NewBridge on the Charles

08/22/2025

NewBridge on the Charles assisted living resident and New York Times best-selling author Patricia O’Brien, who wrote under the pseudonym Kate Alcott, joined forces with Program Specialist Bonnie Lundquist-Edes to lead a short story writing group for fellow residents.

“Short stories have a magic all their own,” O’Brien said. Residents collaborated to craft a story about a monster’s arrival after a door was mistakenly left open one night. “Writing is play. Writing will tell you it is very difficult, but it’s play. I hope you trust the idea that there is creativity inside you. It can take you down some wonderful and bizarre paths.”

She thanked Lundquist-Edes for her encouragement. “I’ve been intrigued by this idea for a while, and Bonnie was really the source in getting these chapters of my career open again,” O’Brien said. O'Brien wrote a dozen books, including "The Dressmaker," "The Woman Alone," and "The Daring Ladies of Lowell," among others.

The session was the first meeting of the short story writing group, which they hope to continue in the months ahead. “This is just the start of something fun, something different, and something we can all create,” Lundquist-Edes said.

08/20/2025

🌟 Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Tucker 🌟

Before moving to Washington, D.C. to begin medical school this fall, Tucker Apgar made a lasting impact at NewBridge on the Charles by leading a Torah Study group for patients in long-term chronic care.

Inspired by his grandparents' assisted living experiences, Tucker began with friendly visits and then created his evening program. Through lesson plans exploring faith, resilience, and Jewish learning, he helped patients feel more connected to each other and the traditions that matter most.

Whether it was finding creative ways to support a participant who relied on lip reading, or sparking meaningful dialogue with a former teacher, Tucker showed how passion and compassion can transform volunteering into something truly life-changing. 💙

While Tucker has moved and can no longer volunteer, his contributions continue to inspire — and Hebrew SeniorLife is grateful for him and the 346 active volunteers across our communities who bring joy, connection, and creativity to our residents every day.

🙌 Want to make a difference? Learn how you can volunteer with Hebrew SeniorLife 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/48x146p

08/18/2025

💬 “My mom is able to live independently because she’s in assisted living.”

That simple statement from a NewBridge on the Charles family member captures the heart of what assisted living can mean: independence with just the right amount of support.

In a blog post, NewBridge care advisor Tara Fleming Caruso, MA, LMHC, shares signs it may be time to consider assisted living, from frequent falls to missed medications or increasing isolation. She also addresses common myths about assisted living and offers guidance on how to start thoughtful, supportive conversations with loved ones about their needs and wishes.

🏡 At NewBridge on the Charles, assisted living is designed to help older adults thrive — balancing independence, dignity, and peace of mind for families.

Learn more 👉

While moving is a personal decision, some signs can indicate that assisted living is a good fit for you or a loved one.

08/15/2025

Actor and storyteller Johnny Kinsman recently shared the history of the Boston Public Garden, the first public botanical garden in America, with more than 55 NewBridge on the Charles residents.

“It is not just something you should drive by. It is something that you should be completely immersed in,” Kinsmann said, highlighting the beauty and enduring relevance of the Public Garden.

Located next to Boston Common, America’s first public park, the Public Garden is home to more than 80 species of plants, the Lagoon, and a variety of statues and foundations, including the Ether Monument and the Make Way for Ducklings sculptures.

Kinsman is the Associate Artistic Director for Anthem Theater in Boston as well as the Tour Quality Manager for Boston Duck Tours.

08/13/2025

Welcome to the floating city! Historian Paolo Di Gregorio visited NewBridge on the Charles to discuss the history, art, architecture, and music of Venice, the city of canals. His talk highlighted locations like St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, and the Arsenal, among others.

“Venice is beautiful, magnificent, and unique, but it is a city in danger, as it is constantly fighting a battle against the water and rising sea levels,” Di Gregorio said.

Di Gregorio is a visiting lecturer in the history department at Bridgewater State University. He has lectured about a wide range of topics at NewBridge on the Charles, discussing everything from the French Revolution to the Native American tribes of New England.

08/11/2025

NewBridge has rhythm! Several NewBridge on the Charles assisted living residents joined Expressive Therapist Chris Maier in a drum circle. Together, they provided the beat for songs like “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Hava Nagila," and the “Beer Barrel Polka,” among others. Residents have a variety of instruments at their disposal, including bongos, güira, tambourines, bells, and more.

Joining a drum circle has several benefits. Playing music together can decrease stress and anxiety, create and strengthen social bonds, maintain and improve mental clarity, and help in the practice of mindfulness, all while having fun! Learn more about how music can enrich our lives in our blog post, “The Healing Power of Music for Older Adults" available here 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3Yc95cP

08/06/2025

It was standing room only on the evening of July 22 in Great Meadow Hall at NewBridge on the Charles. There, residents gathered to award $151,425 to 24 employees pursuing their education.

“We wish you all the best in your continuing education, and we are so proud to help you fulfill that goal,” said Sandra Macey, NewBridge resident and awards ceremony co-chair.

NewBridge employees receiving scholarships are Isabella Annatone, Zerulia Antoine, Lucy Blazejewski, Estuline Constant, Kyra Crawford, Alexer Estaban, Jackson Fremont, Emily Gallagher, Esther Guillomaitre, Ishelle Haynes, Natalia Henry, Kayla Jones, Alexandra Lafleur, Michaina Loriston, Carol Martinez, Phaulyshah Occeus, Carly Paul, Noemi Pierre, Jenaya Riphin, Leah Scarpino, Majda Shahini, Alexandra Spyropoulou, Aliany Suarez, and Hadley Winkler.

Since starting in 2019, the NewBridge on the Charles Scholarship Steering Committee has given scholarships to 184 employees totaling $706,000, according to Sheila Pallay, chair of the committee.

“I want to acknowledge the generosity of our community. This is the stuff that makes me proud to work here,” said NewBridge Executive Director Matt Hollingshead.

08/04/2025

Clifford Backman, a retired professor of history at Boston University, recently discussed the ideas of tolerance and forgiveness and how shifting values and moral boundaries changed societal attitudes toward these concepts. His interest was piqued when he was writing about ancient Greece and needed to find the ancient Greek word for forgiveness. After doing a thorough search, he found there wasn't one.

"Ancient Greek has lots of words for revenge, but it didn't have one for forgiveness," Backman said, and this aversion to forgiveness and tolerance remained throughout much of the Middle Ages.

"If you were to beam in any random Christian, Muslim, or Jew from the 11th century, they would say tolerance is a vice, not a virtue," Backman said.

Noting the etymology of the word, he said tolerance comes from tolerare, which means "to carry a burden." Tolerance was not initially viewed as a virtue, but as a willingness and spiritual necessity of carrying a burden throughout life.

By the 15th century, he said that any random citizen might "begrudgingly acknowledge" tolerance as a virtue. Forgiveness would follow, with examples of forgiveness starting to appear in the 18th century.

“The embracing of forgiveness as a moral good seems to coincide with the emergence of tolerance being a virtue,” Backman said.

08/01/2025

“I had a garden in my yard for decades before coming here,” says NewBridge on the Charles resident Stu Bless. “When I moved in, people were talking about their gardens, so I signed up for a plot. Am I enjoying it, and will I stick with it? Yes!”

More than 30 NewBridge residents tend to plots in the Kotler Community Garden, located right on our campus. This year's fruits and vegetables growing in the garden include watermelon, eggplant, basil, sweet peppers, and cucumbers. Bless uses his plot to grow flowers and vegetables, from zinnias to tomatoes.

07/30/2025

Many NewBridge on the Charles residents are accomplished authors, and you can learn about them when perusing the “resident authors” shelf in our extensive resident-run library. Dr. Irving Fox is one such author. His memoir, "The Flashing Light," is a medical mystery memoir that details a 1968 illness that left Dr. Fox hospitalized for several months.

“The flashing light represents the aura I saw before my seizure. Out of the sky, I saw these bright blue flashing lights,” Dr. Fox said.

The first occurrence of these flashing lights came when he was 24. While in a parking lot, he saw the flashing blue light and could not see out of his left eye. It was initially diagnosed as a migraine, but Dr. Fox experienced the phenomenon again while on duty during his residency at McGill Hospital. This time, the lights were followed by a generalized seizure, and he woke up in a hospital bed.

The book describes that episode, the four months of treatment, and his work and family life. Dr. Fox’s lengthy career included teaching as a professor of medicine at both the University of Toronto and the University of Michigan, and working for Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Biogen, where he was instrumental in the development of the drugs Entyvio and Avonex. Entyvio treats ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, while Avonex treats multiple sclerosis.

“My wife, Gloria, has been my constant companion throughout this journey, and we just celebrated our 59th anniversary in June,” Dr. Fox said.

“The Flashing Light” was released in 2023, the same year they moved to NewBridge. Although moving into a new community took a little adjustment, Dr. Fox describes life at NewBridge as “easy living.”

“We wanted to be happy, comfortable, and part of a community,” he said. “The community here is fabulous. The people here at NewBridge come from such unique backgrounds and are so talented…. There are judges, businessmen, engineers, doctors, university professors, you name it. It’s a nice place to live, you feel like others care about you, and we’re pretty happy here.”

07/28/2025

“Scams are an unfortunately common attack that can happen to our members, our patients, and even our staff members,” said William Kent, director of security & emergency operations at NewBridge on the Charles. “There are many ways scammers will try to trick you, and everyone is potentially a victim.”

Joined by Community IT Liaison Joseph Bernardo, Kent discussed new and common scams targeting the community during a recent “Scambusters” presentation. They discussed "smishing" scams, when a scammer sends a deceptive message via text to steal personal information or financial data. A common form of this is the E-ZPass text message scam. The message directs the recipient to immediately pay an outstanding balance, often falsely claiming that failure to do so could result in the suspension of their driver's license.

Kent said scammers often create a sense of urgency.

“We want you to stop, take a deep breath, and think about what they are asking you for,” he said.

For example, Kent said scammers often ask for payment in unusual ways, such as gift cards, money orders, or cryptocurrency.

“The government doesn’t accept payment in gift cards. It’s a way for [scammers] to transfer and launder money in a hard-to-track way,” he said.

Bernardo said if a resident thinks a text message, phone call, or email is a scam, they can contact him or the NewBridge on the Charles security team. The team can help identify what is and isn’t a scam.

“It’s easier to check if something is a scam beforehand than it is to attempt to clean up after a scam occurs,” he said, but if you have been scammed, it is important to tell someone.

They also discussed fake tech support scams, where scammers pretend to be customer support representatives, promising to fix non-existent computer viruses or hacked accounts; government impersonation scams where a scammer threatens arrest or prosecution unless a person makes an immediate payment; and grandparent scams, where the scammer poses as a relative in urgent need of financial help. Kent warns that scammers are using artificial intelligence technology to make their scams more convincing.

To learn more about common scams and how to avoid being scammed, read our blog at https://bit.ly/3UAMZ1u

07/25/2025

“I have always enjoyed writing,” said author, retired professor, and NewBridge on the Charles resident Amy Kwei.

Kwei has written three books: “Intrigue in the House of Wong,” "Under the Blood Red Moon: A Chinese Family in Diaspora," and "A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China." The first is a young adult title, and all three are available to borrow from the resident authors section of the NewBridge library.

“The ‘Concubine’ book is based on family history,” Kwei said. The historical fiction novel explores her grandmother's gift of a concubine to her grandfather for his 50th birthday to increase the chance of an heir to the family.

She said “Under the Blood Red Moon” also has its origins in family stories. As the subtitle suggests, the historical fiction novel chronicles the three sisters of Huang clan and their lives in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New York between 1945 and 1968, touching upon the Korean War, the Great Leap Forward, English colonial rule in Hong Kong, and immigration to America.

A graduate of St. John’s University and Vassar College, Kwei formerly taught at Bennett College and Dutchess Community College.