Directory Of Senior And Caregiver Resources

This  Fair Foods Boston program provides a large bag of vegetables, fruits and an assortment of other products for $2 a bag. No ID or signup is required. Volunteers always needed to unload, pack and clean up. Click the link for locals, dates and times. Please call us at 617-288-6185 for questions, concerns and our holiday schedule!

The BCYF Golden Age Senior Center provides numerous programs and services including: Bingo, Book Club, Crochet, Discounted Taxi Coupon Sales, Health Screenings, Home Repair Program, Housing Referral and Placement, Liquid Embroidery, Lunch Program, Pokeno, Social Services, Tai Chi, and Walking Club. Call 617-635-5175 for more information.

BCYF Grove Hall features include a community room, fitness center, and senior center. Numerous programs and services are provided including: Art Meditation, Crochet and Quilting, Drumming, Art, Jewelry Making, Kickin' it with Karen, Older and Bolder, Japanese Taiko Drumming, Aqua Aerobics, Baguazhang, Chair HipHop, Chair Yoga, Line Dancing, Low Cardio Fitness, Meditation, Senior Whole Health, Tai Chi, Zumba, Bingo, Dealer's Hand, and Movie Matinees. Call 617-635-1484for more information.

Do you need some help feeling more confident about taking public transportation around the city? Our trained volunteer Bus Buddies can help you navigate the MBTA. Call us at 617-635-4366 for more information.

Usually meets the first Wednesday of the month from 11:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. at Flatbreads,
76 Guest Street, Boston. We are making new memories with old time fun. Join us for pizza and candlestick bowling! There is no cost, no RSVP, and no gutter balls (we use bumpers). Just come with a clean pair of socks and the desire to have fun while getting a little exercise. Low score goes home with a small pizza of their choice. Free street parking.

The Boston Age Strong Commission provides Boston residents age 65 and older with taxi coupons at a 50% discount at their office in Boston City Hall and around town. They need to see an ID that proves you’re a Boston resident. Each coupon book costs $5 and they only take cash. The coupons do not expire, but you can only buy two coupon books per month. The coupons are only good for taxis licensed by the City of Boston. You can buy the coupon books at a number of locations around the City of Boston. Call 617-635-4366 for more information.

The program delivers meals to people who cannot leave their homes because of illness, disability, or frailty, or who have significant difficulty preparing meals. Call 617-292-6211 to find out if you’re eligible.

Usually meets the third Tuesday of every month from 9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. at the BCYF’s Golden Age Senior Center, 382 Main Street, Charlestown. A welcoming place for individuals experiencing memory changes and their care partners. Bring a spouse, family member, or friend and meet new friends of all ages! They provide refreshments and a weekly art or performance activity you can join in if you choose. Enjoy spending time in a relaxed and supportive setting. Everyone is welcome.

Usually meets the first Monday of the month. If the first Monday is a City of Boston Holiday, then it will be the second Monday of the month. 11:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. at the Boston Center for Youth and Families Grove Hall, 51 Geneva Avenue, Dorchester. is a welcoming place for individuals experiencing memory changes and their care partners. Bring a spouse, family member, or friend and meet new friends of all ages! We provide refreshments and a weekly art or performance activity you can join in if you choose. Enjoy spending time in a relaxed and supportive setting. Everyone is welcome.

The East Boston Memory Cafe usually meets the first Friday of the month from 10:30 A.M. – noon at BCYF Paris Street Community Center, 112 Paris Street, East Boston, in the recently renovated community center. It is a welcoming, safe environment for individuals dealing with memory loss and their care partners. Refreshments are served. All are welcome!

The Roxbury Memory Cafe usually meets the second Friday of the month from 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. at the Boston Center for Youth and Families (BCYF), Vine Street Community Center, 339 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA. This is a friendly and relaxed monthly gathering for you and your loved one to meet with others for support, companionship, and fun. Come together in a safe, supportive environment.

The Jamaica Plain Memory Cafe usually meets the last Monday of the month 11:00 A.M. - noon at Jamaica Plain Branch, Boston Public Library, 30 South Street, Jamaica Plain. This is a friendly and relaxed monthly gathering for you and your loved one to meet with others for support, companionship, and fun. Come together in a safe, supportive environment.

The West Roxbury Memory Cafe usually meets the second Tuesday of every month 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the Roche Family Community Center, 1716 Centre Street, West Roxbury. This is a friendly and relaxed monthly gathering for you and your loved one to meet with others for support, companionship, and fun. Come together in a safe, supportive environment.

The West Roxbury Memory Cafe usually meets the third Saturday of the month from 1:00 – 3:00 P.M. at the German Centre for Extended Care, 2222 Centre Street, West Roxbury. This is a friendly and relaxed monthly gathering for you and your loved one to meet with others for support, companionship, and fun. Come together in a safe, supportive environment.

Rose's Bounty is open from 2:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. on the 2nd Saturday of each month and from 11:00 A.M. -1:00 P.M. on the following Tuesday. There are currently no residential requirements (you are welcome regardless of which city/town you live). Please Bring a Photo ID as it makes check-in easier
and bags to take home food with you. We ask Household demographic information, as we report to the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).

The Boston Age Strong Commission provides Boston residents age 60 and older with free transportation within the City of Boston to non-emergency medical appointments, with advance notice. They also have wheelchair-accessible shuttles. Call 617-635-3000 to set up a ride.

Seniors and their spouses can share a meal with others at more than 40 locations across the City of Boston. The suggested donation for these meals is $2. Call 617-635-4366 for a list of sites.

The Veronica B. Smith Senior Center provides numerous programs and services including: Free preventative health care screenings such as vision, hearing and podiatry are available along with free flu shots. Fitness programs such as weekly exercise, wellness and line dancing classes, educational workshops and seminars pertaining to health and nutrition are also offered. A wide range of social services can be obtained at the Center, including special seminars and workshops on legal issues and government health benefits. Comprehensive programs targeted for seniors in the greatest economic and social need are also in place. As well as on-site English as a Second Language classes and translation services. Medical escort services for non-English speaking seniors can also be accessed at the Senior Center. Call 617-635-6120 for more information.

Boston Age Strong Commission senior advocates provide a number of services including: Health insurance counseling - The SHINE Program (Serving the Health Information Needs of Everyone) provides free health insurance information, counseling and assistance to all Massachusetts residents with Medicare. All of our advocates are SHINE certified. Filling out an application for benefits like SNAP (food), LIHEAP (fuel), and more. In-person assessments and home visits. Connecting you to aging information, programs and services, including Home Care service providers. Connecting you to City programs and services. Referrals to legal service providers. Referrals to protective services in cases of elder abuse, self-neglect or financial exploitation. Click the link or call 617-635-4366 to find your local Senior Advocate.

The Spanish Immersion program seeks to connect otherwise isolated Spanish-speaking seniors with students to improve their oral and interactive skills. Latin American seniors, aged 55 and up, will be in charge of conversational sessions that provide unique opportunities to learn about other cultures and experiences. The mission of Spanish Immersion is to improve the quality of life of Spanish-speaking seniors and to bridge them with non-Spanish-speaking community members. At the same time, Spanish Immersion seeks to enrich the lives of all people living in the greater Boston area by increasing the community’s understanding of Spanish language and culture and ultimately by celebrating diversity. For more information and to register for Spanish Immersion programs, please contact the program coordinator at 617-730-2644.

Door to Door transportation is available for medical trips locally and to Boston. Transportation for grocery shopping is also available for those unable to use public transportation. Call SCM Transportation, Inc. at 617-625-1191 for reservations. For additional transportation resources and information regarding the Cambridge Council on Aging’s Senior Center Shuttle Bus, call 617-349-6055.

JFK Transportation provides rides to local destinations and to Boston. Their hours of service are Monday through Friday from 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. For Local medical and non-medical rides, purchase 10-punch ride tickets at the Dover Council on Aging. Each ticket is $30.00. They appreciate 48 hour notice for rides.  

Door-to-door handicapped accessible transportation to Boston medical appointments. This service is free of charge and made possible through Title III-B funding under the Older Americans Act from South Shore Elder Services. Donations are encouraged to offset the cost of transportation. Please contact the Hingham Senior Center at 781-741-1458.

The Hingham Memory Cafe usually meets the 3rd Thursday of each month from 12:30 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. at the South Shore Conservatory, One Conservatory Drive, Hingham MA. The Memory Café is a social gathering where people with memory loss and their care partners can come together in a safe and supportive environment. Guests are invited to participate in activities designed for cognitive awareness, explore educational topics, join in creative arts, including music, dance, and art, and share refreshment and conversation with others. Monthly programming will be varied and will offer engaging, fun, and participatory experiences for all.

In Eastern Massachusetts, one in five seniors struggles with hunger. The Greater Boston Food Bank’s Brown Bag program operates 14 distributions at 13 sites and provides free supplemental groceries to more than 8,500 seniors in need each month. GBFB delivers a carefully planned selection of nutritious food items to senior and community centers each month, where staff and volunteers organize and fill grocery bags for distribution. A typical grocery bag weighs about 15 pounds and contains roughly $40 worth of food items such as: milk, cheese, ground turkey, yogurt, spinach, carrots, dried fruit, spaghetti, peanut butter and cereal.

A Memory Café is a welcoming place for people with forgetfulness or other changes in their thinking and their family and friends. Memory Cafés meet at a variety of places including coffeehouses, museums, or community organizations. Each Memory Café is different. Some Cafés invite guest artists, some offer education about memory changes, and some are just for relaxing and chatting. But all cafés share one goal: to help guests feel comfortable and to know that they are not alone. Cafés are a place to talk with others who understand what you are going through, to forget about limitations and instead focus on strengths, to enjoy other’s company, and to explore something new.

The Metrowest Regional Transit Authority on Tuesdays and Thursdays provides a shuttle bus to the following Boston medical centers: VA West Roxbury, VA Boston, NE Baptist, Beth Israel, Joslin Clinic, Dana Farber, New England Deaconess and Brigham and Women’s. The cost of the bus is $2.00 each way. The Shuttle will stop to pick up registered riders both on inbound and outbound trips. The shuttle can be boarded at the MWRTA facilities on Route 135 in Framingham or Park & Ride is available at Natick VFW Post 1274, 113 W. Central St. You must be pre-registered in order to use the shuttle.

The Needham Community Council Food Pantry has been in existence for more than twenty-five years. We serve over 200 Needham households each month. Customers of the Food Pantry receive food, paper goods, and toiletries. Items are provided by Roche Bros., Sudbury Farms, Volante Farms, Needham Community Farm, Houses of Worship, local schools, Scouts and Postal Workers’ food drives, social organizations, local companies, individuals and donated funds. The Greater Boston Food Bank also is a source of food. Click on the link to learn how to become a Food Pantry shopper.

Free medical transportation for seniors is provided for City-Wide seniors to medical establishments within the City of Quincy, or all major Boston Hospitals, Milton Hospital, Carney Hospital and Neponset Health Center. Eight vans are used to provide services, a two-week prior notice is preferred, but program will make every effort to accommodate those with shorter notice. For more information or to schedule a pickup please call the Transportation office at (617) 376-1242.

The Quincy Memory Cafe usually meets the 2nd Monday of each month; 1:00 - 2:00 P.M. at Quincy Council on Aging, 440 E Squantum Street in Quincy. The Quincy Memory Cafe is for those who are caring for or experiencing some form of memory loss. The cafe provides entertainment, and simply a space for those to connect with one another who are in the same situation. Entertainment, Pastries and other small bites will be provided by Standish Village Assisted Living.

A Memory Café is a welcoming place for people with forgetfulness or other changes in their thinking and their family and friends. Memory Cafés meet at a variety of places including coffeehouses, museums, or community organizations. Each Memory Café is different. Some Cafés invite guest artists, some offer education about memory changes, and some are just for relaxing and chatting. But all cafés share one goal: to help guests feel comfortable and to know that they are not alone. Cafés are a place to talk with others who understand what you are going through, to forget about limitations and instead focus on strengths, to enjoy other’s company, and to explore something new.