Message from Megin Hemmerling, Regional President

August 14, 2023

Dear Residents and Families,

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather that August has ushered in. After the rainy, muggy July it feels glorious to be outside!

On August 1 had the pleasure of attending the 2023 MA Assisted Living Association Excellence Awards Dinner, along with 15 of my colleagues from Chelsea Jewish Lifecare. The highlight of the evening came when two of our treasured employees were nominated for awards: Ansu Kinteh for the Care and Wellness Award and Freddy Sanchez for the Environmental Services Award. We were delighted that Ansu won the award in his category! We are so lucky to have him as the Resident Care Director at Estates on Admirals Hill.

Jackie MacMullan, an award-winning journalist and broadcaster for the Boston Globe and ESPN, was this year’s emcee. Jackie was ahead of her time as is relates to women in sports reporting. It was an honor to be in her presence. She spoke about her own journey with her parents through the end of their lives and praised the long term care communities that enabled them to live with dignity and grace when things got tough at the end. Jackie also reflected upon her longtime friendship with Celtics coach Red Auerbach. She knew that Red was lonely at the end of his life and Jackie expressed her wish that Red had lived in an assisted living.

Her sentiments prompted me to reflect on what we do and the gift of comfort and companionship our facilities and staff members provide to those we serve. As I drove home that evening, I was very grateful to have spent a night with some of my closest colleagues. Too often we take our roles for granted and it was good to be reminded of the importance of what we do each and every day.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

All the best,

Megin

August is Heating Up on the Peabody Campus!

August 14, 2023

Summer activities are in full swing at Brudnick Center and Kaplan Estates. Pizza parties, kindergarten visits, animal shows, international festivals and live concerts are on the agenda for the month of August.

Over 65 people attended our “Guys Day Pizza Party” soiree. Residents and guests sampled a variety of pizzas while Jimmy Honohan performed a medley of popular songs. Everyone was singing and dancing!

Campus residents, adult day health clients and the preschoolers at North Suburban JCC enjoyed our recent “Animal World.” The group had a ball holding and touching such animals as chinchillas, alligators, boa constrictors, geckos, among others. Dog visits were also a highlight of the month. Bentley, a beautiful English Cream Golden Retriever, made the rounds to all residents who requested a visit. Bently is part of Jeff Cohen’s “Golden Moments” team and brings golden retrievers to the campus once a month. The dogs offer tactile and cognitively stimulating engagement, conversation, and socialization. It was clear from the smiles and laughter that Bentley is a very welcome visitor!

Kaplan residents were overjoyed by a visit from teens at Camp Yavneh. They sang, chatted and shared a continental breakfast. Some resident comments included, “The teens were fully invested with their conversations with us, asking about our lives and activities here” and “The parents of the teens should be so proud of these mature young adults.”  One group leader shared that she was on our campus a number of years ago as one of the teen campers. She vividly remembers singing and talking to our residents. “Those memories are very much a part of who I am today,” she said with a smile.

Esther Silberberg, a resident at Kaplan Estates, celebrated her 97th birthday on August 3. Esther, who was born in Winthrop and grew up in Lynn, graduated from Massachusetts College of Arts and Design. As a young artist she supported herself by selling silhouette portraits along the beaches in Swampscott and Lynn. Throughout her life, Esther won many awards for her amazing watercolor paintings. Esther has been an active member of the Swampscott Art Association for over 30 years. In honor of her birthday, Kaplan Estates hosted a showing of her paintings for residents, families, staff, and members of the Art Association. Amidst wine, cheese, hors d’oeuvres and live background music by Steve Belgiorno, guests had the opportunity to view Esther’s beautiful works of art. Happy Birthday Esther!

Chelsea Jewish Lifecare VNA and Hospice Renamed Legacy Lifecare

August 2, 2023

The Chelsea Jewish Home Care/Visiting Nurse Agency (VNA), a highly respected entity on Boston’s North Shore, will now be known as Legacy Lifecare VNA & Hospice. Maddy Presz RN BSN, CHPN and Senior Director of Home and Community Based Services for Legacy Lifecare, noted that the rebranding reflects the expansion of Legacy Lifecare, the network of charitable, nonprofit senior care organizations of which Chelsea Jewish Lifecare is a founding member.

“We are so pleased to expand the services and reach of our hospice/VNA division,” said Presz. “The rebranding of Cheslea Jewish VNA and Hospice to Legacy Lifecare VNA and Hospice and the expansion of our hospice services will allow our team to help more residents with care needs. It is very exciting to be able to provide much needed support to the residents and staff of our facilities!”

The rebranding will allow the organization to align with the mission of Legacy Lifecare. Staff members will wear vests/shirts with the new logos to help facility staff identify the team and view them as an accessible resource. The Department of Public Health will also be notified of the name change.

Name change components include a major marketing program which will provide information about the organization. As the division expands, staffing levels will change to accommodate the growing census. The program will encompass such geographic areas as Boston, West Roxbury, Newton, Wellesley, Jamaica Plain and the entire North Shore, including Chelsea and Peabody.

Maddy, who has been with Legacy Lifecare for seven years, is looking forward to the hospice/VNA division’s growth and expansion. “In essence, we want to be a valuable resource to local communities throughout Boston and beyond,” explained Presz.

Cohen Florence Levine Estates Residents and Staff Frolic at Revere Beach

July 28, 2023

On a perfect summer day in July, Cohen Florence Levine Estate residents and staff embarked upon a long awaited trip to Revere Beach. Residents, aged 67 to 104, enjoyed feeling the sand beneath their feet and the ocean water on their faces. Many of the residents are originally from Revere and Chelsea and have fond memories of spending time at Revere Beach.

The trip came into being when residents mentioned how much they missed swimming in the ocean. “Some of the residents were talking at dinner one evening about how much they loved Revere Beach and we decided, then and there, to schedule a trip in the summer,” said Kristen Donnelly, Executive Director of Cohen, Florence, Levine, Estates. “Planning the myriad of details was a huge undertaking, but seeing the huge smiles on the residents’ faces and hearing their laughter throughout the day made it all worthwhile.”

The Revere Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) provided beach accessible wheelchairs as well as a floating wheelchair, which enabled residents to actually “swim” in the ocean. Remarkably, the water was the warmest of the season at a balmy 65 degrees. “The DCR, in particular Charlie Collins, has been instrumental in the planning of this trip,” said Jimmy Honohan, Recreational Director at Chelsea Jewish Lifecare, the organization that operates the assisted living. In addition to the wheelchairs, the DCR also provided parking for the van, ramps for beach access and a walkway for the wheelchairs. “Charlie has been incredible to our organization,” said Honohan. “I can’t thank him enough.”

Resident Rita Singer, who was the first woman city counselor in Revere, was thrilled to be back on her old stomping grounds. “I grew up in Chelsea and have wonderful memories of summers on this beach,” recalled Rita. “It’s really special for me to be here today.” Rita was one of the first residents to go into the water, got wet from head to toe, and “loved every minute of it.”

Donnelly noted that engaging the residents in activities of their choice is a priority. “We have a strong connection between our staff and our residents,” said Kristen. “For us, there is nothing better than making their dreams come true.”

In addition to water activities, Kristen Donnelly Jimmy Honohan, Shellie Honohan and Cathie Messina oversaw beach games, sing-alongs, and dancing and pizza from Bianci’s, sponsored by long-time volunteer Judy Weiss of Judy’s Jewels. The smiles on everyone’s faces were a good indication that the outing was a success. Virginia Fiske, 104, summed up the trip. “It is the best day ever,” exclaimed Virginia. “I am having a ball!”