Element Care Receives $100,000 Grant from Cummings Foundation to Launch New Programs Targeting Senior Isolation and Community Connection

Grant funds new senior wellness programming launching in Beverly, with plans to expand across Essex County, Middlesex, and Greater Boston

Key Facts

• Organization: Element Care, nonprofit PACE
• Announcement: $100,000 grant awarded by Cummings Foundation, renewable for 3 years
• Key benefit: Expands evidence-based programming to reduce social isolation and loneliness among older adults
• Target population: Adults 55+ enrolled in Element Care’s PACE
• Program areas: Chronic disease management, fall prevention, behavioral health, social engagement, intergenerational programming, creative arts and music therapy, and community transportation
• Impact: Addresses a crisis in which 1 in 4 seniors 65+ are socially isolated — a condition associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia and significantly elevated rates of hospitalization and early death

LYNN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Element Care, a leading Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to expand programming that directly combats senior isolation and loneliness. The funding was awarded through the Foundation’s 2026 annual grant program, which drew more than 900 applicants. Element Care was selected as one of 150 recipient nonprofits.

Social isolation and loneliness among older adults represent one of the most pressing and underrecognized public health crises in the United States. According to the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older are socially isolated. Approximately one-third of seniors between the ages of 50 and 80 experience loneliness. The health consequences are severe: social isolation is associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia, as well as higher rates of hospitalization, longer inpatient stays, and earlier death. Despite the documented scale of the problem, isolation and loneliness remain systematically undertreated in elder care.

"Element Care is grateful to the Cummings Foundation for recognizing this need and for allowing us to expand the very programming our participants tell us matters most: connection, belonging, and the chance to stay meaningfully engaged in their communities,” said Doug Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at Element Care.

Element Care will pilot the initiative at its Cummings Center site in Beverly before expanding to additional centers across Essex County, Middlesex, and Greater Boston. The program targets several key dimensions of wellness simultaneously, addressing the physical, psychological, and social factors that drive isolation and poor health outcomes in older adults.

The Cummings Foundation grant enables Element Care to offer:

• Group education sessions on chronic disease management and fall prevention
• Rehabilitation-led fitness classes to maintain mobility and independence
• Behavioral health partnerships supporting psychological and emotional well-being
• Transportation to places of worship and community events
• Intergenerational programming connecting seniors with younger community members
• Creative arts and music therapy to reduce isolation and support cognitive engagement

"As clinicians, we know health is about far more than what happens in the exam room. Social connection is imperative as it reduces cognitive decline, lowers hospitalization risk, and gives our participants a reason to stay engaged with daily life," said Dr. Anthony Zizza, Chief Medical Officer at Element Care. "This grant allows us to formalize a principle our care teams have long understood: belonging is a clinical imperative, not a nice-to-have."

These programs extend Element Care’s established PACE model, which already integrates primary care, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, and activities programming within a single coordinated care team. The grant addresses the social dimensions of health that traditional reimbursement structures frequently leave unresourced.

In 2026, the Woburn-based Cummings Foundation increased its annual grant program from $30 million to $35 million and shifted to fully unrestricted funding, giving grant recipients flexibility to direct dollars where their communities need them most. Since its founding, Cummings Foundation has awarded more than $650 million to Greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s grant recipients is available at CummingsFoundation.org.

"Nonprofit professionals are closest to the challenges facing their communities, making them best positioned to determine where and how new funds will drive the greatest impact," said Joyce Vyriotes, Executive Director and Trustee at Cummings Foundation. "By providing increased, flexible funding, we hope to strengthen organizations' long-term stability and help them respond to evolving community needs."

About Element Care

Element Care is a non-profit healthcare organization with a simple mission: To provide the highest quality health and social services to older adults so they can remain in their own homes and communities with dignity, safety, and independence with best in class support. Founded in 1994, Element Care’s PACE program was established as a joint venture of the Lynn Community Health Center and Greater Lynn Senior Services to bring PACE to seniors in the community. PACE is a federally funded health care program that offers a range of services including preventive, primary, acute and long-term care. The organization offers a holistic approach to care that includes medical, social, and wellness services tailored to the unique needs of each participant and member.