greater Boston area. The expansion includes new units at our existing Simon C. Fireman Community in Randolph and a new community in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood of Upham’s Corner.
In partnership with Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, a neighborhood-based organization, we're proud to collaborate on the first senior affordable housing in Upham's Corner. The 43-unit building on 9 Leyland Street will offer one-and two-bedroom affordable units, including housing for seniors transitioning from homelessness. Construction is underway.
At our Fireman Community in Randolph, we're adding 45 new units to the existing 160 units, for a total of 205 affordable apartments. The new three-story wing will be fully integrated with the existing apartments and provide more housing with supportive services. The expansion will create one shared lobby, two courtyards with walking paths, exercise stations, and benches. Other amenities will include a multi-purpose room, a fitness center, office space, an art/game room, a deck overlooking the courtyard, a library, and a lounge. The project is underway and will be built to high sustainability and energy-efficient Passive House standards. The new construction comes closely on the heels of a recently completed update of existing Fireman apartments that included new paint, floorings, windows, and many additional improvements.
When these projects are completed, we'll offer affordable housing with supportive services to more than 800 seniors in Revere, Randolph, Brookline, and Dorchester.
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Randolph, Simon C. Fireman Community
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Dorchester, Leyland Street
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Our Brighton Adult Day Health Program is Now Open to the Public
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In partnership with 2Life Communities, our adult day health program at 30 Wallingford Road in Brighton, Mass. has staff experienced in working with seniors with Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, and frailty due to health problems. The program recently opened to the public in addition to the seniors who reside in the 2Life community. Staffers speak English, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Toisanese, and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care. To learn more or refer a patient or client, please call 617-912-8452.
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Hebrew Rehabilitation Center Designated as an Age-Friendly Health System
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The Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) uses a 4M quality framework as the criteria for its Age-Friendly Health System designation: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. The goals of an Age-Friendly Health System are to follow key evidence-based practices; cause no harm; align with What Matters to seniors and their caregivers. Over four months, 14 Hebrew Rehabilitation Center teams were interviewed to document the many ways their approach to care aligned with IHI's 4M quality framework. After assessing and validating the data, the best Age-Friendly practices were implemented across both Hebrew Rehabilitation Center – Boston, in Roslindale, and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center – NewBridge, in Dedham. We're honored to receive this designation as it recognizes and supports our mission of expertly caring for older adults, with a proven commitment to patients' needs, values, preferences, and beliefs as they age.
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Our Top-Rated Hospice Program
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For nearly a decade, Hebrew SeniorLife Hospice Care has provided end-of-life care that honors patients and families of all faiths, with dignity, comfort, and spiritual well-being. Our integrated team provides care wherever a patient calls home, including in more than 16 communities in Massachusetts. The team's goal is to bring meaning and fulfillment during the final stages of life and provide comfort and management of symptoms related to a patient's illness. Hospice care continues for families and caregivers for a minimum of 13 months after a patient has passed. Our multidisciplinary bereavement team consists of chaplains, social workers, and volunteers who meet regularly to review and discuss the difficulties that the bereaved are experiencing. Our program recently received the Hospice Award of Distinction for the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a federal agency, and was also named a national best practice agency. This designation means we excelled in one of the most important measures of an agency's quality program– caregiver experience.
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Engaging Our Employees is a Top Organizational Goal
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As covered recently by Boston 25 News, nationwide health care staffing shortages have become worse, with long-term care facilities being hardest hit. Mary Moscato, President, Hebrew SeniorLife Health Care Services and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, said she hopes health care workers looking for a place to provide compassionate care will think about applying to a nursing home because “working with seniors... and sharing their wisdom, their history, their background and how they raised families and the goodness that they have brought, is so rewarding.”
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Cognitive Care, Episode 1
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Cognitive Care, What to Expect As You Age
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As Hebrew SeniorLife is a Neponset River Regional Chamber member and participant in its Elder Care Alliance, Heather Andrews, Medical Assistant at our Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health, was recently interviewed on the topic of cognitive care for the Chamber's "What to Expect as You Age" podcast. She shared her expertise on cognitive changes that happen in the brain as we age and how to improve our cognitive health outcomes.
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Supporting Adult Children As They Care for Aging Parents
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If you know or work with families caring for aging parents, we're here to support you. Recently, Hebrew SeniorLife hosted a webinar entitled, “Helping Your Aging Parents in the Year Ahead.” The lunchtime talk covered how family members can help maximize physical wellness, social stimulation, and personal fulfillment of the seniors in their lives, as well as expert advice on starting the conversation, bringing support into the home, senior living, and health care options. It was so successful that we’ve scheduled a second webinar date on Friday, May 6 at 12:30 p.m. If you would like one of our experts who is knowledgeable about resources available to help aging parents, to deliver this presentation for your organization, please contact me to arrange the session. Alternatively, I hope that you'll share this registration link with your network.
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The Truth About Broken Bones
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Broken bones are a leading cause of hospitalizations among women aged 55 years or older, ahead of heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer, and they result in increased mortality risk for up to 10 years post-fracture. Most fractures in older people are due to a combination of a fall and weak bones, but one can take steps to protect their bones throughout life. And, with a 20-25% risk of a secondary fracture just within the first year, learning what to do to reduce further bone deterioration, improve bone strength, and treat conditions that could lead to further injury is key. Our researchers are testing strategies that may improve recovery after hip fracture. If you are a woman or know a woman age 65 or older that had a recent hip fracture and might be willing to participate in our study please share this information with them. They can also contact our study administrator, Evelyn O'Neill, at 617-971-5800.
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This is Our Age. This is Our Opportunity.
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Hebrew SeniorLife has been caring for seniors for more than 100 years and we are widely recognized as the gold standard in senior care. Still, the challenges we face continue to grow more complex and so our solutions must evolve. But we can't do it alone. That's why the Age of Opportunity, our $125 million fundraising campaign, is so essential, not just to us, but to the many seniors and their loved ones who depend on us. Our campaign priorities are driven by the needs of our residents, patients, and staff; including seniors living on our campuses and in many communities across the state. There are many ways to give, and you may also have the opportunity to double your gift by taking advantage of matching gifts programs offered by your employer.
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I appreciate your taking the time to read this update and hope you'll reach out with any feedback or questions. Think spring!
Best,
Lisa
Lisa M. Relich
External Engagement Manager
Hebrew SeniorLife
617-363-8564
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