NewBridge on the Charles

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NewBridge on the Charles

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from NewBridge on the Charles, Retirement and care home, 5000 Great Meadow Road, Dedham, MA.

NewBridge on the Charles is a beautiful state-of-the-art continuing care retirement community located on a 162-acre multigenerational campus along the Charles River in Dedham, Mass.

02/02/2026

The Healthy Aging Initiative speaker series continues into 2026! NewBridge on the Charles recently welcomed Dr. Sharon Inouye, Director of the Aging Brain Center at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, who talked about her journey in delirium research.

Noting that delirium is different from a chronic state like dementia, Dr. Inouye defined delirium as a temporary state of confusion that causes a person's mind to be clouded, making it difficult to pay attention and focus.

"It is believed, for the most part, that delirium is temporary and reversible. So why should we care about it? It turns out it is very common," she said. "It is estimated that about five older adults become delirious every minute in the United States."

That amounts to approximately 2.6 million people annually, with most cases developing when a person is hospitalized for an acute illness or after surgery. Dr. Inouye described delirium as a common problem that can cause serious complications and increase the cost of health care. Delirium is estimated to cost hospitals more than $8 billion annually, as well as more than $150 billion annually in post-hospital costs such as home care and rehabilitation.

The complications associated with delirium include functional and cognitive decline, post-traumatic stress disorder, increased rates of dementia, and an increased morbidity rate, among others. However, up to 50 percent of delirium cases are preventable. Dr. Inouye shared tips for reducing the risk of delirium when a family member is hospitalized or going in for elective surgery, including bringing a complete list of all medications to the hospital and preparing a "medical information sheet" that lists allergies, known medical conditions, and contact information for the patient's physicians and pharmacy.

"It sounds so obvious, but I can't tell you how many times we don't have that," she said.
Other tips include bringing their glasses, hearing aids, and dentures to the hospital; bringing in a familiar object from home; and staying with them in the hospital as much as possible.

Being present is also key when caring for a family member with delirium. When faced with delirium in a hospital setting, she suggests staying with the person as much as possible, maintaining a quiet, peaceful environment, bringing in a familiar object from home, and playing soothing music.

"It is so important for family members to be there to provide support. A lot of family members tell me they don't know what to do and feel so useless, but just sitting there and being there is something the patient needs," Dr. Inouye said.

In addition to her work with the Marcus Institute, Dr. Inouye is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and editor-in-chief of JAMA Internal Medicine. She developed the Confusion Assessment Method, the most widely used delirium tool worldwide, and created the Hospital Elder Life Program to provide age-friendly care designed to prevent both delirium and functional decline.

The discussion was part of the Healthy Aging Initiative speaker series, where Marcus Institute experts discuss their research and findings with the NewBridge on the Charles community. The Healthy Aging Initiative is a longitudinal study that aims to identify the factors and predictors of lifelong health and well-being, identify early biomarkers for disease and rate of aging, determine the factors that modify the progression of disease, discover the risks for specific illnesses, and enable the development of interventions.

To learn more about the Healthy Aging Initiative, please visit https://bit.ly/4hhyhGg

01/30/2026

Nancy Sullivan, our long-time Move-In Administrator, is retiring after nearly 20 years with Hebrew SeniorLife. Sullivan has touched the lives of every resident who has ever called NewBridge on the Charles home since joining the team on September 5, 2006—before a single structure was built.

"There was nothing on this campus. There were no roads. There were no streetlights. There was just 162 acres of land. The few homes that were here were torn down, other than the president's house, which was owned by the Chick family," Sullivan said.

She joined a team with four salespeople and one social worker working out of 45 West Street, a house near the entrance of the campus.

"They sold floor plans and blue skies, and we had renderings of the campus of where things would be," she said. Those looking to move in had a blank slate for what they wanted to do in their unit. The team continued to meet with residents as the project developed, leading to NewBridge on the Charles's grand opening on June 15, 2009.

The grand opening presented a unique challenge for Sullivan and Sara Grondell, who went on to lead the housekeeping team. The goal was 35 move-ins by the end of the first month.

"Sara and I moved in 47 households in 12 working days to get the campus up and running," Sullivan said.

That success continued into July, when they coordinated 26 more move-ins. Sullivan said the residents who moved in that first year were called "NewBridge Pioneers," many of whom still live at NewBridge on the Charles.

"I probably moved in 500+ people," Sullivan said. "Every resident that moves in is different. There are no two I could play the match game with, since they were all so very different."

One unique move-in challenge came when a resident wanted to move a couch into her apartment, but the couch was too large to fit through the door.

"We called engineering, and we just had a big snowstorm. They had to take out a window and climb over the snowbank, but they got the couch in!" Sullivan said. This same resident recently shared a poem with Sullivan in honor of her retirement: "With always a smile and the confidence you gave / Our treasures you followed – you told movers – be careful must save / I remember so well the problem I had – moving a couch through a window not glad / I felt assured with the positive determination you had."

Sullivan was also integral to the move-out process.

"Move-outs are more challenging than move-ins because of the sadness and how families are vulnerable," she said. "It's hard for them, really hard, but I embrace everyone here as if they are my own mom and dad."

Beyond move coordination, Sullivan created charitable connections at NewBridge on the Charles. She formed partnerships with Action for Post-Soviet Jewry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, providing residents with opportunities to donate everything from clothing to furniture. She plans to continue volunteer work in her retirement.

"I also plan to travel. We have a couple of trips booked. I'll spend time with my husband, children, and grandchildren, and reconnect with my friends and extended family," she said.

Before starting at NewBridge on the Charles, Sullivan spent her career in the wallcovering industry. Describing the change as "a leap of faith," she applied for the job at NewBridge, undergoing approximately 10 interviews before being hired.

"This was a whole new world for me," she said. "It was exciting, it was new, and it was a great learning experience. It was a great journey in my professional career. Never in a million years did I think this is where my last job would be, but this place has been my whole life for almost 20 years."

Sullivan said she will miss the camaraderie and the community.

"I will miss the day-to-day here, meeting with residents, listening to their stories, and making connections," she said.

We thank Nancy for being a key thread in the fabric of NewBridge on the Charles all these years and wish her the best as she pursues her own retirement.

01/28/2026

Janet Applefield, born Gustawa Singer, recently visited NewBridge on the Charles to share her story as a child survivor of the Holocaust, offering insights into the dangers of hate, prejudice, and intolerance. Following Hitler's invasion of Poland, Applefield said her parents were forced to make the "unbelievable decision" to give her away, leaving her with Maria, the nanny to one of her cousins.

"It must have been devastating to them. I think about my own children and whether I could do something like that," Applefield said.

Her father was assigned to forced labor in the Krakow ghetto and survived three concentration camps, but her mother was transported to the death camp at Belzec.

"This camp existed for only six months, and in that period of time, 600,000 people were murdered. Only two people survived. Very tragically, my mother, my grandmother, my aunt, my little cousin, and many of my family members were victims of that death camp," Applefield said. "This camp was burned down, and now there is just a monument standing there."

Applefield eventually wound up with her cousin Lala. One day, they went to Krakow, and her cousin left her in a church to visit her boyfriend in a café. Lala never returned, and when Applefield left the church, she saw the street had been cordoned off. Everyone in the café had been arrested by the Gestapo.

"Here I was, seven years old, walking up and down the street, crying, not knowing what to do, when a woman came up to me very quickly. She put me under her cape and asked what was wrong," Applefield said. The woman placed her in the care of the Golab family, and she was brought to a farm owned and operated by the Catholic Church.

Following the war, she lived with an aunt and uncle who were living under falsified Christian identities. When she was 10 years old, her uncle left her at the Jewish Community Center in Krakow, where she was one of the "upstairs orphans." She would eventually reunite with her father, Alojzy Singer.

"I will always remember the reunion with my father because I was so scared of him. He looked like a skeleton," Applefield said. "I had not seen him for about three and a half years, and he was hugging and kissing me and telling me he was going to take me."

In 1947, they traveled to the United States aboard the SS Marine Falcon transport boat.
"I've often thought about the people who saved me. They didn't just save my life—they saved the lives of future generations. It made me realize the importance of decisions and choices that we make, because even the smallest act of kindness has a ripple effect," Applefield said.

After the talk, Applefield signed copies of her memoir, "Becoming Janet: Finding Myself in the Holocaust," for those in attendance.

01/26/2026

NewBridge on the Charles residents recently enjoyed a private tour of the Eustis Estate Museum in Milton. Built in 1878, the Historic New England property was designed by Boston architect W. Ralph Emerson as the home of William Ellery Channing Eustis.

NewBridge on the Charles offers several outings per month. Other recent trips include tours of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

01/23/2026

"Public health was in the news a lot in 2025," said NewBridge on the Charles resident Dr. Robert Witzburg during a recent talk in Great Meadow Hall.

Dr. Witzburg, who previously served as associate dean at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and associate chief of medicine at Boston City Hospital (now Boston Medical Center), provided fellow residents with an update on the state of the public health system in the United States.

He discussed some of the major news stories and controversies last year, including the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding freeze, changes to the membership of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the immunization schedule, and increases in cases of whooping cough.

"Public health is intrinsically political. It is certainly a biological science, but it is also a social and political science," Dr. Witzburg said.

01/22/2026

After sharing the holidays with family, many wonder how they can help aging relatives live their best lives this winter and beyond. As you consider how to help older family members maximize their quality of life, Hebrew SeniorLife is here to help.

Join Hebrew SeniorLife expert Tara Fleming-Caruso, MA, LMHC, for an educational webinar on Wednesday, January 28, at 12:00 p.m. EST.

The webinar will cover a range of resources and tips to help aging parents and others maximize physical wellness, social stimulation, and personal fulfillment in 2026. We’ll also provide expert advice on starting the conversation, bringing supports into the home, senior living, and health care options. All registrants will receive a recording of the program, regardless of attendance.

Register here https://bit.ly/4pqF0RH

01/20/2026

NewBridge on the Charles assisted living residents recently celebrated the new year with students from Noble and Greenough School. They discussed their New Year's resolutions for 2026, with everyone pledging to exercise and walk more, procrastinate less, and spend less time on their phones.

The group also shared their New Year's family traditions, including rushing into the ocean for a polar plunge, attempting to eat 12 grapes within a minute to ensure good fortune throughout the year, and writing down what they didn't enjoy about the previous year on a piece of paper and burning it in a bonfire.

"I wasn't up at midnight—and I haven't been up at midnight in a while—but when I was their age, I always watched the ball drop in New York City with my friends and family," NewBridge resident Lois Lober said.

Hannah Silver, volunteer program coordinator at NewBridge on the Charles, said she enjoyed watching the pierogi drop. Hosted by the Whiting Knights of Columbus 1696 in Indiana, the event involves dropping a 10-foot illuminated pierogi 50 feet at midnight.

The weekly discussion group is run through the Adam and Matan Adelson Multigenerational Program. To learn about the impact of our intergenerational programs on all participants, visit https://bit.ly/4fetG6E.

01/19/2026

Today, we honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. — and his enduring call to build a more just, compassionate, and inclusive society.

Dr. King believed that dignity, equity, and opportunity should extend to everyone, at every stage of life — values that continue to shape our work and our mission.

At Hebrew SeniorLife, we are committed to creating spaces where older people of all backgrounds can live with dignity, health, and joy. From affordable housing to best-in-class care funded through programs like MassHealth, we work to ensure equity for every person who walks through our doors.

As we reflect on Dr. King’s words and actions, we recommit ourselves to the ongoing work of advancing equity, compassion, and justice in health care, housing, and aging services. 🤎

01/16/2026

NewBridge on the Charles residents frequently team up to solve the latest installment of The New York Times crossword puzzle.

They recently gathered to tackle the December 30 puzzle, constructed by Geoffrey Schorkopf and Will Eisenberg. Clues included "Fizzled out completely," "Something to wave with pride?" and "They're pulled to garner media attention, informally," with solutions of "went pfft," "LGBTQ flag," and "PR stunts," respectively.

01/14/2026

Don’t you just love a bargain? Boston historian, author, and professor Anthony Sammarco detailed the history of the Christmas Tree Shops, an iconic Cape Cod bargain outlet. offering everything from home decor to seasonal vacation goods.

Charles & Alice Matthews opened the original Christmas Tree Shop, singular, in Yarmouth Port in 1946, and it sold seasonal decorations, ornaments, and small gifts. The business went bankrupt in 1961, and it was bought at auction by Don Winner. Winner sold the business to Charles and Doreen Bilezikian. The Bilezikians opened the first Christmas Tree Shops in 1970 and gave it the plural version of the name because it was a collection of three stores: The Front Shop, the Back Shop, and the Barn Shop. The store sold overstock and discontinued items that were bought up and sold at a bargain price, Sammarco said.

“One never knew what they would find,” he said. “People began to see it as a place that was not only fun to visit, but if you went there often enough, a place you might find a real bargain.”

By 1975, there were seven Christmas Tree Shops, including its first off-Cape location in Pembroke. At its peak, there were 72 stores across 20 states.

In addition to home decor, seasonal vacation goods, and gifts, the store sold a variety of whimsical items. Sammarco highlighted a few of these oddities, such as Christmas pickle ornaments to hide on the Christmas tree, bags of Santa’s Magic Christmas Dust to guide Santa's sleigh and feed his reindeer, and genuine bottles of "Cape Cod Air" sold at $1.99 a bottle. Customers were cautioned "to avoid contamination by ordinary air, do not remove the cork after crossing the Cape Cod Canal."

You can learn more about the history of the uniquely New England business in Sammarco’s book “The Christmas Tree Shops: Don’t You Just Love a Bargain?” He has written nearly 90 books about Boston’s history, development, and unique businesses, including "A History of Howard Johnson's: How a Massachusetts Soda Fountain Became an American Icon" and "The Baker Chocolate Company: A Sweet History,” and also taught history at Boston University and Urban College of Boston.

01/12/2026

Rather than create New Year's resolutions for yourself at the start of the year, Fitness Specialist Leah Scarpino suggests creating a goal for yourself. One such goal could be living healthier.

“One of the buzzwords with the younger generation is self-care,” Scarpino said during a recent presentation at NewBridge on the Charles assisted living. “Self-care isn’t a term I used growing up, but in today’s society, self-care is a priority. Think about your self-care for your mental, physical, and emotional health.”

She detailed how focusing on self-care can lead to a fitter you in the new year, and offered several tips for healthy living in 2026 and beyond, including getting creative, staying social, and remaining active.

“There are many wonderful programs here that allow you to express your creative side,” Scarpino said, noting residents can join the open art studio with art specialist Olga Shmuylovich or engage in floral arranging with program coordinator Pauline Webley.

Those looking to remain active can attend supervised exercise classes in the gym or participate in a fitness class like dance, gentle yoga, or better mobility. Remaining physically active has several benefits, including reducing your risk of heart disease, managing blood sugar and insulin levels, improving your mental health and mood, and reducing your risk of falls.

“For the new year, if the gym isn’t part of your plan, perhaps think about making a fitness goal for yourself of walking,” Scarpino said, noting NewBridge on the Charles is a safe place for walking both indoors and outdoors when the weather is good.

"Walking is one of the easiest and most effective ways to enhance your health and lower your risk of becoming obese, having heart disease, or suffering a hip replacement," Scarpino said, noting that walking 30 minutes a day for five days a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent.

In addition to walking, she said exercises like squats, lunges, and leg curls can tone your leg muscles.

Scarpino also touted the benefits of eating a balanced diet, remaining properly hydrated, getting a good night's sleep, and deep breathing. Deep breathing offers several benefits, and can help make you calmer, improve your mood, stimulate the lymphatic system, and increase your cardiovascular capacity.

"One of the residents once said to me, 'inhale the joy, exhale the oy,'" Scarpino said.

01/07/2026

It's that time of year again, when our resident-run Interfaith Planning Committee hosts the Interfaith Holiday Dinner, where residents of different faiths and backgrounds join together for a reflective evening of food and conversation.

"It is truly awesome to think about everyone's backgrounds, stories, and traditions represented in this room," said Matthew Hollingshead, executive director at NewBridge on the Charles. "Tonight reminds me of something simple but so incredibly powerful: that sharing a meal is one of the oldest ways that we connect as human beings."

He said each faith represented at NewBridge teaches the importance of compassion, hospitality, and honoring the dignity of one another.

"While we may express these values differently, tonight we get to witness how naturally they fit together," Hollingshead said.

This gathering is "an opportunity to come together to share friendship and good tidings of the season," committee member Sharon Gouveia said.

The theme for this year's dinner was "What's in Your Garden?" Gouveia said the committee aimed to select a theme that reflects both Hanukkah and Christmas.

She was joined by fellow committee members Betty Shapiro, Lulla Gordon, Benita Ross, and Lucinda Lagasse in planning this year's event. The tradition dates back to 2015, when resident Evelyn Botkin hosted 23 other residents in the Copper Beech Room. In the years since, the dinner has more than quintupled in size, with approximately 130 residents celebrating the season as well as the commonalities and differences between their faiths.

This year's menu included rosemary-dusted filet mignon, baked Georges Bank halibut, grilled vegetable Wellington, and chocolate mousse cake garnished with strawberry and passionfruit sauce for dessert.

Address

5000 Great Meadow Road
Dedham, MA
02026

Telephone

+17812349500

Website

http://www.newbridgeonthecharles.org/

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About Newbridge on the Charles

Newbridge on the Charles has set a new standard in senior living, combining luxurious surroundings with exceptional amenities, first-class educational and cultural programming on a lush 162-acre multigenerational campus. Our complete continuum of care includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitative services, long-term chronic care, and a Harvard Medical School-affiliated physician practice.