LifePath Awards Funding to 11 Community-based Organizations

GREENFIELD — LifePath, the area agency on aging and aging-services access point for Franklin County and the North Quabbin region, awarded funding to 11 community-based organizations in the first year of the annual Age & Dementia Friendly Community Grants initiative.

These one-time grants support projects that improve accessibility, foster inclusion, and promote the well-being of older adults and people living with dementia across the region. They are supported with funding from Point32Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, and the Community Health Improvement Plan Network, a project of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.

Grants of up to $3,000 were awarded to support initiatives aligned with the Age & Dementia Friendly Franklin County and North Quabbin Regional Action Plan, a community-informed blueprint for building safer, welcoming, and equitable communities for all ages and abilities.

“We are grateful to these organizations who have stepped forward to partner with us on making our community more age- and dementia-friendly,” said Lynne Feldman, associate executive director and planner at LifePath. “These initiatives are the culmination of deep work and commitment by residents, local organizations, and our valued funders.”

The eleven funded organizations include:

• Mass in Motion/Age Friendly Conway Committee, to support both the creation of a one-stop home-repair resource portal for older adults in Conway and the launch of an on-demand senior transportation service, improving access to daily needs, events, and social opportunities;

• Shelburne Senior Center, to enhance caregiver support and the Memory Café program by providing entertainment, speakers, and a comprehensive caregiver resource brochure;

• Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, to install ADA-compliant benches along the Alderbrook Trail to improve access for older adults and those with limited mobility;

• Leverett Library, to install a dementia-friendly ‘Happy to Chat Bench’ at the library to foster connection and intergenerational conversation;

• Northfield Senior Center, to expand Memory Café series to offer free meals and performances for an additional 12 sessions, providing inclusive welcoming experiences for people with memory loss and their caregivers;

• Rowe Council on Aging, to increase access and connection through the purchase of equipment to support cultural and fitness programming for people of all abilities;

• Greenfield Housing Authority, to support older adult residents with social programming and memory support and add two customized computers for resident use;

• Town of Athol, to create accessible outdoor seating adjacent to the Athol Senior Center and North Quabbin Regional Veterans Center to foster gathering and inclusion;

• Village Neighbors, to expand dementia-friendly services in four towns through caregiver education, volunteer training, transportation support for older adults, people living with dementia, and caregivers;

• Town of Ashfield, to increase civic engagement through the purchase of assistive listening technology for use at civic meetings and other events at Town Hall; and

• Greenfield Council on Aging, to support volunteers in the development of the Greenfield Neighborhood, which will provide transportation and other services to promote aging in place.

Click here to learn more about the Age & Dementia Friendly Action Plan or to find out how to get involved in future initiatives.