Seniors Helping Seniors: Greater Boston & Metrowest

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees
2022-09-20 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | MA
As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment.
Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host August’s meeting on Tuesday, the 20th in the office.
Please register for this event by Monday, August 19th.

Creating Meaningful Activities for Clients Living with Dementia
2022-09-15 18:00 - 19:30 | MA
Working with clients living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia often creates the need for us to be creative in how we structure our time together with them. While some clients may still be able to direct how their time is spent with you (or they may have family members that provide direction), it is often up to us as caregivers to determine what to do with our clients with cognitive impairment, balancing both physical and cognitive needs. Join us for this interactive session where SHS caregivers will come together to discuss activity/program ideas that have worked for them and their clients, and brainstorm new ideas together as well. (Please note: This session is optional and there is no compensation if you attend.)

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees
2022-08-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Meeting
As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment.
Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host July’s meeting on Tuesday, the 30th on Zoom.
Please register for this event by Monday, August 29th.

Essential Skills for Dementia Care (Training for SHS Employees)
2022-08-25 07:30 - 16:30, 2022-01-05 07:30 - 16:30 | MA
Presented by Tammy Pozerycki, Owner, Educator, and Consultant at Alternatives in Alzheimer’s Care, ESDC results in proven competence, self-empowerment, and accountability of best practices for the delivery of memory care services. ESDC is approved and accredited through the National Institute for Dementia Education (NIDE). Educating and credentialing caregivers reinforces Seniors Helping Seniors’ mission to provide dignified, respectful, and high-quality care. Attendees will achieve the highest level of dementia education and hands-on training for which they must prove competency. Eligible caregivers will become Certified Dementia Care Partners. The outcome is delivering the most successful and meaningful care possible for your clients with dementia.

Eligible attendees for credentialing must have a minimum of 1 year experience of providing dementia-related care and receive a passing score on the exam. The Certificate of Attendance and credentials as a Certified Dementia Care Partner™ will be delivered within one week of completion. Caregivers who attend for the education and do not wish to receive the credentials will be provided with a Certificate of Attendance and do not need to complete the exam. All attendees will receive the ESDC handbook; morning coffee, lunch, and break refreshments will be provided.

Event Schedule:

7:30 AM Registration and Coffee
8:00 AM ESDC curriculum
10:00-10:15 AM Break
10:15-Noon ESDC curriculum
12:00-12:30 PM Lunch
12:30-2:00 PM ESDC curriculum
2:00-2:15 PM Break
2:15-4:00 PM ESDC curriculum
4:00-4:30 PM Competency test & evaluation

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-08-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, August 16th from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time. Please register by end of day Monday, August 15th to receive the Zoom link.

Medical Marijuana and Other Non-Traditional Uses
2022-08-08 16:00 - 17:00 | MA
Are you curious about medical marijuana?

If so, please join us in the office on Monday afternoon, August 8th, when Mikayla Bell, Community Outreach + New England Treatment Access (NETA) Cares Manager, will be at the SHS office to discuss Medical Marijuana and Other Non-Traditional Uses. This is an opportunity to learn about the uses of medical marijuana in older adults. Different case scenarios of when medical marijuana was used effectively will be discussed, and questions you may have about this non-traditional treatment modality will be answered. (Please note: This workshop is optional and there is no compensation if you attend.)

Caregiver Appreciation BBQ
2022-07-30 12:00 - 15:00 | MA
Hi all, it’s that time of year again! We’re thrilled to announce that our Caregiver Appreciation BBQ is back!

The Caregiver Appreciation BBQ is a time to celebrate YOU for all of your hard work, commitment, dedication, and compassion! There will be lots of food, festivities, and connection with your caregiver colleagues.

The BBQ will be held on Saturday, July 30th, from 12 – 3 p.m. under the Pavillion at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln. As a special treat, our group will have access to all that Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary has to offer.
(Click here for directions to Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary When you enter Drumlin Farm’s main entrance, drive to the left and follow to the parking lot for the Pavillion.)

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees
2022-07-26 18:00 - 2022-07-27 19:30 | MA
As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment.
Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host July’s meeting on Tuesday, the 26th in the office.
Please register for this event by Monday, July 25th.

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-07-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, July 19th from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time. Please register by end of day July, June 18th to receive the Zoom link.

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees (Rescheduled)
2022-07-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Meeting
This event has been rescheduled from June 27th. As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment.
Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host June’s meeting via Zoom.
Please register for this event by Monday, July 4th.
Please Note: The Zoom link will be sent to you on the date of the event.

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-06-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, June 21st from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time. Please register by end of day Monday, June 20th to receive the Zoom link.

New Date! Tips & Tools for Senior Safety at Home - June 8th
2022-06-08 16:30 - 17:30 | MA
SHS Caregivers please join us at 4:30 on Wednesday, June 8th, when Jodi Bornstein, an occupational therapist at Hebrew SeniorLife, will offer tips and tricks for keeping seniors as safe and as independent as possible at home. This presentation will be held in-person at our office and will include ideas/tools for making clients’ homes/environments safe(r) and tasks easier, such as getting in/out of the car, shower supervision, safe transfers, and more. Please RSVP as soon as possible as we must have a sufficient number of caregivers attending in order to hold the presentation. (Note: This presentation is optional and there is no compensation if you attend.)

Modern Pronouns: They is Correct
2022-06-02 15:00 - 16:00 | MA
Using “they and them” in the singular may seem to go against what you learned about grammar in grade school, but you’ve probably been noticing a lot of people using the pronouns they/them instead of he/him or she/her… so many people that Massachusetts now offers M, F, and X gender markers on driver’s licenses, and terms such as non-binary and genderfluid have made it into mainstream media. Wondering what it all means? Would you like to learn more about how using affirming language and pronouns can help you create a more inclusive community? Join us at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 2nd for a talk by Julie Nowak (she/they/xe), LGBTQ+ Initiative Coordinator at BayPath Elder Services. Questions are warmly welcome throughout the presentation.

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees
2022-05-31 18:00 - 19:30 | MA
As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment.
Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host May’s meeting in the office.
Please register for this event by Monday, May 30th.

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-05-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, May 17th from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time. Please register by end of day Monday, May 16th to receive the Zoom link.

Walk to End Elder Isolation
2022-05-15 09:00 - 11:00 | Jamaica Pond, Jamaica Pond, Boston, MA, 02130, United States
Join Team SHS at the 7th Annual Walk to End Elder Isolation by FriendshipWorks on May 15, 2022 at Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain. Registration and breakfast start at 9am and the walk at 9:30am for the 1.5 mile pond loop.
From FriendshipWorks, “our mission is to reduce social isolation, enhance the quality of life, and preserve the dignity of older adults in Greater Boston. We accomplish this by recruiting and training volunteers of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds who provide friendship, advocacy, education, assistance, and emotional support.”
The event will be hybrid: in person walking around Jamaica Pond and on Facebook live for those at home. We hope you can join us as we raise funds to reduce isolation among older adults in Greater Boston. Consider walking or running in honor or in memory of a special person or friendship in your life and proudly wear a sticker with their name on it during the event. Leashed dogs are welcome, and dog-free zones will be available.
To donate or join our SHS team, please click here. We’d love to see you there!

Optimizing Independence and Safety at Home for Seniors (An Event for SHS Caregivers)
2022-05-04 10:00 - 11:00 | MA
SHS Caregivers please join us on Wednesday, May 4, when Jodi Bornstein, an occupational therapist at Hebrew SeniorLife, will offer tips and tricks for keeping seniors as safe and as independent as possible at home. This presentation will be held in-person at our office and will include ideas/tools for making clients’ homes/environments safe(r) and tasks easier, such as getting in/out of the car, shower supervision, safe transfers, and more. (Note: This presentation is optional and there is no compensation if you attend.)

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees
2022-04-26 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Meeting
As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment. Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host April’s meeting on Zoom. Please register for this event by April 25th.

It's Not a Burden: The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents (Caregiver Movie Night)
2022-04-21 18:00 - 20:00 | MA
SHS will be hosting a movie night at the office on Thursday, April 21st, to watch the documentary film, It’s Not a Burden: The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents.

This feature-length documentary provides an intimate look, presented with humor and heart, at the relationships between aging parents and the adult children who care for them, examining the challenges they face and the solutions they discover along the way. The touching, funny, and emotional film by Emmy® nominated director Michelle Boyaner chronicles her journey caring for her long-divorced parents (her mom battling dementia, her father, a hoarder). Other families’ supporting storylines — all races, genders and backgrounds — are expertly woven throughout, showing the universal and inevitable issues we as a nation face around the topic of aging. Leading with humor and heart, It’s Not a Burden takes on the relatable struggles of elder-care, with truth, humor and compassion – exposing the multiple sides to this complex issue that affects so many while gently reminding us, we’re not alone. (Run time: 1 hour, 26 minutes)
Watch trailer
Pizza and refreshments will be provided.

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-04-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, April 19th from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time. Please register by end of day Monday, April 18th to receive the Zoom link.

Preventing Excess Disability: Care Partnering versus Care Giving
2022-04-06 18:30 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
The loss of independence and self-control are the hard realities of a person with dementia. Aiding with bathing, dressing, and grooming can be the most stressful and challenging realities for the care partner. Learn the strategies and interventions that will allow for the decrease in power struggles and increase of positive feelings of the person with dementia. Led by Tammy Pozerycki, this Zoom session will help SHS families learn how to be a care partner rather than a caregiver

Processing the Loss of a Client
2022-03-29 18:00 - 19:30 | MA
This month’s Caregiver Support Group on Tuesday, March 29 will focus on a special topic: Processing the Loss of a Client – Sharing, Feeling & Dealing The work we do is both uplifting and emotionally challenging. One of the greatest challenges we face is the loss of a meaningful client relationship. Our clients leave us in a variety of ways; they move to be with children, they stop service when they transition to assisted living, they die. Sometimes we don’t even have the chance to say “goodbye.” During this unique opportunity, we will take the time to acknowledge these losses and to support one another. We hope you can make it to this special tribute to your clients and the important bond you shared. Group facilitator Sue Ann Wasserman will be joined by Executive Director Josh Obeiter and Associate Executive Director Jan Klein for this meeting. We hope you can make it to this special tribute to your clients and the important bond you shared. Here are the details: Date/Time: Tuesday, March 29, 6 – 7:30 p.m. Location: In person at the SHS Office, 330 Bear Hill Road, Suite 305, Waltham

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-03-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, March 15th from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time.

Please register by end of day Monday, March 14th to receive the Zoom link.

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees
2022-02-22 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Meeting
As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment.
Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host February’s meeting on Zoom.
Please register for this event by February 21st.

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-02-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, February 15th from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time.
Please register by end of day Monday, February 14th to receive the Zoom link.

Caregiver Support Group for SHS Employees
2022-01-25 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Meeting
As caregivers, we are often faced with challenging and emotional situations where some support from our peers can make a big difference. In the spirit of self-care, we have a Caregiver Support Group to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share (or just listen) to each other in a positive and supportive environment.

Led by Client Care Specialist, Sue Ann Wasserman, we are pleased to host January’s meeting on Zoom.

Please register for this event by January 25th.

Family Caregiver Support Group
2022-01-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
Don’t miss our next Support Group Meeting Tuesday, January 18th from 7:00-8:30pm! This informal support group will allow you to share openly about your current caregiving challenges in a confidential and safe environment. This support group meets monthly via Zoom. All those that RSVP will be sent the Zoom link prior to the support group meeting time.
Please register by end of day Monday, January 17th to receive the Zoom link.

Self Care for Caregivers
2022-01-18 18:00 - 19:15 | Zoom Meeting
On Tuesday, January 18, Betsy Simmons will be back to lead an online interactive session via Zoom where we will explore and practice self-care through compassionate awareness, breathing exercises, meditation, chair yoga and Qigong (gentle tai chi). Recommended attire is comfortable clothing for movement.

Many of you know Betsy — an SHS caregiver and long-time holistic health educator — from sharing her expertise at SHS on a number of important topics over the past few years.

This event will take place from 6-7:15 p.m. on Zoom.

The Forgotten Patient - Event for SHS Family Caregivers
2022-01-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Caregiver burden is presented regarding the spouse or life partner of a person with dementia. Often overlooked by healthcare professionals, the caregiver spouse or life partner becomes the forgotten patient. The risks associated with caregiver burden, assessment strategies, and overall care partner needs will be discussed.
This virtual training session for SHS Family Caregivers will be run by Tammy Pozerycki, Owner, Educator, and Consultant at Alternatives in Alzheimer’s Care.
