Home Care

“We need each other,” said FriendshipWorks Executive Director Janet Seckel-Cerrotti, “especially older people who have to fight diminishment and the lessening social connections that come with age and fragility.” The comment sums up Seckel-Cerrotti’s belief in the value of FriendshipWorks, a volunteer organization based in Boston. Working with a staff of 15, she organizes the activities of a group of about 200 volunteers in the Boston-Brookline area who serve their clients. Both English and Spanish are spoken.

By Doug Peck Taking care of an elderly parent or relative is never an easy task. There is an endless of number of critical decisions...

Every 70 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. One in eight people aged 65 or older have the disease. In Worcester County alone, over 14,000 people have Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.

By Angela Rocheleau We often write about caregiving since this is one area we just can’t say enough about. There are so many families struggling...

By Cindy Tulimeri and Karen DeRosas Your bedroom serves many functions such as sleeping and dressing. During the day your bedroom may seem perfectly safe. But...

By Angela Rocheleau February is National Heart Month and here are a few interesting facts to ponder. Every year since its congressional approval in 1963,...

https://issuu.com/communityadvocate/docs/ecrg_autumn_21-22

Last month I wrote about a 70- year-old friend of mine with diabetes who fought to return home after a hospitalization, instead of going to a rehab. Well, it has happened again. A 61-year-old woman from Charlestown called me last week. Let's call her “Laura.” She is a MassHealth member. She broke her leg, and was sent to a major hospital in Boston. She spent three days in the hospital. At discharge, the staff hospitalist gave Laura a list of three rehabs, and told her to pick one. Laura didn’t know what a rehab would be like, but she picked one facility she had heard of.

Audry was from the old country. As a kid, whenever she was stressed, she would visit her mother in the kitchen. Her mother would set her up with some spices and with a mortar and pestle, she would bang and grind the spices until she felt better. Now, even in her later years when her anxiety spikes again, she still gets great comfort from the bang and scrape but also from the smells of the spices.

By David Price Madison Square Garden, October 2009: My wife, Sylvia and I are delighted to attend the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th...