(From left to right) Jane and Richard Appleman of Jamaica Plain and Rosemary Jones, a JP@Home member and volunteer, discuss JP@Home during an event at City Feed and Supply on March 4.
Courtesy Photo
JP@Home, a grassroots membership group with the mission of keeping aging residents at home as long as possible, is opening membership to residents outside of Jamaica Plain to include the contiguous neighborhoods of Mission Hill, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Brookline, Hyde Park, and Roxbury.
Meanwhile, Ethos and City Feed and Supply co-hosted an event at the latter’s location at 672 Centre St. on March 4 to celebrate seniors and raise awareness for the JP@Home program, according to a press release.
JP@Home, which is a program of Jamaica Plain-based Ethos, lets members join in a group purchase of such services as home visits and transportation, enabling them to live in private housing rather than a nursing home. Ethos is a nonprofit that has been serving southeast Boston’s seniors for four decades. Its mission includes keeping seniors living in private homes as long as possible.
Dozens of seniors attended the March 4 event at City Feed and Supply, enjoying free coffee, while receiving information about JP@Home.
“It was great to see so many of our fellow community members today and have the opportunity to share the reasons why I joined JP@Home,” said Rosemary Jones, a JP@Home member and volunteer for the group, according to the press release.
Ray Santos, community relations director for Ethos, said in an email to the Gazette that 108 seniors have joined JP@Home since it launched in November 2014. Santos also said a survey was recently taken of members with the following results:
- When asked to comment on various aspects of their social lives, 84 percent of members indicated that they know more people than before joining JP@Home. Similarly, 62 percent of members indicated that they feel less lonely than before joining. Social isolation is a major risk factor for older adults.
- When asked to comment on what impact JP@Home has had on a member’s ability to access services, 72 percent of members indicated they knew more about community-based services, while 71 indicated they were more likely to know how to get assistance when they needed it.
“We recently launched, Members to Members, an online portal for JP@Home members to offer and receive informal support (like rides to the doctor or grocery store) and are looking to expand its use across all members,” said Santos. “We are also planning several new events and activities, including an Antiques Appraisal events in the fall.”
Sandra Storey, a Gazette columnist, helped co-found JP@Home.
For more information about JP@Home, call 617-522-9042, email [email protected], or visit ethocare.org.