Hebrew SeniorLife

🍁 Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Hebrew SeniorLife! 🍁 Today, we reflect on the moments of connection, care, and community we’ve shared this year. We are deeply thankful for our residents, patients, families, and staff who bring warmth and joy to our community every day. Whether you're enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal, spending time with loved ones, or simply taking a moment for gratitude, we wish you a day filled with love and happiness. 🥰

Hebrew SeniorLife employees gathered recently to celebrate colleagues with special work anniversaries! The annual service awards recognize all staff members celebrating a five-year milestone in their Hebrew SeniorLife career. This year’s service awards honored 298 employees representing over 3,300 years of service to Hebrew SeniorLife! Their anniversary dates ranged from five to 45 years. Our service awards are a great reminder of our staff’s commitment to Hebrew SeniorLife’s mission and to each other. Thank you to all of our recipients for your years of hard work and dedication. We will be sharing more stories of our amazing staff in the weeks ahead. Interested in joining our amazing team? Find out more about our available positions on our careers page 👉🏼 https://bit.ly/3Q31Hv2

Hebrew SeniorLife is proud to announce that Hebrew Rehabilitation Center’s short-term skilled nursing rehab units have been recognized as Best Nursing Homes of 2025 by U.S. News & World Report! The Rehabilitative Services Units at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston and NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham both have overall ratings of 5 out of 5 and were rated as high performing. 

With the holidays coming up, many of us will be seeing loved ones who we don’t see in person that often. During these visits, it’s natural to notice changes in the health and well-being of older family members. Our blog post, “When Should You Be Concerned About Your Older Parents?” offers tips on what to look out for when visiting parents:  👀 Changes in their physical appearance and mobility 🏠 The state of their living environment. Is it clean and well-maintained or are regular chores not getting done?  🍽️ Shifts in appetite and sleep patterns 👥 Social engagement and isolation risks Our blog also offers practical advice on next steps if you notice changes. Remember, starting the conversation early can make a big difference in maintaining independence and quality of life for older adults!   Learn more 👉🏼   https://bit.ly/3CI5l7K

Can seeing images of heart disease risk motivate healthier eating? Researchers sought to answer that question by showing older adults their abdominal aortic calcification results (an early warning sign of heart disease). While study participants didn't increase their fruit and vegetable intake, they did see improvements in cholesterol levels and reduced cardiovascular risk. “Providing abdominal aortic calcification results did not significantly affect diet quality in the short term, which is not surprising since most people don’t reach healthy diet targets, despite public health messaging. However, our findings may still help individuals better control their cardiovascular risk factors,” said Douglas P. Kiel, MD, MPH, a senior scientist at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research. “This is promising, especially for older adults at higher risk for cardiovascular events. It suggests that providing vascular imaging results could be part of a broader strategy to help manage heart disease risk more effectively.” The study, “Impact of provision of abdominal aortic calcification results on fruit and vegetable intake: 12-week randomized phase 2 controlled trial,” was published in Nature Communications. Learn more 👉🏼

For a number of America’s veterans, the phrase “welcome home” can be unintentionally hurtful. Despite years of service and sacrifice, veterans are more vulnerable to experiencing homelessness or unstable housing than their peers who are not veterans. At Hebrew SeniorLife, we know that affordable housing with supportive health care services is crucial for older adults’ well-being, including veterans. Our latest blog post, “Why Affordable Housing Is the Foundation for Supporting Older Military Veterans,” explores: ✔️ Challenges older veterans face ✔️ Why affordable housing is the foundation of good care ✔️ How Hebrew SeniorLife supports the housing needs of veterans ✔️ Other resources available for veterans Learn more about how we can better serve those who've served us!

This Veterans Day, Hebrew SeniorLife is proud to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Among those are many of the patients and residents in our communities, along with a number of our employees. Boston 25 News recently featured the impressive story of one of the veterans in our community. Today, Orchard Cove residents are performing a play written and directed by fellow resident Al Benjamin, a 100-year-old World War II veteran. The original work is about Benjamin’s time as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps Eighth Air Force during World War II, during which he flew 31 bombing runs in a B-17. Thank you to all our veterans, and may we continue to share their stories. Watch here 👉🏼 https://bit.ly/4fFKF1L #VeteransDay #ThankYouVeterans

Extensive research shows that having diabetes increases your risk of developing dementia. Our latest blog post explains the link between blood sugar levels and cognitive function — and the steps you can take to reduce your risk, including: 🚶♀️ taking a 30-minute walk (break it up throughout the day!) 🥗 eating brain-healthy foods like those in the Mediterranean and MIND diets 👥 staying social with friends and family ⚖️ maintaining a healthy weight (even a 5% reduction helps!) 

Hebrew SeniorLife residents and patients are making their voices heard this Election Day! 📣 At Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, patients took advantage of mail-in ballots to register their votes. Residents at NewBridge on the Charles and Orchard Cove who wanted to vote in person made voting a social occasion, boarding special shuttles to go to the polls. And at Jack Satter House, residents don’t have to go far to cast their ballots—the community is also a polling location for the city of Revere! Some residents even volunteer as election workers. Our residents and patients care deeply about their communities and their country and are proud to use their vote to express their values. Knowing that we're having a positive impact on the world around us is one of the best ways to find purpose and meaning at any stage of life. If you haven’t voted yet, the polls in Massachusetts are open until 8:00 p.m.!

It's never too early or too late to start taking care of your cognitive health! Experts at our Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health have created a free brain health guide full of actionable tips for managing memory loss, slowing the progression of dementia, and maximizing brain health at any age. The guide also features helpful information and support for families and caregivers, all from Harvard Medical School-affiliated experts. Learn more 👉🏼 https://bit.ly/4eWLzXP