Two people who work toward having communities friendly to all ages and allowing people to “age well” will give a presentation in Watertown on Nov. 5.
The “Age-Friendly Communities” event will be presented by Watertown Community Foundation, WatertownTogether, and the Marshall Home Fund. The free event is open to the public, and will be held at the auditorium at the Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St. in Watertown from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Two experts will share their experiences in nearby Brookline and Boston – Ruthann Dobek, Director of the Brookline Council on Aging and Dale Mitchell, Executive Director of Ethos.
Residents and town officials will have the opportunity to discuss the lessons Watertown can learn from the successes of these communities.
The auditorium is accessible, and light refreshments will be served.
These bios have been provided by the event organizers:
Ruthann Dobek
Brookline has been accepted as a member of the World Health Organization’s international network of “Age Friendly” cities. Only eight other cities in the U.S. have been selected to join, and Brookline is the first in New England. Ruthann Dobek, Director of Brookline’s Council on Aging and Senior Center (COA), will speak about the COA’s collaboration with the Brookline Community Aging Network (BrooklineCAN), a member-driven, volunteer organization that promotes services and activities to enable independent living and improved quality of life for Brookline’s older adults.
Dale Mitchell
Dale Mitchell, Executive Director of Ethos, the state’s Aging Services Access Point that serves several Boston neighborhoods, will speak about two Ethos-sponsored initiatives aimed at improving the lives of residents of Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury: AgeWell West Roxbury and JP@Home. AgeWell West Roxbury collaborates with residents of all ages, local businesses, religious organizations, and health and social service providers to build a community that is collectively activated and responsive to healthy aging and local
unmet needs. JP@Home is a membership-based program whose mission is to promote the independence of older adults and persons with disabilities. JP@Home opens up Ethos’ expertise and care to residents who want to age-in-place but who will not meet most qualifying service criteria because of age, financial, and/or clinical
eligibility standards.
For more information, call 617-926-1500 or visit: www.watertownfoundation.org