Adult Family Care: creating families, changing lives
If there’s one thing everyone wants, it’s a sense of belonging. The Adult Family Care (AFC) program at LifePath helps enable adults of all ages to belong to a community, and more importantly, to a family.
Specifically, AFC helps adults age 16 or older who—because of medical, physical, cognitive, or mental health conditions—cannot safely live alone.
Decluttering your home
Decluttering and downsizing can be overwhelming. Whether it’s to move from a family home to a small apartment, into an assisted living facility, or for some other reason, the task at hand can be challenging for all those involved.
Q: When I want to declutter my home or helped a loved one, where do I begin?A:
A Volunteer’s Story: When you give someone a meal, you receive a smile
Meet Meals on Wheels Driver Jane Dutcher
On an early winter’s day, Jane Dutcher of Bernardston heads out to a Meals on Wheels volunteer driver pickup point to collect several electric thermal bags of hot, prepared meals and coolers filled with
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