Mary Holmes has been appointed the new executive director for the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living, stepping up from her current role as the supportive day program supervisor at the organization. 

Ms. Holmes said her primary goal as executive director will be to make sure the center’s mission and services remain sustainable. The organization provides programs and services for the aging population of the Island, partnering with each town’s council on aging. 

“We want to help people, if they can, stay at home, do as much as they can without having to go and use long-term care services before they actually need them,” she said. “So our role as an organization is to help families who are doing the lion’s share of the work and help them with their caregiving as much as we can.”

The organization operates a full-day program, support for caregivers and services for people with dementia. The day program is filled with exercise, music and arts, giving people a place to go so their caregivers can have a respite. Resources and support groups are also provided to caregivers who may be struggling to take care of their older relatives.  

Sandra Joyce, president of the center for living’s board of directors, is excited for Ms. Holmes to step into the role.   

“She’s the perfect fit and we’re very grateful that she was interested to move into that position,” she said. 

Ms. Holmes moved to the Island 20 years ago, and was formally the Alzheimer’s program director at Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. In 2009, she was named a Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellow and through the program earned a master’s degree in gerontology.

Ms. Holmes credits outgoing director Leslie Clapp for setting an example through her 30 years of service.   

“[The center] is a truly vibrant community place that has everything to do with Leslie’s leadership and her responsiveness to the needs of older adults’ issues of aging and their caregivers,” she said.  

According to Ms. Holmes, Martha’s Vineyard is considered a naturally occurring retirement community, which is defined as a place where older adults settle that wasn’t necessarily built for that purpose. This phenomenon makes places such as the center for living an essential pillar of the community, she said. 

“One of the things that’s happening on Island is there’s not a lot of care,” Ms. Holmes said. “People aren’t going into this work. So part of what we have to do as neighbors, as community members, [is] to start seeing dementia and other age-related disabilities as just being a part of life.”  

Ms. Holmes emphasized that no one needs to have a diagnosis to take part in the organization’s programs.   

“We do have clients who are living alone in the community, and they come to us to reduce their isolation and loneliness, and also maintain their independence,” she said. “Everyone is always welcome.”

Ms. Holmes’s love for working with elders stems from her love of people.   

“I love my work and I love this population of people,” she said. “I love being with our clients and serving the community. We have a lot of fun here too.”  

She will miss planning the day-to-day activities and interacting with the clients as frequently but is looking forward to working through future challenges.   

“I feel, the next five years, we’re going to be super busy, and we’re going to need to be sustainable,” she said. “So figuring out how to provide more service to the community...that will be my focus.”