Chelsea Jewish Lifecare Residents Take a Road Trip Down Memory Lane

When TaleGate founder Jack York asked Elissa Sherman, President of LeadingAge Massachusetts, to suggest a senior living organization for his new interview series, she immediately thought of Chelsea Jewish Lifecare. York agreed that the nonprofit was the perfect choice, especially given his longtime connection to Chelsea Jewish Lifecare Chief Operating Officer Betsy Mullen.

Jack York created TaleGate to change the perception of senior living and aging by celebrating the remarkable lives of older adults. He is traveling across the country and speaking to centenarians in every state. Driving a 42-foot trailer, Jack conducted interviews with Chelsea Jewish Lifecare residents, who sat up front in the passenger seat. Family members, staff, and local media were present as well.

Residents included Kay Morrocco (104) and Jenny Ruggerio (100) of Harriett & Ralph Kaplan Estates, Charlie Kanter (99), who lives at Cohen Florence Levine Estates, and Rose Quarato (103), who is a Katzman Family Center for Living resident. Jack was able to capture some incredible interviews on film while driving around town with each resident one-on-one. TaleGate will soon release the videos for all to enjoy.

Jack is a master storyteller who wants to capture the lives of the country’s oldest generation by sharing their greatest experiences, triumphs, regrets, loves, hardships, comebacks, and more. He noted that something “very special” happens when seniors are “driving and talking” one-on-one.

“For me, the most rewarding thing, by far, is the look on people’s faces when you just ask them questions—when somebody cares,” York said. “They are a group of people who are humble. They’ve lived incredible lives.”

Jill Hemeon, Area Director of Community Relations at Chelsea Jewish Lifecare, organized the event and accompanied the residents in the van. “It was an amazing experience to listen to each and every story,” said Jill. “I could tell that the residents truly enjoyed the experience and had fun while doing so.”

Jack feels strongly that seniors have interesting and relevant stories to tell. “My cultural take is that there’s kind of a subtle perception that once you hit your 80s, it’s time to kind of check out,” he said. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is why we’re focusing on 100-year-olds. We want to let people know that there are still reasons to stay in the game.”

To date, Jack has interviewed nearly 50 centenarians in 14 states. Yet he never fails to be captivated by the seniors, their stories, and the senior living communities. “I was blown away,” exclaimed Jack at the end of the day. “I can’t even begin to describe what the day was like for me. Chelsea Jewish Lifecare is taking great care of some incredible seniors!”