Dementia Friends in Topsfield MA!

Dementia Friends, Topsfield, MA

Dementia Friends, Topsfield, MA

On Monday, December 18, dementia friends and advocates from Topsfield, North Andover, and Manchester gathered to learn more about the Dementia Friends global and national movement, and how we can better serve and support people with dementia in our towns. The 2-hour information session was provided by Beth Soltzberg of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Waltham, MA.

Pictured in the photo are Topsfield stakeholders, except guests where noted (front row) Firefighter Tom Ash, MaryMac Missions and Rest-Stop-Ranch foundress Mary MacDonald, Firefighter John Boyle; (back row) Guest from Manchester, COA Board Chairperson Penny Rogers, COA Senior Administrative Assistant Beth Wideberg, Guest from North Andover, DFTopsfield Co-Chair Lynne Bermudez, Library Director Laura Zalewski, Selectman and TRIAD member Dick Gandt, DFTopsfield Co-Chair Bette Cullinan, COA Director Paula Burke, Veterans Services Officer Dick Cullinan.

Our Town of Topsfield, MA now has a Dementia Friendly Topsfield (DFTopsfield) subcommittee of the Council on Aging, co-chaired by Lynne Bermudez and Bette Cullinan. Beyond this one-day workshop, it is these two women, with the Topsfield COA, and the stakeholders in the photo, who will be building upon the dementia-friendly awareness and programs in our town.

Serving as our Town of Topsfield’s pioneering dementia friend since 2010, it felt great to have this group of stakeholders in our community gather for training and discussion. I’m no longer a solo voice in the Topsfield wilderness! Praise God!

Moving forward with a listening heart,
vision, inquiry, and action,
~ Mary

Comments are closed.