Springfield - Alice Bonner, PHD, RN and Secretary of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is being honored with The Loomis Communities’ Elvira Whiting Ball Award for improving the lives of older adults at on Wednesday, May 30, 4:30 pm at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing, 807 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA.
Secretary Bonner says that
most of her work as Secretary of Elder Affairs, “is not about the medical or clinical, but about healthy aging. ”To Secretary Bonner, that “requires
actively engaging with older adults as contributors to the social, economic, and civic fabric of our communities and encouraging physical and psychological
health and well-being. ”In her work she seeks to strengthen communities’ ability to promote independence, empowerment, and the wellbeing of older people,
individuals with disabilities, and their families.
Whether older adults are living in long term care or assisted living facility, receiving adult day health services, living in senior housing or at home and receiving community based services, Secretary Bonner is their outstanding advocate.
Secretary Bonner supports the Dementia and Age Friendly movements to adapt community environments, services, and attitudes so that they are accessible to, and inclusive of, older people and those living with dementia or disabilities.
Secretary Bonner has been a geriatric nurse practitioner for over 28 years and is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, Bouve College of Health Sciences and a Faculty Associate in the Center for Health Policy at Northeastern University. She previously served as Director of the Division of Nursing Homes in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in Baltimore, MD and Director of the Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality, at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Reservations for the event are $35, proceeds benefit programs and services that improve the lives of older adults. Outstanding refreshments provided by Loomis’ Sodexo Senior Service chefs. For reservation information, please contact Andrea at 413-532-5325.
About The Loomis Communities:
The Loomis Communities has been a visionary in exceptional senior living throughout the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. It was the first organization in the state to open a continuing care retirement community.
With a mission of enriching the lives of older adults, The Loomis Communities offers independent living apartments and cottages, assisted living and skilled nursing care on three campuses in the Pioneer Valley: Applewood in Amherst, Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing in Springfield, and Loomis Village in South Hadley.
For more information, call us.
Applewood: 413-253-9833
Loomis Village: 413-588-5102
Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing: 413-355-5803
or send us a note through our Contact Us form.
