Worcester & Central MA Community Partners
Worcester & Central MA Partners
- BrightStar Care
- The Briarwood Community
- Caregiver Homes
- Center for Health Impact
- Central Mass Agency on Aging
- Centro
- Debbie Fins, JHC LifeCare Management
- Health Alliance Hospital
- LiveWell Elder Care Management
- Notre Dame Health Center
- Marlborough Council on Aging
- Right at Home of Eastern Worcester County
- Laura Silver Traiger, Attorney; Starr Vander Linden LLP
- Senior Care Collaborative
- Worcester Adult Day Care
- Worcester Elder Affairs/ Senior Center
- UMass Memorial Health Center
- VCare
The Briarwood Community
The Briarwood Community, located in Worcester, is a vibrant non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community offering Independent Living in cottages and apartments, Assisted Living and Knollwood Nursing Center for rehabilitation services & long term care. Briarwood’s mission is to enhance the well-being, independence and personal fulfillment of its residents and other seniors by providing high quality, coordinated housing, health, wellness and supportive services consistent with the caring spirit of the founding churches. Their continuum of care means that as you age or as your circumstances change, you have choices to transition from independent living to receiving additional support without ever leaving Briarwood. As an Honoring Choices Community Partner, the dedicated staff helps adults make a personal plan based on individual values and choices.
Caregiver Homes
Caregiver Homes of Massachusetts’ community-based program helps families provide high-quality, 24-hour care at home for elders and people with disabilities in need of physical care and assistance. This assistance makes it possible for a family member or friend to become the primary in-home caregiver by providing them with the support and financial assistance they need. In Massachusetts, their Structured Family Caregiving model is known as Enhanced Adult Foster Care. The social workers and nurses are committed to engaging adults and their families and caregivers in health care planning discussions and providing care aligned with their choices. Caregiver Homes in Auburn serves the Metrowest, North Central Worcester County and Worcester Central area.
Center for Health Impact
Joanne L. Calista, Executive Director
508-756-6676
Center for Health IMPACT, formerly know as Central Massachusetts Area Health Education Center, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing access to quality health care, promoting workforce development, and eliminating health disparities. Founded in 1982, Center for Health IMPACT advocates for improved quality of care for all Massachusetts adults, including those who are recent immigrants, non-native English speakers, and adults in under served populations. Center for Health IMPACT is a recognized leader in providing certificate courses tailored to public health professionals including Community Health Workers. Center for Health IMPACT helps prepare Community Health Workers to serve as a bridge between the health care system and the community member, offering health resources, information, and links to other health care services. Center for Health Impact trains medical interpreters to facilitate communication between patient and provider and improve access to quality care. They also offer multilingual interpreter and translation services, community-based training for medical students and residents, specialized training for health professionals on a variety of health care issues, and health career recruitment programs aimed at under served multilingual and multicultural communities. Additionally, they provide a Healthy Aging Initiatives program to improve quality care for older adults and adults nearing the end of life.
Central MA Palliaitve Care Workgroup
Margaret Franckhauser, MS, MPH, RN, Director Aging Services, JSI/CHI,
margaret_franckhauser@jsi.com
Christine Bradley
christine_bradley@jsi.com
The Central MA Palliative Care Workgroup is part of the Central and Southeast Massachusetts Palliative Care Workgroups, a subset of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Prevention and Control Network. This multi-disciplined group of care providers focus on ways to embed palliative care as a standard practice in serious illness care for all - with increased attention to cultural awareness and outreach. The Central and Southeastern MA Palliative Care Workgroups convene quarterly, each in their respective regions- to share information and ideas that strengthen community partnerships and expand understanding of and access to palliative care. The pandemic created challenges for all providers, but members quickly shifted from in-person to online meetings to maintain the collaborative goals of the workgroups. The zoom platform provided opportunities for networking and resource sharing during a time when in-person meetings could not be held. Everyone who works in the palliative care field is welcome. For more information, please contact Margaret Franckhauser, MS, MPH, RN, Director Aging Services, JSI/CHI, margaret_franckhauser@jsi.com or Christine Bradley,christine_bradley@jsi.com
Central Mass Agency on Aging
Robert Dwyer, Executive Director
508-852-5539; 1-800-244-3032
“Honoring Choices is about honoring life”, says Robert Dwyer, Executive Director, Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging. “Respecting the dignity and autonomy of each individual in the Commonwealth, Honoring Choices assists us in making Massachusetts a better place to live for the whole of our lives. Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging is pleased to work for the betterment of us all.” Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging (CMAA) is dedicated to understanding the needs of older adults, and seeking to be sure that those needs are met by way of the Older Americans Act. Located in West Boylston, CMAA provides education and outreach to older persons and their caregivers to inform them of local services and programs that can assist them to remain safely and securely in their communities. Their mission is to enhance the quality of life for area older persons and caregivers. CMAA offers “The Guide to Elder Services,” a comprehensive directory of elder and caregiver programs throughout Central Massachusetts. This online database contains 859 agencies and 1163 program you can search by name or region. In collaboration with other organizations, CMAA provides a “Family Caregiver Guide” of agencies committed to assisting older adults and individuals with disabilities and caregivers, in 61 cities and towns in Central MA.
Centro
Established in 1977, CENTRO, formerly Centro Las Americas, is the largest minority led, community based, multiservice, multicultural, multilingual, nonprofit organization in Central Massachusetts. CENTRO’s primary purpose is to assist individuals and families striving to reach self-sufficiency while promoting social responsibility, fostering cultural identity, and encouraging families to be significant contributors to the community as a whole.The Honoring Choices Programs are incorporated into the Adult Family Care (AFC) Program at CENTRO . It provides assistance to adults 16 years and older who, because of illness, weakness, disability, or advanced age, cannot live safely at home alone. As an AFC member, you will live with your trained Caregiver, who can be a family member or a nonfamily member. The Caregiver will provide assistance, prompting, or supervision with bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, ambulating/walking, and eating. The Caregiver will also provide transportation for medical appointments and be a good companion as well.This is a service provided to members of MassHealth, at no cost to the members.
Health Alliance Hospital
Christine Dixon, RN BSN MMHC
Executive Director ACO Popluation Health
UMass Memorial – HealthAlliance Hospital
Leominster, MA
978 798-3171
We are working with the Palliative Care Team to support in-patient consultations and to collaborate with fellow care providers to properly refer patients to the palliative care program. The team uses the Honoring Choices program and tools to help engage adults in planning discussions to ensure they receive care that matches their care goals, values and choices.
Heywood Healthcare- Athol Hospital and Heywood Hospital
Heywood Healthcare is an independent, community owned health care system providing healthcare services to residents of North Central MA. Heywood Hospital and Athol Hospital, part of the Heywood Healthcare, is committed to improving the health of our community, with special consideration of disadvantaged populations, by working collaboratively with community partners to increase prevention efforts, address social determinants of health, and improve access to care. Honoring Choices is working closely with Barbara Nealon,LSW,CHW,SWAC,CCJS,CDVC, Director of Care Transitions and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, to help bring the Honoring Choices programs, planning tools and webinars to the hospital and the community groups such as to Medical Ethics Committee, Gardner Area Interagency Team Patient and Family Advisory Council, and more. Read more here.
LiveWell Elder Care Management
Angela Ashton, OTR/L, CCM
Founder, Advanced Aging Life Care Professional®
T: 978.660.7835
LiveWell Elder Care Management’s mission is to offer a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults, serving adults and families in North Worcester and Middlesex County. Owner and Founder, Angela Ashton is an Advanced Aging Life Care Professional with over 25 years of experience as an Occupational Therapist and Care Manager working with the aging population in a variety of settings. Angela is trained to consider one’s whole environment and find thoughtful and effective solutions, especially for adults with cognitive challenges and those who are aging alone or with long-distance family members. LiveWell Elder Care Management provides peace of mind for adults and their caregivers through a number of signature services. Read more here or call 978-660-7835
Hudson Senior Center
Janice Long
Executive Director
978-568-9638
http://www.townofhudson.org/public_documents/hudsonma_coa/index
Hudson Senior Center. The Hudson Council on Aging promotes and enhances the quality of life for older Hudson citizens and their families. Their mission is to assess the needs of our senior citizens by: designing and creating programs, advocating for, educating of, and enlisting support from federal, state, town, public and private organizations and individuals to meet those established needs.
Marlborough Council on Aging
Trish Pope
Executive Director
508-485-6492
http://www.marlborough-ma.gov/Gen/MarlboroughMA_SeniorSrvc/index
Marlborough Council on Aging and Senior Center’s mission is to promote healthy, successful aging and to enhance the quality of life for Marlborough's senior citizens 60 years of age and older. To that end, they strive to provide comprehensive services and programs for older adults and their families. They offer many services and activities which can be viewed in their on-line newsletter.
Elizabeth L. Myska, JD, LLM; Attorney
Attorney Elizabeth Myska serves clients of all ages in the Worcester Community, regarding legal matters with respect to “home and hearth”. Attorney Myska, concentrates her practice on estate planning and real estate matters. She can provide assistance to clients whether seeking a full estate plan, or a single legal document. As an Honoring Choices Community Partner, Attorney Myska can assist adults to complete a Durable Power of Attorney and other planning documents as requested. Attorney Myska holds a LLM, a Masters of Laws in Elder Law and Estate Planning.
Northborough Senior Center
Kelly Burke
Executive Director
508 393-5035
http://www.town.northborough.ma.us/pages/northboroughma_seniorcenter/index
Northborough Senior Center offers a large selection of programs and activities, including art class, line dancing, exercise, support groups, games, arts & crafts, computers, wellness lectures, a book discussion and writing groups, health, hearing and blood pressure clinics, legal clinic and much, much more. For a complete listing of monthly programs , see their newsletter,the Northborough Times, on the main web page.
Notre Dame Health Center
Karen M. Laganelli, MHA, Chief Executive Officer
Patricia Thibeault, Director of Marketing, Notre Dame At Home—Adult & Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care
508-852-5505
Notre Dame Health Care serves as a source of “renewal, refreshment, and healthy living” for adults and families in Worcester and Central Massachusetts. The organization offers a host of programs and services including assistance with aging in place, an assisted living residence, educational resource center, long term care, short-term rehabilitation, and residential memory care (in both our Long Term Care Center and du Lac Assisted Living Residence). Notre Dame Health Care’s At Home division brings the Notre Dame Health Care experience to patients and families in their place of care, providing adult and pediatric hospice and palliative care services throughout central and north central Massachusetts. Notre Dame Hospice is one of only two hospice’s in Massachusetts participating in the CMS/Medicare innovation center palliative care pilot, which seeks to provide beneficiaries and their families with greater flexibility in deciding their loved one’s care and treatment path. Read more here Every Notre Dame Health Care program strives to provide exceptional care for the whole person with concern for the social, physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well being of their residents, patients, staff members, their families, and the community they serve. They invite you to visit their beautiful campus at 555-559 Plantation Street in Worcester.
Right at Home of Eastern Worcester County
Professional In-Home Care & Assistance
Gail J. Hanson, President/CEO and Shelby L. Marshall, Senior Vice President
508-599-1122
Right at Home of Eastern Worcester County, located in Westborough and serving over 30 towns and cities, is owned and operated by Gail J. Hanson, President/CEO and Shelby L. Marshall, Senior Vice President. For over ten years they have provided customized, nurse-managed, private home care solutions to seniors and disabled adults with the foundational belief that every senior should have the option to age in the place of their own choice. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for those they serve, treating each individual with dignity and respect while providing respite and support to families. Through the kind hands and hearts of professional, trained caregivers, Right at Home provides homemaking, physical assistance, transportation, skilled care and more. For more information visit them at www.rahewc.com
Senior Care Collaborative
Michele Morin, Senior Care Collaborative Facilitator
Marketing & Community Relations, Gardner Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
Senior Care Collaborative is a dynamic group of organizations serving seniors in the Nashoba Valley Hospital, UMass Leominster, and Heywood Healthcare and Athol Hospital communities. Their mission is to work together to provide services, develop programs and host events that educate, engage and enrich the lives of seniors and caregivers by sharing resources, ideas and information. Through their collaboration, the Senior Care Collaborative members can expand their network to provide a wider range of programs and services to the senior population and their families, caregivers and professional partners. Members of the Collaborative, partially listed below, access the Honoring Choices MA tool kits, trainings and resources. Some members are Honoring Choices Health Care Planning Ambassadors. To learn more contact Michele Morin, MMorin@gardnerrehab.com
- Gardner Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
- The Gables Assisted Living
- Heywood Wakefield Commons
- Rebecca Amaral – Amaral Associates
- Live Well Eldercare Management
- The Broadview Assisted Living
- Agreement Resources, LLC
- Lifeway Mobility
- CareTenders
- Able Home Accessibility
- Caregiver Homes
- Nashoba Nursing Service & Hospice
Laura Silver Traiger, Attorney; Starr Vander Linden LLP
Attorney Laura Silver Traiger
Seven State Street, Worcester
508-754-8882
Laura Silver Traiger is an associate at the law firm of Starr Vander Linden LLP. Ms. Silver Traiger concentrates on the legal issues facing older and disabled clients, including estate and Medicaid planning, public benefits protection using special needs trusts, guardianships and estate administration. As a Community Partner, Attorney Silver Traiger offers to assist clients by drafting documents such as a Health Care Proxy or a Durable Power of Attorney, or other estate planning documents. Ms. Traiger is an active member with the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, currently serving as its President-Elect. She is also involved with the Worcester County Bar Association, currently serving as Co-Chair of the Probate Committee, and the Greater Worcester Alzheimer’s Partnership. She also serves on the advisory committee for the money management program of Elder Services of Worcester and mentors for the Elder Law project of the Women’s Bar Foundation.
Tri-Valley Inc.
Tri-Valley, Inc., located in Dudley, is a private, non-profit agency providing information, referrals, and care management for elders and individuals with disabilities in South Central Massachusetts. The mission of Tri-Valley, Inc. is to promote and maintain an optimal level of independence, dignity and well-being for elders and individuals with disabilities by providing information, advocacy, in home care and access to quality community services and resources, as well as caregiver support. You can contact them at 508-949-6640 or 1-800-286-6640 (toll-free within Massachusetts).
UMass Memorial Health Care
Jennifer Reidy, M.D., Chief, Division of Palliative Care Medicine, UMass Medical Center
We are thrilled to welcome UMass Memorial Health Care to the statewide Honoring Choices Community Partner Network. UMass Memorial Health Care is the largest health care system in Central Massachusetts and includes 4 hospitals: UMass Memorial Medical Center (Worcester); HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital (Clinton, Burbank and Leominster), and Marlborough Hospital. UMass Memorial Health Care is the clinical partner of UMass Medical School. We begin our partnership by supporting many of their well established programs:
- ACO Provider Education: To inform and empower all care providers
- Care Management Team: To provide the “Who’s Your Agent?” Workshop for Care Providers to the care management team to work with over 600 patients,
- Medical Interpreters Program: To expand multi-cultural and multi-lingual connections in the community using our 9 translated Health Care Proxys
- Palliative Care Medicine and Community Programs: To support Jennifer Reidy, MD, Chief, Palliative Care and the Palliative Care Team, and support Sarah McGee, MD, and the Shrewsbury Nursing Homes Program;
- Serious Illness Communication Program: To offer tools and programs to the four medical school goals-of-care curriculum project to train all medical students in serious illness communication;
- MOLST Initiatives: To co-host two MOLST Workshops October 18, 2017 and November 15, 2017
To learn more, contact with Jennifer Reidy, MD, Chief, Palliative Care at UMass Medical Center.
VCare Medical
Olga Rod, Director
www.vcaremedical.com
VCare Group is a multi-service patient care organization providing 24 hour individualized care and support to patients and their families. Care professionals work with the patients and families to create a plan of care that suits their lifestyle and supports the patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. The VCare Home Care and Hospice Program provide palliative and supportive care by an interdisciplinary team under the direction of an identifiable hospice administration. They provide compassionate care and services to adults & families during the course of the patient’s illness, death, and bereavement at home. The VCare Group Adult Foster Care program (GAFC) Program is designed to serve residents of affordable housing with the goal of providing the support services they may need to help them to remain living in their own homes. Read more here.
Worcester Adult Day Care
Yevgeny Zeltser, Director,
508-831-7500 info@worcesteradultdaycare.com
Worcester Adult Day Care’s mission is to enrich the lives of adults and build upon their skills, knowledge, unique abilities and strengths. Their primary focus is to provide a safe environment in which medical care is provided by qualified professionals. They provide nursing care to monitor and administer medication, rehabilitation services, social services, personal care services, and transportation. They help adults stay connected and cared for. For more information contact staff at 508-831-7500 info@worcesteradultdaycare.com Visit the website at www.worcesteradultdaycare.com
Worcester Elder Affairs/ Senior Center
Amy Vogel Waters, Director Elder Affairs/Worcester Senior Center www.worcesterma.gov/senior-center 508-799-1232
The Commission and Division of Elder Affairs enhances the quality of life for Worcester's elders age 60 and over by providing a wide-range of services and operating the Worcester Senior Center. The Center encourages participation in the community by providing advocacy and programs that promote health, wellness, fitness, education and independence. The Senior Center’s commitment to embracing diversity helps to enrich the experience of participating and working in the Senior Center, as well as generate respect for all people and their individual differences. The City's most vulnerable seniors are identified by the Division's innovative collaboration, the Senior Support Team, which provides follow-up services to emergency response calls involving seniors in an effort to prevent further calls to 911 and to improve their quality of life. The Senior Center through creative partnerships developed with over 200 instructors and organizations that provide over 375 different programs! Continual attention to diversity issues maintain a lively multi-cultural atmosphere in which thousands of seniors take charge of their health and thrive.