Merrimack Valley Magazine

Elder Voices

March 19, 2021 by Lily Hartman

New Project Explores Healthy Aging in the Lowell Community

Lowell is known for its vibrant cultural diversity and strong sense of regional identity. Adults 60 years of age or older make up 15% of the city’s population — according to a Tufts Health Plan Foundation (THPF) 2019 report — and they bring a unique perspective and lived experience to the community. This makes them an important asset, according to Phillip Gonzalez, the senior program officer for the THPF.

“We often think about older adults only in their deficits,” Gonzalez says. “If we default to that type of thinking, we overlook the fact that they lived in these communities, and contributed to these communities, for much of their lives.”

A community-based effort that aims to develop healthy aging solutions has been in progress for over two years in Lowell. This has led to an Age-Friendly Lowell collaboration among UMass Lowell and community partners including the Greater Lowell Health Alliance, the Lowell Housing Authority, Elder Services of Merrimack Valley and North Shore, D’Youville Life and Wellness, and the Lowell Council on Aging.

With support from the THPF, which funded a $300,000 grant for the project, these local collaborators can develop the tools they need to determine the infrastructure that’s required to promote this healthy-aging initiative.

Age-Friendly Lowell will involve the city’s entire community, including older adults, elected officials, the heads of nonprofits, volunteers, and other organization leaders, along with a diverse and older action group of residents that can shine light on specific issues within each unique community in the city, according to Lillian Hartman (no relation to the author), director of the Lowell Council on Aging.

“We are hoping to ensure that every element of our project has the voice of older residents, and who live and work within the community,” says project leader Sabrina Noel, an assistant professor in UMass Lowell’s Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences and the director of community engagement in the university’s Center for Population Health.

Local residents who volunteer will be directly involved with a unique element of the project, which is to research and develop the plan for promoting healthy and productive aging. These volunteers will be involved in collecting information from local residents in order to evaluate the community and determine what is already being done in the city to promote healthy aging, and which existing programs, policies, and systems need to be modified.

Age-Friendly Lowell will focus on nine different domains, including housing, healthy living communication, transportation, employment, crime and safety, and health services, according to Noel and David Cornell, an assistant professor of physical therapy and kinesiology at UMass Lowell. By identifying priority areas within these domains, informed by older adults living in the community, an action plan can be developed to begin addressing strategies such as access to healthy food, places to walk, social engagement opportunities and more to promote healthy and productive aging.

“As we all age, we want to be able to stay in our communities, and feel supported by our communities, and have the resources we need to be able to age in place,” Noel says.

Gonzalez emphasizes how everyone involved in this project should recognize the importance of older adults. Residents of Lowell who have lived in the community for a long time, often for most or all of their lives, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to understanding what works and what doesn’t at the neighborhood level.

“What we should be thinking about is how we are investing in the infrastructure for ourselves in the future, and for older adults now,” Gonzalez says.

Home Safe Home

March 16, 2021 by Lily Hartman

Making a Difference for Seniors

Older adults are at the highest risk for severe illness with COVID-19, and they are also among the fastest growing populations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. By 2030, about 21% of the population in Massachusetts is expected to be 65 and older, according to state Sen. Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen), and in New Hampshire it’s projected to be about 33%. These numbers make the need for affordable housing, health care, and social services for older people crucial in the coming years, DiZoglio says.

Costs in housing communities for older adults are rising due to the pandemic. Additionally, Massachusetts is one of the most expensive places in the country to retire at $5,600 per month, according to DiZoglio, with New Hampshire not too far behind. Older adults can apply to receive Supplemental Security Income, providing cash for food, clothing and shelter.

The pandemic has brought renewed attention to the needs of seniors for affordable, safe housing. Pictured left is Patricia Pelletier playing Walkie-Talkie Bingo in her apartment at Salem Woods. Pictured right, a resident at The Arbors practices socially distanced crafting. Bottom: Tae and Soon Kim practice tai chi in their Salem Woods apartment during quarantine.

Older people in Massachusetts who are struggling to locate affordable housing during the pandemic can apply for the RFP program. Or those who are members of MassHealth can apply for the Senior Care Options plan, which is a combined effort between Medicare and Medicaid to help older adults access health and social support services. There is also the Moving Forward Plan Community Living Waiver, which offers additional Medicaid benefits to cover room and board. There are multiple programs in New Hampshire that also offer financial support for seniors.

Although a growing number of older Americans are choosing to live at home, many require overnight care, and therefore must find affordable and safe housing. “A lot of our older populations are getting priced out of the areas they were born and raised in, and that’s simply unacceptable,” DiZoglio says.

Technological investments have contributed to increased housing costs, but they’ve also enabled facilities to keep residents connected with one another and loved ones during the pandemic.

“I had a resident whose granddaughter got married back in June out West somewhere, so we had a Zoom for her so that she could be on with all of her family members,” says Katrina Regan, the senior reflections and engagement director of The Residence at Salem Woods in Salem, N.H.

At Salem Woods, staff members check in with residents every day, and even spend one-on-one time with them, whether that is leading an exercise class or organizing their closets, since family members aren’t around. “We are way closer to all of our residents because of this pandemic,” Regan says.

Salem Woods and The Arbors at Dracut, an assisted living community in Massachusetts, have been using walkie-talkies to lead games such as bingo and to keep residents connected.

“Socializing is crucial to good cognitive mental health,” says Ted Doyle, the spokesperson for The Residence at Salem Woods.

L-r: Betty Carbone painting tie-dye shirts over the summer at Salem Woods; John Langtry proudly wears his Salem Woods Strong shirt; Evelyn Cruz’s celebrates her 101st birthday.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis, 25% of people over 65 said they experienced anxiety or depression in August 2020, more than twice what was reported in 2018.

“There are certainly negative impacts of not having the ability to hug a loved one, to hold a hand of a loved one, and to have that physical presence,” says DiZoglio, who believes older adults must be a priority for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

“When we got our first vaccine on Jan. 12, a lot of the residents were very, very emotional,” says Jonathan Athanas, regional executive director of The Arbors Assisted Living Communities. “It has been a long year for them to do without seeing their loved ones; being skeptical of anybody they interact with — because they know that they’re the most vulnerable.”

Passing the Torch

March 22, 2020 by Cindy Cantrell

D’Youville Transitions to New Sponsorship

For the past 60 years, D’Youville Life & Wellness Community in Lowell has provided local seniors with compassionate long- and short-term care while expanding services to meet their ever-changing needs.

In recent years, however, the founding Sisters of Charity of Ottawa recognized that a transfer in Catholic sponsorship would be required.

“Due to the diminishing number of sisters, there was a clear need to move on to another stage in our journey,” said Sister Prescille Malo, provincial superior of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa. “We want our mission, which has always been about the people we serve here in Greater Lowell, to continue.”

To preserve and advance D’Youville’s ties to the Catholic Church, as well as its continued leadership in the field of senior care and state-of-the-art adult rehabilitation services, its Catholic sponsorship is being transitioned to the Germantown, N.Y.-based Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. In addition, D’Youville will join The Carmelite System, a Catholic nonprofit health system also based in Germantown, N.Y.

Under the sponsorship of the Carmelite Sisters, there will be no changes in D’Youville’s services to residents and tenants or to the diverse workplace culture of its approximately 550 employees. President and CEO Naomi Prendergast and D’Youville’s locally based governing boards will remain in place.

L-r: Sr. Viviane Veauvais; Sr. Rachelle Watler; Sr. Jeanne Haley; Sr. Jeannette Rouss. Photo by Deb Venuti.

“D’Youville is not being sold. It’s not an acquisition. We explored petitioning the Vatican to become self-sponsored, meaning D’Youville would be responsible for our own Catholic identity, but aligning with The Carmelite System is simply a great match,” said Prendergast, who initiated contact with the organization followed by a group site visit in the fall of 2017. “The lay analogy I give is two people are getting married, and each is bringing his or her own set of traditions. Together, we are moving forward to create something new in a way that honors both sides.”

“The Carmelite System is delighted to have D’Youville Life & Wellness Community join us,” said Paul MacGiffert, president and CEO of The Carmelite System. “By aligning with like-minded organizations such as D’Youville, we can advance the Carmelite mission, as well as D’Youville’s, in even more meaningful ways.”

An integral part of the local physical, cultural and health care landscape, D’Youville is located on a 75-acre campus in the Pawtucketville section of Lowell. The nonprofit organization offers a full continuum of elder care housing and health care, including short-stay rehabilitation and transitional care, specialized long-term nursing care, Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related special care, traditional and memory care assisted living, and affordable housing for independent living.

According to Prendergast, The Carmelite System is committed to supporting and advancing D’Youville’s mission of caring for Greater Lowell’s aging population with respect, dignity and compassion while enhancing its own legacy of service to elders in Massachusetts. Other Carmelite senior living communities include Marian Manor in South Boston, Mount Carmel Care Center in Lenox, and St. Patrick’s Manor and Carmel Terrace, both in Framingham.

Donations earmarked for D’Youville will continue to enhance the quality of life of its residents. Past donor-funded projects have included a senior-friendly park with walking path, a balcony to provide residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias with safe access to fresh air and the outdoors, The Saab Residence (assisted living for all income levels), two 14-passenger buses to involve residents in community events, and a combined dining and activity space in the dementia special care unit.

According to Prendergast, additional growth will follow as residents’ needs continue to evolve.

“We don’t have a crystal ball to see how we’ll look in 10 years,” she said, “but with health care changing so rapidly, you can be sure we’ll be as innovative then as we’ve been up until now.”

How Do You Want to Live?

March 13, 2020 by Aaron Robinson

– Sponsored –

Retirees Have Input at Edgewood

For Edgewood CEO Marlene Rotering and Marketing Director Kathleen D’Amico, a person who comes into Edgewood looking for a place to fade away has “come to the wrong place.” For over two decades, Edgewood, a LifeCare Community, has been a place where retirees experience life to the fullest, and in ways that might surprise anyone who has yet to visit their 100-acre North Andover campus.

“Our goal is to meet each person that arrives and ask: ‘What are your goals, what are your wishes, what are your needs, and how do you want to live?’” says Rotering. “Then, we can outline a huge portfolio of services that we offer.”

Rotering says that the stigma regarding retirement communities comes from a lack of understanding. Edgewood prides itself on being the only LifeCare Community in the Merrimack Valley. They offer a complete array of independent living and health care options to meet its members’ needs. Edgewood residents are engaged. They are happy and active, mentally and physically, and come to feel that they have more control than they would have thought possible. Along with this freedom, residents enjoy the sense of security and stability that comes from participation in an independent living community.

“Some of the residents have been raising children, sometimes even grandchildren and great-grandchildren, or have been working their whole lives and now have all this free time,” Rotering says. “So we aim to give each unique person a unique experience.”

From retired biology teachers taking up watercolor painting to economists learning tai chi, Edgewood members are engaged in activities that challenge them, defying the stereotype that older people can’t continue to grow, develop and create.

To facilitate this growth, Edgewood offers Rock Steady Boxing, water aerobics and opportunities to go kayaking and hiking along the trails that surround beautiful Lake Cochichewick. That’s not all. Whether your interests include music, history, world religions, science or art, there’s something for everyone. Some of the classes and lectures that are offered include The Politics of Food, Racial Justice, Writing Your Biography, language and everything in-between.

Photos by Studio J Inc., courtesy Edgewood. All Rights Reserved, 2016.

“You can take all of the [continuing care retirement communities] in Massachusetts and line us all up, and you’ll see that we basically offer the same services,” Rotering says. “But the biggest difference between us and other CCRCs is that here, management partners with our residents in a very special way. We realize and understand that this is their home; our job is to keep them safe, secure and able to live their best life possible.”

D’Amico says that the active engagement of its members allows Edgewood to create a thriving culture and forge partnerships that positively affect both staff and residents. “We have three members who serve on our board and there’s a number of committees they head up, including health care, culinary and finance,” D’Amico says.

“At Edgewood,” Rotering says, “You can really see the younger generation of residents and our older generation of residents not only getting along, but growing in very special, caring friendships. That was something I didn’t expect [when I began work here] but am ecstatic that we have this special relational dynamic.”

The next steps for Edgewood will be renovating the main area, The Clubhouse, and opening a new location in Londonderry, N.H. This new facility, The Baldwin, will offer more choices and various contracts all while keeping the excellent Edgewood culture and exemplary services.

Edgewood Retirement Community
North Andover, Mass.
(978) 494-6876
EdgewoodRC.com

Merrimack Valley Dementia Resource Guide

April 12, 2019 by Digital Manager Leave a Comment

Treating dementia and diseases such as Alzheimer’s requires a comprehensive approach. For family, the treatment process can be daunting. This resource guide highlights organizations and programs that assist seniors and family caregivers as they face the challenges of confronting dementia.

Alzheimer’s Association: Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter
The Alzheimer’s Association is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families and professionals and working to find effective treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s. Their mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Massachusetts/New Hampshire is one of over 70 chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association throughout the nation.
ALZ.org/manh

Atria Senior Living
Atria Senior Living operates monthly rental apartments for seniors in the Merrimack Valley and throughout the United States. Their approach to memory care includes physical activity, social engagement and individualized care. Atria’s Life Guidance neighborhoods are designed with their residents’ abilities in mind, offering secure indoor and outdoor spaces that allow them to maintain a sense of independence within their environment.
AtriaSeniorLiving.com

Bridges by EPOCH
Bridges by EPOCH’s proprietary memory care programming was developed with international authorities on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care. Every new Bridges resident receives a personalized care plan with programming designed to improve communication between the resident and caregivers, address possible behavioral issues and engage the resident in a joyful and meaningful life of their own design.
BridgesByEpoch.com

Deaconess Abundant Life Communities
Founded in 1889 as New England Deaconess Association, this nonprofit organization has a long history and renowned reputation for providing a broad range of services and cultivating the desire of everyone to age gracefully. Some of the many services include personal care, light housekeeping, bathing and dressing, meal preparation, medication assistance and management, companionship and transportation.
NEDeaconess.org

D’Youville Life & Wellness Community
For over 57 years, the Life & Wellness Community has been a part of the physical and cultural landscape of Greater Lowell. Founded in 1960 by the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, the D’Youville has earned the trust of the community and the respect of its peer organizations for providing area seniors with superior care, including specialized Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related care, and assisted living and memory care.
DYouville.org

Edgewood
Edgewood is a LifeCare Community offering independent living, health care and support services that empower members to be the architects of their own well-being. For over 20 years, Edgewood has provided its resident members the freedom and security to live the way they choose, on their terms, with a strong voice in day-to-day and future planning. Edgewood also offers a full continuum of senior living options — from independent living and in-home lifestyle assistance, memory support and enhanced living, to health care and support services for older adults.
EdgewoodRC.com

Element Care
Element Care is a nonprofit health care organization that provides complete care through the PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) model. The wide array of services for seniors includes complete medical care, physical and occupational therapy and behavioral health and counseling.
ElementCare.org

Family Caregiver Support Group
Circle Home offers a free family caregiver support group on the second Wednesday of every month. The discussion is facilitated by social workers and addresses the challenges of caregiving. The group is open to anyone caring for someone with any diagnosis.
LowellGeneral.org

I’m Still Here Foundation
Founded in 1995, the I’m Still Here Foundation’s (ISHF) mission is to develop and evaluate innovative nonpharmacological approaches for people with cognitive challenges. For the last decade, ISHF has focused on creating and implementing inclusive, community-based arts and culture programming.
ImStillHere.org

LifeLinks Memory Cafe
LifeLinks offers innovative Memory Cafe programming to benefit families affected by memory impairment. The LifeLinks Memory Cafe is a free and held in an informal social setting that brings together people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, their family caregivers and professionals. Participants can openly talk with like-situated people with a goal of creating new, positive memories.
LifeLinksInc.net

Mary Immaculate Health/Care Services
Mary Immaculate Health/Care Services provide specialized care for those challenged by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. They offer a full continuum of care, ranging from support for independent housing and Marguerite’s House Assisted Living residents to inpatient care provided in Mary Immaculate’s nursing and restorative center. The adult day health program includes a service designed especially for Spanish-speaking elders with memory loss issues.
MIHCS.org

Massachusetts Family Caregiver Support Program
The Massachusetts Family Caregiver Support Program is free and open to adult family members and other nonpaid caregivers of anyone who is living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.
mass.gov/family-caregiver-support-program

Merrimack Valley Hospice
Merrimack Valley Hospice provides comfort care and palliative services to patients facing life-limiting illnesses. Licensed in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, MVH is an approved provider of care by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance companies. Their Hand-in-Hand Dementia Program is designed to meet the complex needs of patients who have dementia. Services are provided in homes, nursing homes, assisted living residences and hospitals. Additionally, they offer pet therapy with registered therapy animals.
HomeHealthFoundation.org

The Neighborhood: Memory Care at Wingate
The Neighborhood offers customized care plans designed to improve quality of life for Wingate residents living with memory-related illnesses. In a Wingate independent living or assisted living community, residents live with the help needed for daily living tasks. Treatment care options include programming for those with advanced dementia, including music therapy.
WingateHealthCare.com

New Hampshire Family Caregiver Support Program
Through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services and the NH ServiceLink Resource Centers provides services including information about local resources; assistance in assessing individual caregiving needs; individual counseling and access to support groups; education and training; and respite care services. Additionally, some caregivers may be eligible for chore services, assistive equipment, home modifications and transportation. The program is open to caregivers over 18 years of age who caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or other related dementia.
DHHS.nh.gov/dcbcs/beas/familycaregivers.htm

Nichols Village
In 2004, nonprofit senior living community Nichols Village welcomed its first residents. They traded in their chores and homeowner worries for a maintenance-free and more carefree lifestyle. Together, residents and staff created an environment where a strong sense of community, security and independence are top priorities. Every Friday, residents are treated to visits from a nutritionist who develops meal plans designed to encourage cognitive health.
Nichols-Village.com