In an effort to reduce isolation and loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic, Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) has launched a new Friendly Phone Call system.

Friendly Phone Call matches older adults who are feeling isolated with an SCES team member or volunteer. Once connected, the pair can decide how often they’d like to connect, and what they want to talk about, explained SCES Assistant Director Annie Fowler.

Carefully planning the lighting scheme in your workspace can create a healthy and pleasant environment to operate in.

Many people have found themselves working from home. Whether setting up shop at the kitchen table or creating a complete home office, here are simple hacks to make your new work environment comfortable and productive.

By Mary Ann Grassia, M.Ed.

Make a list of the types of dogs that live in your neighborhood.

Find the sunniest room in your home.

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) will remain open during the statewide order to close all non-essential businesses, which was declared by Governor Charlie Baker on March 23.

The order, which runs through April 7, allows healthcare, public health, and human services agencies to continue providing essential services. Services provided by SCES are considered essential under the order.

Dear Community Members,

— Photo courtesy of Alzheimer’s Association

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the health of millions in this country and around the world, but the novel coronavirus presents unique challenges for more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and more than 16 million family members and friends serving as their caregivers.

By Mary Ann Grassia, M.Ed.

Send your child on a newspaper scavenger hunt:

Vocabulary
Find and circle 26 words, each one beginning with a different letter
of the alphabet.
List the words in ABC (alphabetical) order.
Find and circle 5 unfamiliar words. Look each one up then use it in a sentence.

The tools make the gardener, according to the experts.

If you are like most homeowners, you need to prune trees, shrubs, bushes and other plants in your yard from time to time. But do you know which tool is best suited for each particular job? Experts say that choosing tools wisely is key to maximizing beauty, and minimizing damage to plants.

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Mayor Curtatone stresses that #SocialDistancing is vital if we want to #Coronavirus under control.

The School St. bridge closure currently in effect will be extended by one week to advance Green Line Extension (GLX) construction. The bridge is now expected to reopen to vehicular traffic Sunday, April 5. The next closure is planned for April 17 – 26. The School St. pedestrian bridge between Medford St. and Highland Ave. will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists during these short-term closures.