The Somerville Home has been serving the needs of area seniors for over one hundred years.

By Jessica Kenney

The Somerville Home is a Residential Care Facility for senior citizens. It was established in 1898, and has been serving the greater Boston community for 110 years. They offer seniors who cannot live on their own with a home and residential care. The Somerville Home provides supervision along with minimum basic care for residents who do not regularly require nursing or medical services. Each resident receives a private bedroom, three home-cooked meals a day, housekeeping, linen, and laundry service.

There is a full time Social Worker and licensed nurse on staff. The Somerville Home has departments that each cater to different needs of the senior citizens living there. The Business Department assists residents with financial issues and the Nursing Department administers medicine, monitors the residents, and manages their overall medical care.

The Activities Department organizes social and recreational activities, which include field trips and various outings. The staff of this department plan daily activities meant to enrich the lives of the residents. The events are offered throughout the day and run seven days a week. The guests are taken by mini-bus on shopping trips, dining out, bowling, and trips to places such as Fenway Park, Lake Winnipesaukee, the Topsfield Fair, movies, art exhibits, the zoo, and more.

The Activities Department also organizes games, exercises, art classes, bingo, and book club; and also have an ongoing relationship with many colleges in the Boston area that bring young students in to visit the residents. They provide a weekly Catholic Mass as well as have a Rabbi who visits to talk about Jewish holidays. Residents are welcome to stay as long as they wish.

Recently, a representative from the Somerville Home has expressed a need for an increase in their personal needs allowance from $72.80 to $100.00; stating that winter coats, warm shoes, and socks need to be provided for the residents, and that their current allowance will not cover that.

State Representative Denise Provost responded to this request by saying, “I have been working to increase the personal needs allowance since I got to the legislature in 2006…there has been another ‘automatic’ decrease in the state personal income tax rate, cutting vital revenue from the frail, elderly, and others in need…this pittance is inadequate.”

When asked for a comment on this issue, Senator Patricia Jehlen stated, “The Personal Needs Allowance for residents of rest homes and nursing homes is horribly inadequate…our committee favorably recommended my bill to increase the rate to $100 and index it to inflation. The bill still has to go through the committee on Health Care Finance, as well as both houses, but I will continue to strongly advocate for it.”

The Somerville Home proudly states that they have provided “over a century of caring” and now wishes to receive more funding so they may continue caring for those unable to care for themselves.