Ashland Farm at North Andover Associate Awarded YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts Tribute to Women Award

Ashland Farm at North Andover, a Benchmark assisted living and Mind & Memory Care community, today announced that programming director, Maureen Healy, has been awarded the YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts Tribute to Women award. Each year, YWCA chapters across the country accept nominations and honor a select group of remarkable women who contribute to the communities within their service areas.

Healy, who lives in Haverhill, was selected for her undying support of seniors, veterans and women’s issues, a passion that started when she was a child.

Having grown up in North Andover as part of a big Irish family with a mother who was a nurse and a father who was a teacher, from a young age, together they would visit nursing homes and other older people in the community. For hours, they would spend time chatting, giving out their homemade goodies and having tea.

When Healy was in high school, she spent a lot of time at her grandparents’ farm. When they developed Alzheimer’s disease and moved to a senior living community, she would spend hours playing cards and taking walks with them.

“I learned a lot of patience from my mom and that quality time with older people was important,” said Healy. “I also learned that older people have history and developed a love of history. In those days, we didn’t have any formal Alzheimer’s education, so we really fell into our own way of managing it and connecting with them.”

It was when she was visiting her aunt who was a resident at Ashland Farm that she was inspired to become an associate. Since 2017, she’s worked at Ashland Farm, first as Mind & Memory Care coordinator, and now as programming director for the entire community.

At Ashland Farm, Healy enjoys organizing veterans’ recognition programs and other events where the entire community comes together to give back. Making sandwiches for the homeless and stuff-the-bus events, where residents can recycle their clothes while raising money for good causes, are all in a day’s work for Healy.

“I love not just fulfilling the residents’ lives, but helping families be a family again,” said Healy.

In her free time, she also serves as the fundraising chair for Soroptimist International’s Haverhill/Merrimack Valley chapter, where she’s raised thousands of dollars for scholarships and causes like human trafficking and battered women.

“We are so fortunate to have Maureen’s great passion and dedication benefit our residents and their interests,” said Nick Barash, acting executive director of Ashland Farm. “I can’t think of anyone who is more deserving of this award than she.”

About Benchmark Senior Living

Benchmark is New England’s largest senior living provider with 65 independent living, assisted living, memory care and continuing care communities and over 5,000 dedicated associates providing compassionate care and outstanding experiences throughout the Northeast. The Waltham, Mass.-based company was founded over 25 years ago by Tom Grape with the purpose of Transforming Lives Through Human Connection. Since then, Benchmark has continued to set the industry standard, having won over a hundred local, regional and national awards for its care, programs and as a top workplace. Benchmark has been named one of the Top Places to Work for 15 straight years in The Boston Globe’s annual employee-based survey and received repeated recognition in FORTUNE’s Best Workplaces for Aging Services list. For more information, visit BenchmarkSeniorLiving.com.

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Ashland Farm at North Andover