Latest News
During the Summer of 2025 the Ugandan and Latina outreach workers, along with staff from partner agency Africano and a Connections senior volunteer, took training from JF&CS to become Dementia Friends Champions. Early this year both Connections (via fiscal sponsor Healthy Waltham) and Africano signed contracts for small JF&CS grants for the Champions to train a total of 160 individuals from “under-resourced communities” to be Dementia Friends. Africano will train 80 Ugandans, and the Latino outreach worker and Connections volunteer will train 80 individuals in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, including residents of low-income housing. The Friends will learn the origins and signs of dementia and how to help their communities be more welcoming and comfortable for persons living with dementia.
Posted March 2026
Dementia Friends Training
Posted March 2026
Parkinson's dance class for Spanish-speaking older adults is coming to Waltham!
Posted March 2026
​This Spring at the Waltham Senior Center, we will once again be hosting a monthly dance class, taught in Spanish, designed for those with Parkinson's Disease or similar symptoms. Discover how dance can help older adults who have challenges with movement, balance and coordination - while having fun! Our instructor, Rafael Rivera, is especially trained to teach dancing to help those with Parkinson’s Disease, a condition that can include stiffness, shakiness, difficulty walking and using hands.​
​
Dates to be announced in the CoA newsletter.
​
If you are interested in joining, please call 781-314-3499. Space is limited.
Brought to you by a grant from the American Parkinson’s Disease Association-MA chapter, in conjunction with Jewish Family & Children’s Service and Waltham Connections for Healthy Aging.
In early 2026, in a collaboration with Bentley University’s Service Learning Program, Connections offered its 13th session of WDA and also added new programs to help seniors use their phones and computers. All classes are offered at the Waltham CoA. The new WDA class has 10 seniors, which will push us over 130 graduates. The phone and computer help programs allow seniors to sign up for one or more sessions offering help in specific areas. To learn more about the programs, see our Resources page.
Connections kicks off our 13th WDA free computer and training sequence and adds phone and computer help sessions!
Posted March 2026
Grant Information
Since 2021, Connections has been fortunate to receive grants from the AARP Foundation, McLean Hospital, Jewish Family and Children’s Service, and Springwell (Title III of the Older Americans Act). These grants have allowed us to extend the life of our core 2020 funding from Tufts Health Plan Foundation. We are always searching for new funding and have two proposals pending as of March 2026.
