Benchmark Senior Living at Woburn’s New Club Bringing Notable Figures to Community

Former Heavyweight Boxer Who Fought Mike Tyson, Obama Care Designer & Boston Globe Boston Marathon Reporter Among the Many Recent Visitors

Benchmark Senior Living at Woburn, an assisted living and Mind & Memory Care community, is committed to understanding and addressing all of its residents’ interests. When residents move in, Benchmark associates conduct interviews and discover the interests of residents so they can provide experiences that nurtures their passions, connections and enhances their quality of life.

The new club – referred to as the “men’s club,” offers both male and female residents, including the communities many veterans, a chance to hear from notable guest speakers that come in and spend time with the group.

Recently, staff member Doug Hastings, who wears several hats at the assisted living with memory care community, brought speakers with local and national notoriety to Benchmark Senior Living at Woburn. As a former sports reporter, Hastings is particularly passionate about sports, an interest he shares with many of the community’s residents. Besides several professional sports figures, other speakers have included decorated veterans, economic professors, newspaper reporters and photographers.

“These are people our residents have watched on television or seen their work in the newspaper. It’s exciting for them to be able to hear their experiences first-hand, take photos and receive signed autographs,” said Fred Naimy, executive director of Benchmark Senior Living at Woburn. “Many of our family members have also gotten involved in the fun creating a wonderful time to connect with one another.”

Last year, former heavyweight boxing contender, Peter McNeeley, made an appearance. McNeeley fought Mike Tyson in 1997 in one of pro boxing’s most successful pay-per-view events of all time. Long-time NBA assistant basketball coach Jim Todd and professional wrestler Flex Armstrong also came on separate occasions as well.

A recent visit from Stoneham resident and former Navy SEAL Donald Tocci was memorable. Tocci, who has a Purple Heart, showed many of his medals and awards from his time as a SEAL and told fascinating stories to the group.

Other well-known speakers have included MIT economy professor Jonathan Gruber, who helped design Obama Care and made many trips to the White House. Also, Mark Arsenault, an investigative reporter for the Boston Globe and one of the leading reporters of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, came by the community.

“Developing this for our community has been so rewarding,” said Hastings. “Seeing our residents engage with people they have long admired and having the opportunity to ask questions they’ve always wanted to has been so much fun.”

Click here for more information about Benchmark Senior Living at Woburn.

About Benchmark Senior Living

Benchmark is New England’s largest senior living provider with 64 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 14 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.


Benchmark Senior Living at Woburn