Adult Family Care

04/23/2026

April is Autism Acceptance Month! It emphasizes understanding, inclusion, and support, as we strive for meaningful acceptance, not just awareness. Autism can look different for each person, but everyone has the right to the supports they need to thrive.

AFC proudly supports autistic individuals and caregivers — around 20% of AFC’s program participants have a neurodevelopmental disability.

AFC participants and caregivers benefit from stipends, ongoing support, paid respite and more! For more information about our services, please visit adultfamilycare.org or call 617-440-0987.

02/20/2026

It’s National Caregiver Day! We’re thrilled to recognize caregivers for their critical contributions to our families, communities and healthcare system.

Family caregivers make independent living possible for thousands of older adults and people with disabilities, often at great personal, emotional, and financial cost. At SCES, we believe that investing in caregivers is essential, and we are proud to offer services designed to help caregivers find the support they need to thrive.

Adult Family Care provides caregivers with monthly compensation, ongoing training, paid respite, and continuous professional support. These offerings strengthen stability and improve quality of life for both caregivers and care recipients.

SCES’ Family Caregiver Support Program connects caregivers with timely information about services, educational workshops, and short-term individual or family consultations.

The Savvy Caregiver program is an evidence-based training designed for those caring for someone living with dementia. This multi-week curriculum provides practical skills, caregiving strategies and stress-management tools.

Learn more about how SCES supports family caregivers: eldercare.org/find-what-you-need/caregiver-support.

12/04/2025

The AFC team recently completed their annual caregiver appreciation gift card distribution! All 230 AFC caregivers received a gift card and letter of gratitude from the team. The gift cards are a small token of our appreciation for the care and dedication caregivers display in their roles each day.

AFC ensures that older adults and people with disabilities can live in a supportive family setting that fosters the best quality of life for themselves and their caregivers. For more information about the program, visit adultfamilycare.org or give us a call at 617-440-0987!

11/26/2025

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re feeling especially grateful for all the family caregivers who work around the clock to provide care for their loved ones!

AFC is proud to support caregivers. Our program ensures that older adults and people with disabilities can live in a supportive family setting that fosters the best quality of life for themselves and their caregivers. The program consistently receives high marks from participants!

Swipe left to read about AFC’s impact in the words of our caregiving community.

To learn more about AFC, please visit adultfamilycare.org or call 617-440-0987.

11/24/2025

As we celebrate caregivers during National Family Caregivers Month, we’d like to spotlight a growing population: the sandwich generation.

The sandwich generation comprises people who care for an adult as well as a child under 18; three in ten of Massachusetts’ more than 1.4 million caregivers fall into this category. It’s a role that comes with many challenges as caregivers juggle childcare and work obligations on top of caring for an aging relative.

A recent Boston Magazine story offers a look inside how Boston-area caregivers are making it work. The story features Danielle, a former SCES Savvy Caregiver participant. Savvy Caregiver is a free course that offers skill building and resource sharing to people caring for a loved one with dementia or other memory-related issues.

Stories like Danielle’s underscore the importance of offering family caregivers resources to support themselves and their loved one.

Click the link below for the full story!

A special report on the hidden crisis overwhelming middle-aged Boston.

11/07/2025

National Family Caregiver Month was off to a great start with the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition Convening! The annual event offers a place for leaders across industries to connect, learn and celebrate the people who make our workforce stronger. Nina Cohen, SCES’ Senior Director of Caregiver & Family Support Programs, enjoyed hearing from distinguished speakers, such as Executive Office of Aging & Independence Secretary Robin Lipson.

We are proud to be part of a network of employers, advocates, and government partners that are dedicated to advancing caregiver support across the Commonwealth.

To learn more about how Adult Family Care can help you or your family, please visit www.adultfamilycare.org.

11/06/2025

Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, SNAP (EBT) benefits are not being dispersed at their full amount. This means many households could temporarily lose access to their regular monthly food assistance, though any remaining funds already on EBT cards will still work.

Anyone who needs food assistance in Massachusetts can utilize the FoodSource Hotline, offered by Project Bread, to learn more about available resources.

Call or text the toll-free, confidential FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.

Hotline Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8am-7pm
Saturday: 9am-4pm
Sunday: 9am-1pm

Counselors can assist callers in 180 languages.

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services is also here to help. Ensuring food security and nutrition access is vital to our mission. If you are an older adult in Somerville or Cambridge, you may be eligible for Home Delivered Meals or other nutrition assistance. Please call our main line at 617-628-2601 for more information.

People are hurting right now due to delays in SNAP benefits. Families are struggling to put food on the table, forcing them to make impossible choices between groceries, bills, and other essentials.

Food is not a luxury. It is a fundamental right. Project Bread is here to help. Our FoodSource Hotline connects Massachusetts residents to free food resources in their community—quickly and confidentially.

Call or text 1-800-645-8333 today.

You can also visit our food resources page: https://projectbread.org/get-help/government-shutdown-food-resources

09/25/2025

This week is dedicated to ! Read below to learn why it's important to prevent falls and to find steps you can take to reduce your chance of falling. 👇

For more resources, visit ncoa.org/FallsPrevention.

September 22 marked the beginning of , a national effort to raise awareness on falls and their prevention. Here at SCES, we are committed to ensuring that the older adults in our community have access to fall prevention resources, especially because older adults are particularly vulnerable to dangerous falls.

Stay Strong, one of our many in-home programs, is a one-on-one service aimed at improving strength and balance to reduce the risk of falls and increase the participant’s ability to safely leave the home.

Facts about falls and older adults in the U.S.:
• 1 in 4 older adults fall every year in the U.S.
• Over half of all falls that occur in the U.S. each year take place at home
• Every 11 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency room for a fall-related injury, making it the leading cause of injury among older adults
• Falls are the most common cause of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Falling once doubles your chances of falling again

Together, we can raise awareness about falls prevention and ensure that our older adult population has access to the resources and support they need to remain safe and fall-free. If you have any questions or concerns, SCES is available to help in any way possible.

09/08/2025

Check out this upcoming Savvy Caregiver course — perfect for family caregivers! 👇

Register today by contacting Kathy Bonilla at 617-628-2601 or [email protected].

Are you caring for a loved one with dementia? Consider joining SCES for Savvy Caregiver, a free 6-week program that provides family caregivers with skills and knowledge about dementia!

Savvy Caregiver has been proven to decrease family caregiver distress, burden, and depression, while increasing a caregiver’s sense of competence and confidence in their care role.

This virtual course will be taught by two SCES staff members who have extensive experience in the agency’s Family Caregiver Support and Behavioral Health Outreach for Aging Populations programs and Adult Family Care.

📅 Wednesdays, October 1-November 12, 12–2 pm

📍 Virtual (Zoom)

Register today by contacting Kathy Bonilla at 617-628-2601 or [email protected].

08/22/2025

We are proud to share that Adult Family Care recently received the highest-level accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)! AFC earned a three-year Accreditation of Case Management for Long Term Supports and Services, meaning our dedicated staff provide excellent care while meeting their goals.

“Being accredited by NCQA proves to our participants and partners that AFC is committed to upholding high standards,” said Program Director Nina Cohen. “Our work strives to put participants and caregivers, and their needs, at the forefront.”

Congratulations to the AFC team on this well-deserved distinction!