Winchester Hospital Partners with Carleton-Willard At Home to Support Seniors

October 05, 2011

Winchester, Mass.-

Winchester Hospital recently entered into an agreement with Carleton-Willard At Home to provide support to seniors living in Winchester and surrounding towns. The two organizations will work together to enable residents to live safely, comfortably and conveniently in their own homes as they grow older.

At Home, a not-for-profit membership organization and a sister organization to Carleton-Willard Village, was established two years ago to help seniors stay in their own homes with confidence and independence, while saving them money on services ranging from home maintenance to in-home health care. Available to residents over 65, At Home is one-stop shopping, connecting members with carefully screened providers as well as providing fitness classes, social opportunities and transportation.

Under the relationship, At Home members will enjoy a discount on Winchester Hospital Lifeline, a personal response service that helps seniors live independently while ensuring that help is just a button push away, 24 hours a day. Also through the collaboration, Winchester Hospital and Carleton-Willard At Home are jointly developing and sponsoring education sessions, including a free CarFit program to enhance seniors’ safety by ensuring that their personal vehicles fit their driving needs.

A CarFit education session will take place on Monday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to noon, at the Jenks Center, 109 Skillings Road in Winchester. The CarFit screening will be held on Monday, Oct. 31, 1 to 4 p.m., in the Jenks Center parking lot. At this event, CarFit technicians will lead senior drivers through a 12-point checklist of their vehicles, recommend adjustments and adaptations, and offer community-specific resources. CarFit devices available for purchase include cushions to relieve pressure and lower back pain; equipment providing additional leverage while entering or exiting a vehicle; an easy-to-reach seatbelt handle; oversized rearview mirror; and designs to make turning the key and gas cap easier.

“In keeping with Winchester Hospital’s mission, we are pleased to partner with Carleton-Willard on this innovative program,” said Kevin Smith, president and chief executive officer of Winchester Hospital. “Our collaboration will enable us to build on our existing strengths and bring more specialized services for seniors to the community setting.”

“We are delighted with our new relationship with Winchester Hospital,” said Barbara A. Doyle, president and chief executive officer of Carleton-Willard Homes, Inc. “The quality of care at Winchester Hospital is outstanding, and its commitment to the residents of the communities it serves runs deep.”

CarFit has been developed in collaboration among the American Society on Aging, AAA, AARP and American Occupational Therapy Association. To register, call Paula von Kleydorff at Carleton-Willard At Home at (781) 276-1910 or e-mail pvonkleydorff@cwathome.org.

About Carleton-Willard
Based in Bedford, Mass., Carleton-Willard At Home is a subsidiary of Carleton-Willard Homes, Inc., which owns and manages Carleton-Willard Village, the oldest and most respected provider of continuing care retirement services in Massachusetts. Like The Village, Carleton-Willard At Home is a not-for-profit, with a Board of Trustees composed of community, professional and business leaders. We have a history of helping those in our communities that stretches back to 1884. To learn more about Carleton-Willard At Home, call (781) 276-1910 or go to www.cwathome.org.

About Winchester Hospital
Winchester Hospital is the first community hospital in Massachusetts to earn Magnet® recognition, the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s highest honor for nursing excellence. As the northwest suburban Boston area’s leading provider of comprehensive health care services, the 229-bed facility provides care in general, bariatric and vascular surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, oncology, radiation oncology, gastroenterology, urology, gynecologic urology, rehabilitation, pain management, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics and a Level IIB Special Care Nursery. Winchester Hospital has clinical affiliations with several nationally recognized hospitals in the region, including Children’s Hospital Boston, Tufts Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. To learn more, visit www.winchesterhospital.org.