As 2025 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you for spending part of your year with me here in this column. Over the past 12 months, we have explored topics from fraud prevention to the joy of having a pet. We’ve talked about maintaining our health, protecting our finances, making our homes safer, and staying connected with family, neighbors, and our community. We also celebrated lifelong learning and honored five remarkable older adults who inspire us to keep growing and dreaming.

Like every year, the goal of this column has been to address the issues that matter most to older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers. I look forward to hearing from you and tackling more topics in the year ahead.

2025 was a meaningful year for AgeSpan. Now heading into our 52nd year, we continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of the 28 cities and towns we serve. In partnership with local organizations and community members, we updated our Area Plan to guide our goals for the coming years. We launched a new volunteer initiative with our Family Caregiver Support Program, and developed a free online tool designed to assess well-being.

These initiatives complement the programs that remain at the heart of our mission. This year, we provided home care services to more than 20,000 individuals, delivered close to a million meals through our Meals on Wheels program, and supported hundreds of others through programs and services that promote health and safety, independence, and connection.

As we turn the page to 2026, I’m deeply grateful for the dedicated AgeSpan staff, volunteers, vendors, and community partners who make our work possible. I’m also thankful for you, our readers, and I look forward to continuing the conversation in the new year.

Are you caring for an older adult or need help finding healthy aging resources? Our experienced staff is available to help. Visit us online at www.agespan.org. You can also call 800-892-0890 or email info@agespan.org. 

Joan Hatem-Roy is the chief executive officer of AgeSpan, which serves the following cities and towns: Amesbury, Andover, Billerica, Boxford, Chelmsford, Danvers, Dracut, Dunstable, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Marblehead, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Peabody, Rowley, Salisbury, Salem, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford, and West Newbury.