Brookline Housing Authority Partners with Hebrew SeniorLife for Health and Social Services in Senior Housing

The Brookline Housing Authority (BHA) has partnered with Hebrew SeniorLife, New England’s largest nonprofit provider of senior health care and living communities, and the only senior care organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School, to provide community life services including resident services, fitness, social programming, and nursing in BHA’s senior housing sites.

Hebrew SeniorLife brings to the BHA its model of housing with services called the Right Care, Right Place, Right Time (R3) program. This model uses a preventive approach to resident services, focused on one-on-one relationship building, community-wide health and wellbeing programming, and the ongoing provision of quality services and supports. The R3 model also delivers an “eyes on” approach by training and empowering housing staff across all departments to observe and contribute to care coordination for residents. The teams bridge housing and healthcare efforts, supporting residents where they live and aiming for better health outcomes and prolonged independence. 

“The Brookline Housing Authority is thrilled to work with Hebrew SeniorLife to provide such an innovative service delivery model and enable residents to better age in community. The BHA is committed to providing residents with best-in-class services and already residents are raving about Hebrew SeniorLife’s service coordinators and the additional access to health resources,” said Michael Alperin, executive director of the Brookline Housing Authority.

“Hebrew SeniorLife is pleased to partner with the Brookline Housing Authority to serve seniors and adults with disabilities in the community, in a person-centered and data-driven way that integrates health care and housing and that delivers positive outcomes. Hebrew SeniorLife brings more than one hundred years of experience and a mission focused on older adults to this effort,” said Kim Brooks, Hebrew SeniorLife chief operating officer for senior living.

The Hebrew SeniorLife R3 program is designed to surround residents with 360 degrees of supports including care management, health care services, engaging programs (cultural, educational, recreational, wellness), and fitness. The Resident Services Team consists of a resident service coordinator, a director of community life, a nurse care manager, a fitness specialist, and a programming/activities coordinator, providing the following:

• Ongoing assessment of risk/determination of needs of residents
• Proactive outreach to all residents 
• Active follow-up on all identified service needs
• One-on-one health and wellbeing coaching
• Programming and activities that are cultural, social, educational, and fun, and
• Group fitness classes.

About Brookline Housing Authority
The Brookline Housing Authority provides low-income families, seniors, and people of all abilities with safe, decent, accessible, and affordable places to live in a community rich with opportunities. The BHA works in collaboration with government and civic organizations to support and encourage the well-being and economic self-sufficiency of BHA residents; and to sustain a diverse population in Brookline. The BHA is the largest owner and manager of affordable housing in Brookline, MA, helping to house over 3,500 families and seniors across various programs. Founded in 1948, the Brookline Housing Authority has a stable history of creating affordability in and around Brookline. In the past five years the organization has redeveloped or added over $300M (500+ units and vouchers) of deeply affordable housing, while also creating innovative resident services and sustainability programs.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across six campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; and Jack Satter House, Revere. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $85 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 1,000 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.