Participants will have a chance to enjoy a three-course meal while meeting others

LONGMEADOW—The first program in the Glenmeadow Learning series this fall is aimed at offering older adults the experience of enjoying a three-course meal while meeting peers.

The Family Table: Building Meaningful Relationships will be offered three times from noon to 2 p.m. at the life plan community at 24 Tabor Crossing on Friday, Sept. 14; Thursday, Oct. 4; and Tuesday, Nov. 6.

“Many older adults live on their own and miss the experience of meeting others or building longtime relationships through fellowship,” said Anne Thomas, Glenmeadow’s president and CEO. “We are providing them with a chance to meet others and have a wonderful meal.”

Participants will enjoy an appetizer, main course and dessert—on Glenmeadow—while making new connections with others in an intimate dining setting, complete with conversation on what community means to them, Thomas said.

Tablemates will include residents and staff members, who will prompt lively discussion on topics of interest to older adults.

The program is free, but space is limited, and reservations are required. To register, call Julie Jediny at 413.355.5972 or email jjediny@glenmeadow.org or register online at glenmeadow.org/events.

Individuals are encouraged to make reservations early as these events are limited to five participants.

Glenmeadow Learning is one of many free programs Glenmeadow offers to members of the wider community. And these programs represent only one facet of the life plan community’s mission to serve seniors across the region and to operate as a socially accountable organization.

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is a nonprofit, accredited life plan community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.  

To learn more about Glenmeadow and its history and offerings, visit www.glenmeadow.org.

About Glenmeadow

In the 1800s, elderly individuals without family or means were sent to live at what was called “the poor farm.”  In 1884, a group of civic leaders raised funds among themselves and other area families and purchased a house on Main Street in Springfield’s south end, establishing The Springfield Home for Aged Women. Quickly outgrowing that house, land was purchased on the corner of Chestnut and Carew streets, where a new home was constructed and opened in 1900.  In 1960, the name was changed to Chestnut Knoll, and, in 1992, it began to admit men. 

In 1993, the organization purchased a 23-acre parcel in Longmeadow to build a new community that would provide both independent living and assisted living in one building with various common areas.  This was a new concept known as a continuing care retirement community.  Existing residents from the old Chestnut Knoll property were moved to the new campus in 1997.  Shortly after the move, the board voted to change its legal name to Glenmeadow to coincide with the name being used by the developer of the property. 

Continuing care retirement communities are now referred to as life plan communities, responding to the needs of the aging population with new opportunities for care, plus creative, educational and personal exploration. Glenmeadow offerings, which include everything from senior living options and handyman services to personal care and travel programs, are provided at its Longmeadow campus and across the region through Glenmeadow at Home. Glenmeadow strives to fulfill its mission of nurturing the whole person in mind, body and spirit.

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