Nutrition Notes: The role of nutrition in preventing inflammation
Did you know that inflammation is more than a swollen ankle or a cut finger after a fall or injury? Inflammation, especially chronic inflammation, can be far more serious and may be the cause of serious health issues including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and more.
There are two types of inflammation, acute

Tips to stay active all winter, indoors and outdoors
Winter is here and so is the cold weather. Staying motivated about your fitness can be a challenge when it’s cold outside! Exercise has benefits all year, even during the winter. Winter brings cold weather and, for some, sickness, the “blues,” and isolation. So don’t put your exercise gear away – instead, stay active!
Q: How
Remember to take care of yourself first during times of stress
As the holidays approach, so does stress, which can cause physical and emotional health issues. Taking care of you is very important.
Q: So what should I know about self-care?
A: First make sure to make time for you.According to Counseling Psychologist Raphailia Michael, writing for Psych Central, “self-care is any activity that we
A Volunteer’s Story: “It’s not all business. We have fun!”
Meet Money Manager Sue Dunbar
Though Sue Dunbar of New Salem is retired, she keeps herself busy as a church treasurer, library assistant, and volunteer money manager through LifePath.
“I was the elementary band director at the Amherst Public Schools for 38 years,” says Sue. “I have several irons in the fire, and all I got rid

Jean Adams ages in place with help from the Personal Care Attendant Program
“It’s just like a gift from heaven”
Jean Adams spent most of her life working. “I worked 46 years of my life and I’m 76,” says Jean. “My parents always felt that we needed to know what it was like to earn money. So at 12 years old, I got a summer job washing milk bottles

A Caregiver’s Story: Deb & Alan Bachrach
Alan and Deb Bachrach are shown above enjoying the company of their dogs, Bela and Zoe, in 2017. Alan is listening to music on his iPod, provided through a partnership with the Alzheimer’s Music Project. Alan, who had dementia with Lewy bodies, found the music to be soothing and often sang along.
Aging in place with
A Volunteer’s Story: “It helps somebody, and nobody has to pay me.”
Meet Money Manager Ted Penick
It all started nearly 20 years ago with the radio. Ted Penick was listening to WHAI and heard an interview about the Money Management Program at LifePath. “Somebody was on and mentioned this program which I’d never heard of. It sounded interesting – they even gave a phone number to call.
There’s No Care Like Home Care
Meet Melanie, CHHA, serving elders and people with disabilities for nearly 40 years
Melanie has been a certified home health aide (CHHA) for nearly four decades.
“I have been in the home care field for 37 years,” she says. “I was trained in high school as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and home health aide (HHA).”
For the
A Caregiver’s Story
Opening a home with love for a patchwork family
Jean Brisson moved with her family to Charlemont, Mass., nearly 20 years ago.
“I moved here because my father had sold his house in Northampton and relocated to this area,” says Jean, “and I had children and they were very close with my dad.” Now, Jean’s children are

A Volunteer’s Story: “It makes me feel good that I can kind of help somebody.”
Steve McKnight serves elders and his community with Rides for Health
One day, after Steve McKnight retired from a long career with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation about three years ago, he was browsing through the newspaper when he came across a description of a new program at LifePath that was seeking volunteers.
“I thought,

A Volunteer’s Story: “You take small steps to reach your big goals”
Gale Mason helps her neighbors learn ways to better manage their health
Gale Mason (above left) co-led her first Healthy Living community workshop with Andi Waisman (above right), Healthy Living program manager at LifePath. “I think it was the first workshop either one of us had led,” says Gale, “so we really relied heavily on each

Martha & Donna are “grateful & secure” for services from LifePath
Above: Martha Shibilo (left) and Donna Gates sit and talk in their family home in Montague. Thanks to services from LifePath, the mother and daughter are able to age in place together.
Mother and daughter maintain their independence together in their family home
Donna Gates grew up in Franklin County. Now age 77, she lives in Montague