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Dementia Friendly Topsfield Year-round Begins with a Memory Café

Advocacy & Activism, Dementia Caregivers, Events, Healing Grief & Loss, News, Survivor's Mission

Dementia caregivers age 8-88+ (and survivors of dementia-caregiving) are welcome year-round to join us at our Topsfield Memory Café which will be hosted at least once-a-month outdoors in our beautiful wheelchair-accessible garden at Rest.Stop.Ranch, or indoors at the cozy and warm wheelchair-accessible Trinity Church. Come alone, as you are, for socialization, information and networking with […]

$500 Raised to #ENDALZ

Advocacy & Activism, Fundraising, News

Thanks to all who donated online and onsite for The Longest Day, June 21. Together, we raised $500.00 to help #ENDALZ. The Open Garden Day we hosted on The Longest Day brought many new friends and stakeholders to our home and garden in Topsfield, MA (Rest.Stop.Ranch). They learned and experienced our onsite programs for caregivers […]

Open Garden Day on The Longest Day 6/21: Wicked Local

Advocacy & Activism, Announcements, Fundraising, News, Survivor's Mission

Wicked Local Topsfield editor, Wendall Waters, has written a nice piece about our 6/21 event to support Alzheimer’s Association MA/NH and our survivor’s mission to help other families impacted by Alzheimer’s/Dementia, at our home, Rest.Stop.Ranch in Topsfield, MA: http://topsfield.wickedlocal.com/entertainmentlife/20170614/reststopranch-in-topsfield-to-open-gardens-for-alzheimers-association-benefit To Donate, Please visit http://act.alz.org/goto/marymacmissions Join us! June 21, Wednesday 10am – 4pm 202 Haverhill Road, […]

Dementia Caregiver (DCG) Stress and Substance Abuse: Impacts Kids & Teens

Announcements, Contemplation in Action, Healing Grief & Loss, News, Reflection, Survivor's Mission, Trauma Recovery & Renewal

This week (February 12 – 18, 2017), and perennially, Valentine’s Day (Feb 14) week, is Children of Alcoholics Awareness Week. If you are an individual choosing alcohol or another addictive substance, as a coping mechanism for life’s stressors… there is help. If you are a child or teen of an alcoholic (COA) or an adult child of an alcoholic […]

DCG Living Hx Mobile Museum and School

Announcements, Celebration, Contemplation in Action, Healing Grief & Loss, Inquiry, Memorial, News, Reflection, Survivor's Mission, Trauma Recovery & Renewal

Each week, the new DCG (dementia-caregiver) Living Hx (history) Mobile Museum and School travels from Topsfield Rest.Stop.Ranch Caretaker’s Cottage to Concord, NH’s Havenwood Heritage Heights’ campuses “Havenwood” (serving independent, home-care, assisted living, and skilled nursing residents) and “Heritage Heights,” (serving independent residents and those receiving home-care). Each month, a new interactive exhibit featuring an artifact from […]

Save the Date: 3/18, 10am – 3pm: Grow Spring! EXPO

Announcements, Celebration, Contemplation in Action, Events, Healing Grief & Loss, News, Survivor's Mission, Trauma Recovery & Renewal

Look for the “Rest.Stop.Ranch Respite Retreat Center & Accessible Gardens” educational & interactive 8-foot table exhibit, at the Emerson Center or Gould Barn on 3/18.  Learn & experience the therapeutic activities we offer at our Seasonal (April -October) Memory Café & Sunday Strolls programs, for people with disabilities and care-partners, specializing in Alzheimer’s/dementia-care. Our “Dementia-Care Musical Theatre” integrates horticultural, […]

Transforming Two Seeds of Discontent, since 2010 

Contemplation in Action, Healing Grief & Loss, News, Reflection, Survivor's Mission, Trauma Recovery & Renewal

This past week I was interviewed by my undergraduate alma mater, University of Rochester, in New York State, for their Rochester Review alumni magazine.  Once again, thankfully, I was indirectly invited to become crystal-clear on what I and we’ve been doing since 2010, and why.  I was able to articulate that it’s really two seeds of discontent, […]

8-week Self-Care Series Pilot

Contemplation in Action, Healing Grief & Loss, Inquiry, News, Programs: Support Group, Research, Survivor's Mission

We are 4-weeks into an 8-week Caregiver Self-Care Series Program up in Concord, NH at Havenwood Heritage Heights, a Continuing Care Retirement Community for people over age 62. The program was marketed via flyers and a campus newsletter.  It was offered as a free activity for any caregiver on the 600+ person campus who wished to join either […]

Rest.Stop.Ranch Caretaker's Cottage, When Pigs Fly

FTD Boston North & Other Younger Onset Caregivers – Monthly Support Group Begins Jan 12, 2017

Contemplation in Action, Healing Grief & Loss, News, Programs: Support Group, Survivor's Mission, Trauma Recovery & Renewal

Friends,  Please contact me with questions and share with people who may benefit: NEW ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION SPONSORED SUPPORT GROUP: Topsfield Younger Onset Caregivers Group Meets 2nd Thursday of the Month, 6:30-8pm at Rest.Stop.Ranch Caretaker’s Cottage (the home of Mary E MacDonald and Karl R Ackerman) 202 Haverhill Road, Topsfield, MA 01983 Free-of-charge and Open to […]