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.

03/20/2026

"I've always loved the way food brings people together. If you make somebody a good meal, they're so appreciative, so happy, and it makes you feel 'Wow, I've done something great,'" NewBridge on the Charles Chef Steve Vaczy said.

"Everybody loves to eat, and if you can do it well, you can make somebody's day."
Vaczy has been a friendly face at NewBridge on the Charles since joining the culinary team in 2019, starting at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center.

"I worked there for about a year, right up until the pandemic came. That's when Chef Eileen [O'Donoghue] said she needed a cook in memory care assisted living who could make every meal more of an occasion: more festive, more involved, and better for the residents," Vaczy said.

And that's what residents, families, and coworkers have all experienced with Chef Steve at the helm. He even dresses up in costumes for the holidays and has been seen as an elf, a leprechaun, Cupid, Uncle Sam, and a bunny, among others. He tends to choose costumes that are cartoonish and comical. "I haven't been here on Thanksgiving, so I haven't had a chance to dress up as a turkey yet," he said. Vaczy said it is a fun way to celebrate the holidays while at work, and the residents enjoy it.

"Though they're older, they still get joy out of it. It still brightens their day and gives them a smile. That brings joy to me, seeing them smile and just enjoying the moment," he said. "It makes them happy, and that fills me completely."

These interactions with the residents are a key reason why Vaczy loves working at NewBridge on the Charles.

"The residents are always happy. A lot of them are very quick-witted. They'll make you laugh, they'll make you smile, and they'll make you enjoy your day," he said. "The residents really appreciate everything, even something as simple as a hello. You see the resident light up, happy to get that acknowledgment."

In addition to creating memorable meals, Chef Vaczy revitalized cooking demonstrations in memory care assisted living. Every month, he shows how to prepare a snack while sharing the history of the recipe and family cooking stories. The demos use sights, sounds, and smells to stimulate memories associated with the kitchen.

"We try to make it so the smells may reignite memories they had from their childhoods," Vaczy said.

Vaczy recently brought the cooking demonstration program to traditional assisted living, making mansanada (spiced apple compote) empanadas for Rosh Hashanah and sharing a recipe for ice cream bread with residents earlier this year.

"I'm hoping to continue to get more hands-on with that. The residents really love being in the full kitchen with access to equipment, being able to make food they've probably made their whole lives," Vaczy said, adding that his passion for cooking started during childhood.

"Growing up, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. My father used to have me make homemade cookies, roasts, and lasagnas for his bowling league. I developed a love for being in the kitchen. I felt comfortable there," Vaczy said.

He started his culinary career working in pizza and sub shops, including his uncle's shop, on the North Shore before bringing his talents to the Pine Street Inn, the largest homeless services provider in New England, and then to Hebrew SeniorLife.

If you're inspired by Chef Steve's success in forging a meaningful career, we invite you to check out the wide variety of job opportunities at NewBridge on the Charles here: https://bit.ly/46ZAeo4.

03/18/2026

Patients at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center - NewBridge were treated to a performance by the Tufts Jackson Jills, Tufts’ oldest all-female a ca****la group, founded in 1963. The 11-member ensemble entertained with high-energy performances and unique arrangements of contemporary pop songs. They ended their set with two familiar songs: “Sentimental Journey,” made popular by Doris Day, and “Shadows of the Night,” made popular by Pat Benatar. Life Enhancement Coordinator Emily Perlman joined them for these last two songs, as she sang in the Jackson Jills when she was in college in the late 1980s.
We look forward to having this talented group back soon!

03/17/2026

Residents celebrated Irish culture in honor of St. Patrick's Day at yesterday's monthly Wine Down gathering!

Residents donned their scally caps and grabbed a Guinness before enjoying a meal featuring vegetarian shepherd's pie stuffed potatoes, with Irish cream and chocolate mini cheesecakes for dessert. Sláinte!

The event featured live music by singer-songwriter Eddie Dillon. Dillon is the only American to have toured alongside Irish folk group The Clancy Brothers, was a founding member of The Shenanigans, and is a member of Celtic rock band The Aliens. Residents enjoyed some shamrock and roll as they sang along to several traditional Irish folk songs.

The resident-run Hospitality Committee hosts the Wine Down every month, welcoming the community together for fun, food, and conversation over cocktails and mocktails.

03/16/2026

Direct from Bowdoin College, it's the Bowdoin College Meddiebempsters! The Meddies, the nation's third-oldest collegiate a ca****la group, recently brought their vocal stylings to NewBridge on the Charles. Founded in 1937, the all-male group performs a variety of barbershop classics and pop music and sang tunes like "God Only Knows," "Mood Indigo," and "Independence Day" during an “A Ca****la Afternoon" in Great Meadow Hall.

The Meddies have a NewBridge connection — one member, Alex, is the grandson of resident Bonnie Rosenberg.

03/13/2026

Emmy Award-winning critic Joyce Kulhawik returned to NewBridge on the Charles to share her picks and predictions for this weekend’s 98th Academy Awards. Noting that she has watched the Oscars ceremony since her childhood, Kulhawik said, "I could tell you what Elizabeth Taylor was wearing in nineteen seventy-something. She was wearing a periwinkle blue dress to match her eyes."

She ran down her picks for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture. Of these categories, she described Best Actress as "probably the surest category we have."

"The shoo-in, of course, is Jessie Buckley in Hamnet," Kulhawik said, describing Buckley's portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare as a "heartwrenching, almost otherworldly performance."

Her personal picks also include Sean Penn for Best Supporting Actor, Teyana Taylor for Best Supporting Actress, and Ethan Hawke for Best Actor, even though she doesn't think he will take home the award.

“I think it is going to be Michael B. Jordan for Sinners," Kulhawik said. "I think it is going to be a big upset."

She suggested Sinners has a chance to win Best Picture as well, though her pick is "One Battle After Another," which has already won major awards in the lead-up to the Oscars.

“I happen to agree: this is the best film of the year," Kulhawik said. "If you haven't seen 'One Battle After Another,' check it out, and if you have seen it, check it out again."

Kulhawik was the arts and entertainment anchor for CBS Boston (WBZ-TV) from 1981 to 2008, and continues to share her thoughts on film and theater at joyceschoices.com. She is president of the Boston Theater Critics Association, a member of both the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association, and a member of the Mass Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

03/12/2026

Fredie Kay, founder and president of the MA Women's History Center, discussed the history of the women's suffrage movement in Massachusetts and the United States during a recent lecture at NewBridge on the Charles.

"This is a very special place for me, as my mother lived here for many years," Kay said, adding that her mother, Ruth, was friends with many of those in attendance.

She chronicled the history of women voting in the Commonwealth, dating back to October 30, 1756, when Lydia Taft cast a vote during an Uxbridge Town Meeting to appropriate funds for the regiments engaged in the French and Indian War.

"That was 164 years before the 19th Amendment was adopted," Kay said.

Kay highlighted a number of notable names in the women's suffrage movement, including Elizabeth Freeman (known as "Mumbet" before she gained her freedom), whose freedom suit helped lead to the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts; the Grimké sisters, pioneering abolitionists and civil rights activists; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention; Lucy Stone, a suffragist and the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree, from Oberlin College; Alice Paul, a leader of the campaign for adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment and co-author of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment; and Ernestine Rose, a Jewish immigrant from Poland who spoke at the 1850 national women's rights convention in Worcester.

Kay noted that much of this history isn't taught in schools, and that one of the Massachusetts Women's History Center's goals is to amplify the history and contributions of Massachusetts women throughout the Commonwealth. The center will soon announce the inaugural class of the Massachusetts Women's Hall of Fame, which will include both historic and living women as well as groups, organizations, or movements.

As the first class coincides with MA250, marking 250 years of America's independence, the historic women and organizations in the inaugural class will be those who made critical contributions to the Commonwealth's culture, history, and society during the Revolutionary era.

To learn more, visit the Massachusetts Women's History Center online at www.mawomenshistory.org for virtual exhibits, articles, biographies, and films, including "The Fight for Women's Suffrage: Looking Back, Marching Forward!" which was produced to mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

03/11/2026

While preparing for their trip to Madagascar and Seychelles last fall, NewBridge on the Charles residents Michael and Benita Ross shared a goal to see lemurs, chameleons, and baobab trees. The trip proved successful, and they returned with photos and videos of island wildlife.

"We are so happy to share with you why this was such a wonderful trip for us," Benita said to a packed Great Meadow Hall. They traveled with a Yale alumni group, cruising to the islands last November.

Michael, an avid photographer, shared his pictures of various birds, including the red fody, red-footed bo***es, and dimorphic heron, as well as photos of giant day geckos, Aldabra giant tortoises, Seychelles fruit bats, and coco de mer palm trees and their large seeds, which can each weigh up to 100 pounds.

Benita also shot a video of the leaping lemurs of Madagascar.

"The lemurs are astonishing. They look like they're on pogo sticks!" said Benita, whose video showcased the primates bouncing around.

They also shared photos of the Avenue of the Baobabs, a road in Madagascar lined with numerous baobab trees.

"We did have baobab ice cream and baobab soda, neither of which I would recommend," Benita said.

03/09/2026

NewBridge on the Charles Chef Steve Vaczy shared a family story and recipe from the blizzard of 1978 with assisted living residents during a recent cooking demonstration. During that historic storm, his grandmother used what she had on hand to create a new concoction she named ice cream bread. Appropriately, Vaczy chose the blizzard of 2026 as the time to "break bread" with residents with this unique dessert.

"It was hard to get to the store. In her house, she always had a big bucket of ice cream, she always had flour, and she always had baking powder, but she had run low on milk and eggs," he said. Wondering what would happen, she tried making bread with ice cream.

The recipe calls for 1½ cups of flour, about a teaspoon of baking powder, and one cup of full-fat ice cream. After combining and kneading the ingredients into a dough, Vaczy baked the bread in a loaf pan for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

"That will give it time to rise and cook fully through," Vaczy said.

Vaczy made chocolate ice cream bread during the demonstration and had Neapolitan ice cream bread ready for residents to sample.

"I wanted to share this because it was something different and unique. I imagine most people haven't thought of it or tried it before," he said.

Though you can use any flavor of ice cream, Vaczy said using full-fat ice cream is important, because it acts as a binding agent.

One resident, Leslie Ann Alpert, got hands-on, mixing and baking her own loaf. Others watched, ate, and enjoyed.

"I loved it. I love everything he does. Steve is wonderful with an audience!" resident Ellen Margolis said.

03/06/2026

NewBridge resident Faye Bussgang recently welcomed Jody Kipnis of the Holocaust Legacy Foundation to give NewBridge on the Charles residents a preview of the Holocaust Museum Boston, which is slated to open later this year. The museum, located on Tremont Street near the Massachusetts State House, will invite guests to examine the past, connect to the present, and create the future.

"I appreciate being here and being able to share what we're doing in Boston," Kipnis said, describing one of the Holocaust Legacy Foundation's goals as creating a living classroom that empowers every visitor to confront antisemitism and hatred.

"We're building a museum for everyone," she said, noting the museum will include a learning center, core exhibits, and a Dimensions in Testimony theater. Developed by the USC Shoah Foundation, the Dimensions in Testimony theater enables guests to ask questions of Holocaust survivors, who respond via pre-recorded video interviews.

She highlighted several exhibits, including one that details how everything from movies to calendars can be used to promote propaganda. There will also be an interactive exhibit examining how some celebrities and influencers legitimize hate. The exhibits ask attendees to consider whether this reminds them of anything they've seen in their lives.

"We don't want to give people answers in this museum: we want to grant them critical thinking skills by asking questions," Kipnis said.

Other planned exhibits detail the Aktion T4 murders of the disabled, life in the ghettos, concentration camps, and profiles of New England survivors. The museum already houses a Macedonian railcar used during the Holocaust that spent the last several years at an Arizona Department of Public Works facility.

"It has been sitting for 14 years waiting for a museum," Kipnis said, sharing photos of the railcar's installation via crane late last year.

The Holocaust Museum Boston will also feature an exhibit about contemporary antisemitism, aiming to answer the question of "Why does the Holocaust still matter?" by showing local, national, and international examples of antisemitism. Museum staff will update the exhibit daily, highlighting new examples of antisemitism as they happen.

The museum is slated to open in late 2026.

03/04/2026

What makes people believe conspiracy theories? Clifford Backman, a retired professor of history at Boston University, helped NewBridge on the Charles residents unravel the mindset of conspiracy theorists while highlighting historical conspiracy theories involving Area 51, the JFK assassination, and the Apollo 11 moon landing.

“There is something in western culture that seems to be attracted to conspiracies,” Backman said as he examined the psychology, history, and social forces that drive conspiracy theories.

While some conspiracy theories are far-fetched, history is full of actual conspiracies, including the Catiline Conspiracy in ancient Rome, the Gunpowder Plot, and the Watergate scandal.

In addition to teaching at Boston University for more than three decades, Backman is the author of "The Decline and Fall of Medieval Sicily," "The Worlds of Medieval Europe," and "A Medieval Omnibus."

03/02/2026

More than 70 NewBridge on the Charles residents showed up to hear lawyer, educator, and author Christopher Gorman discuss French artist Henri Matisse's works during World War II. Gorman discussed "Jazz," an art book containing 20 cut-paper collages created by Matisse during the war, including "The Nightmare of the White Elephant," "The Cowboy," "Icarus," and "The Wolf." The images represent powerlessness, violence, surveillance, and hope. Gorman described "Jazz" as improvisational, democratic, and an act of defiance against the N***s.

Further details are available in Gorman's latest book, "Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in N**i Occupied France." Gorman also wrote "The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America."

02/27/2026

What do the illusionist Harry Houdini, Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, founding father Benjamin Franklin, and primatologist Jane Goodall have in common? They were all portrayed by students of The Rashi School during a recent wax museum program at NewBridge on the Charles.

Second-grade students studied notable names in history for their "wax museum of game changers." Each student was tasked with learning about their subject's accomplishments, family, time period, and birthplace in order to present this information during the museum exhibition. All manner of historical game changers were featured, from politicians to athletes to astronauts.

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.