BayPath Elder Services, Inc. prides itself on its close ties to the 14 communities in its services area. But sometimes serving the local area means venturing far from it. That was the case last month as BayPath participated in the n4a (National Association of Area Agencies on Aging) Aging Policy Briefing and Capitol Hill Day on April 20-21 in Washington, D.C.

It was the first time BayPath has sent a delegation to the annual event, with Executive Director Christine Alessandro and AAA Assistant Director Fran Bakstran attending. The event featured a series of speakers and lobbying visits to the Congressional delegation representing BayPath's coverage area. Alessandro and Bakstran met with staff from both Massachusetts senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as staff from Representatives Katherine Clark, Jim McGovern, Joe Kennedy and Niki Tsongas.

"There's always a value to engage the individuals that control our funding," said Bakstran. "It's good for them to hear from us on a regular basis. We want them to know what we do, not only for that funding, but we also want them to know that we're a resource for them when their constituents come to them."

The event was attended by representatives from nearly every state, but the BayPath delegation featured the only Massachusetts people on hand other than Joan Hatem-Roy, the Assistant Executive Director of Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, who was one of the speakers on the first day.

Bakstran reported that the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation is supportive of re-authorization, but the bill's future is still uncertain.

"The federal dollar goes a long way, but we have to encourage them to send it," said Bakstran, who noted that last year BayPath received $728,000 in federal AAA funding through the Older Americans Act.

There is hope for bipartisan support in the Senate, where the re-authorization measure was introduced by Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee on Jan. 20 with 19 co-sponsors (10 Democrats, 8 Republicans and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont). Alexander is the Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, and the bill was reported by that committee to the full Senate on Jan. 28, but has yet to come up for a vote. The bipartisan nature of the current co-sponsors indicates that prospects for passage in the Senate are promising, but the bill's chances in the House are less certain.

It was a busy week for Alessandro. Before departing for D.C., the BayPath Executive Director attended the Mass Home Care annual retreat in the Berkshires from April 15-17, where she was joined by Director of Community Services Monica Alley and Home Care Manager Liz Tretiak.  

Creating a caring connection

I recently saw a 63 year old caregiver from Framingham caring for her husband, who has an overwhelming number of diagnoses. The caregiver was also caring for her son who has his own health issues.

This caregiver was so caring and kind that she spent almost all of her waking time taking her spouse or son to appointments or general caring for them at home. She didn't have the time to take care of herself. At our visit, we discussed the importance of her own health, both physically and mentally. We came up with ideas for activities for her to do on her own as a respite break from her caregiver role.

This caregiver had no support system and did not feel comfortable talking with her family or friends about anything going on inside her home, so she had no outlet for the stress she was feeling. Before I left the caregiver told me how nice it was talking with me and she was going to get back into therapy as a form of relief.

When I called a few weeks later to follow up with her we talked about all of the things going on with her spouse and son. When I asked about her own "care plan," she told me it has still been difficult to do things for her. As we talked I could hear the smile in her voice and she said to me again, "Just talking with you makes me feel good. It is so nice to know someone cares."

We talked again about finding a therapist for ongoing therapy. She said she would try. I will be calling her again in another few weeks to check in and I told her to call me if she needs support. Just a simple phone call can be so important to someone who may not have the time or supports they need.

- Submitted by Alicia Rego,  

BayPath Elder Services, Inc. Caregiver Specialist

Have a story to share about a client who has benefited from BayPath's services? Email [email protected] to let us know about it.  

New AFC program offers more options for BayPath clients

Adult Family Care Case Manager Scott Dean discusses BayPath's recently launched AFC Program and how it fits BayPath's mission to provide services and programs to older adults, caregivers and persons with disabilities to support their independence and dignity. 

Adult Family Care Q&A   

BayPath expands services with more meals, supportive housing in Marlborough   

In January 2015, the Nutrition Program at BayPath expanded Community Dining to five days a week for tenants of Marlborough Supportive Housing. Lunch was served at noon at the Bolton Street location on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and at the Main Street location on Wednesdays. This was a brand new experience for the Bolton Street tenants to be able to enjoy lunch with their friends and they raved about how great the food was.

During the month of May the program grew further to a seven-day a week program by introducing weekend meals for tenants with lunch at noon on Saturday and breakfast at 9 a.m. on Sunday. The weekend meals were highly anticipated by the tenants. The first weekend turnout was fabulous and the tenants very pleased with the meals, describing them as delicious. The weekend meals are catered by Catering Options, located in Marlborough. Catering Options is a social enterprise of Employment Options, which is a nonprofit agency serving those in the MetroWest region who are looking to improve and manage their mental health and wellness including individuals that have experienced economic disadvantages. Employment Options is a community partner we are proud to work with and hope to expand in the future.

One-on-one nutrition support will be available to tenants at all three locations as well as nutrition education presentations at least twice per year led by our BayPath dietitian. Volunteer opportunities for tenants are also available with the Nutrition Program. Tenants have the opportunity to help with the daily Meals on Wheels operation which will give tenants the chance to participate and feel engaged with the community.

During the warm summer weather, we plan to serve some meals al fresco style in the newly renovated courtyard at 240 Main St. Over the course of the summer we also plan to have one or more BBQs, which we expect will be a big hit with tenants. Staff from BayPath will be invited to volunteer at the BBQ, giving the tenants an opportunity to meet more members of the BayPath staff and for the staff to get out and enjoy a fun activity with the residents.

In addition to community dining, the 24/7 support has introduced some other opportunities for socialization and wellness. BayPath has partnered with Partners HealthCare at Home to provide 24/7 on-call services at senior housing. During their downtime, the on-call workers hold on-going weekly activities, including a movie night and a meditation circle. Partners also host a monthly blood pressure clinic on-site. These activities, along with the community dining, have greatly enhanced the well-being of our supportive housing tenants and we look forward to providing other valuable programming in the future. 

Leavitt helps key pilot program's success  

The Intensive Case Management pilot program has been very successful due to the dedicated work of Case Manager Dana Leavitt. Dana has worked successfully with resistant consumers to implement needed services in their homes. ...

At the end of May, Home Care and Nursing will have three teams established. The teams consist of at least one nurse, a supervisor, case manager and a service coordinator. The first two teams have been very effective in promoting interdisciplinary work within the departments. ...

Jane Rourk, Marlborough Supportive Housing Coordinator, shared a compliment received from one of the SCO tenants at her site. This tenant reported to Jane that GSSC Paige Steinberg is wonderful and always responds to her needs right away. She described Paige as a wonderful care manager. ...

Megan Campbell, GSSC, received a "Shout Out Award" from a RN from Tufts to thank her and the team for their efforts in coordinating some last minute transportation for a member. She stated: "I wanted you to know what a huge difference they made to this member today!"