Promoting the Health and Wellness of Older Adults in Greater Lowell
LOWELL, MASS. – Exercises to retrain injured brains, holiday flower deliveries, and free classical-music concerts are just three ways the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is supporting efforts to improve the health and wellness of local older adults.
Through recent grants awarded from its Leclair Elder Services Fund, GLCF has provided financial support to Clear Path for Veterans New England, Power of Flowers Project, and Groton Hill Music Center. These local nonprofit organizations have developed programs specifically geared toward improving the lives of seniors.
“Following the recent pandemic, the Foundation has been concerned about the wellness and health of our seniors,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF President and CEO.
“During COVID, many of these folks had to endure mandated isolation in order to stay safe. However, that often resulted in a growing sense of loneliness and despair. Thanks to our Leclair Elder Services Fund, we are pleased to support three local nonprofits in bringing some hope and balance to this long-suffering population.”
An endowed discretionary fund, GLCF’s Leclair Elder Services Fund was established to support nonprofit organizations located in or servicing the elder population in the 21 communities the Foundation serves, explained Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF’s Vice President of Marketing, Programs & Strategy.
“Every year, the Foundation awards grants up to $7,000 each to organizations providing services to adults (ages 55 and up) in our local area,” said Aradhya. “This is an annual discretionary grants process and the 2024 application period for Leclair Elder Services Fund grants opens in early February.”
Neuro Fit Brain Retrain
Clear Path for Veterans New England, a 22,000-square-foot wellness and community center, is located in Devens, explained Donna Bulger, Executive Director. Founded in 2017, it offers a variety of “wrap-around services” for veterans and their families.
“Most of our clients are elderly veterans — especially since Vietnam War vets didn’t have any of these kinds of support services when they came home,” said Bulger.
Clear Path offers peer-to-peer wellness programs, all centered around small groups, so clients can develop bonds with other members of the group, she said. “This bonding is particularly important for seniors,” added Bulger, “because as we get older, it can be hard to find and make new friendships.”
Clear Path’s recent GLCF grant provided financial support for its Neuro Fit Brain Retrain program. Under the direction of Dr. Lars Landers, the program is designed for veterans with a history of combat-related traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or military sexual trauma (MST).
Veterans experiencing a variety of symptoms – including anxiety, dizziness, or sleep disorders — can find relief through Neuro Fit, which maximizes brain health through brain exercises, Landers explained.
“Our brains can remodel and improve their function through a process called neuroplasticity,” he said. “Neuro Fit is designed to get the brain to recognize where it’s not able to adequately perform certain functions, or where it has lost function. We do exercises to facilitate healing of the brain, teaching it better ways to do things.”
These brain exercises can make a difference, according to Landers. “Over my career, I’ve worked with patients as young as 11 and as old as 90, and I’ve seen improvement with everyone,” he said.
Power of Flowers Project
Another GLCF/Leclair grant supported Power of Flowers Project’s Special Delivery Program, which was designed to lift spirits and bring smiles to lonely elders.
A nonprofit based in Tewksbury, Power of Flowers Project takes flowers discarded after funerals or weddings – any event where flowers are left behind or tossed in the trash while still fresh – and repurposes them, explained Michelle Silveira, Executive Director.
With the help of its 175 active volunteers, these donated flowers are crafted into colorful, fragrant bouquets and delivered to residents in about 75 local nursing homes and veterans care facilities.
“Every year, we try to deliver 14,000 to 15,000 bouquets in the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire area — that’s about 400 bouquets a week,” said Silveira. Power of Flowers Project estimates it has delivered approximately 155,000 bouquets since the organization was founded in 2009.
“When you think about folks in nursing homes, their families can’t always visit every day and it can get lonely,” she said. “When we bring our flowers in, it’s an unexpected treat! We get calls from family members all the time saying how much their loved ones appreciated our flowers.”
Through its Special Delivery Program, Power of Flowers Project was able to augment and customize its bouquets. “We’re limited in funds, all our flowers are donated,” Silveira explained.
“However, we wanted to buy some custom flowers and seasonal embellishments to dress up our bouquets for the various holidays, like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day or Veterans Day. We wanted to make them more fun and festive. People really liked it,” she said.
Engagement, Enrichment & Solace Through Music
Live music can also promote mental health and wellness. With support from its GLCF/Leclair Elder Services Grant, Groton Hill Music Center now offers a trio of free music programs that cater to older adults.
Founded in Groton in 1985 (as Indian Hill Music), Groton Hill Music has grown and expanded, explained Laura Altenor, Community Engagement & Summer Program Manager. “We now offer music performances and classes all year, for all ages. We have a summer program and offer community-engagement programs.”
One of its most popular on-going community-engagement offerings is the Bach’s Lunch concert series. Held monthly, this series of free, daytime concerts was designed to attract local older adults – which it does, in droves. “Our Bach’s Lunch audience has grown so much over the years that we couldn’t seat everyone who wanted to attend,” said Altenor.
So, Groton Hill Music added another free daytime concert series. “This year, we started our Community Concerts, which are held in our 1,039-seat concert hall, so we can serve more people.”
Now, the Bach’s Lunch concerts focus on elders who need special accommodations, especially those from nursing homes and memory-care units, Altenor explained. “All Bach’s Lunch concerts are held in our multi-purpose rehearsal space, which is one level. It seats about 100 people and is set up with tables and chairs. There’s plenty of room for wheelchairs and walkers.”
The larger Community Concerts are offered four times a year and are open to everyone. “Community Concerts serve local COAs and senior centers. Even children and homeschoolers attend,” said Altenor. Both concert series feature a variety of musical styles – including classical, jazz and gospel – and all feature professional musicians.
Groton Hill’s third, GLCF grant-supported program is Threshold Singers. These professional singers perform bedside singing for those in hospice care. “Small groups go out whenever they are called – day or night — to comfort patients, as a service for families,” Altenor explained. All bedside singing is free and the singers are volunteers.
“Groton Hill Music is especially engaged with our local elders,” Altenor added. “We have a large population of seniors who come to our concerts and take classes. They are an important part of our community.”
For further information about the Greater Lowell Community Foundation and its grant-funding opportunities, visit: www.glcfoundation.org
About Greater Lowell Community Foundation — Established in 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is a philanthropic organization comprised of more than 400 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of almost $60 million, GLCF annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. It is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from Foundation staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled the Community Foundation to award more than $35 million to the Greater Lowell community.
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