Susan Cohen Cwieka Returns to Newton Area to Lead Adelaide of Newton Centre

Benchmark, a human connection company and leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, today announced that Susan Cohen Cwieka will serve as executive director for its new-concept Mind & Memory® community, Adelaide of Newton Centre in Newton Centre, Mass. The community is projected to open this summer.

Cwieka’s career as a highly recognized senior care executive spans more than three decades and includes leadership of four other sister Benchmark communities. Three are in Newton: Cabot Park, The Falls at Cordingly Dam and Chestnut Park at Cleveland Circle. She most recently oversaw the company’s $8 million remodeling investment in Benchmark’s New Pond Village community in Walpole, Mass., where she served as campus executive director.

Her interest in health care began at age 12 when she first volunteered at a local nursing home. It was that early experience that guided her higher education. Cwieka earned a bachelor’s in nursing home administration from Simmons College and graduated from Suffolk University with a master’s in public health administration. During her career, she has served as an administrator of skilled nursing facilities, executive director of assisted living communities and as regional director of operations.

Located high on a hill in Newton Centre on the former Andover Newton Theological School campus next to Hebrew College, Adelaide of Newton Centre is an adaptive reuse project that is presently transforming the original 1700s structure into a 55,000 square foot, light, bright and green-filled space featuring urban farmhouse style. The thoughtfully designed community will bridge the art of meaningful relationships with the science of high-quality care and therapeutic experiences. Through some of the latest research, technologies and programs, residents will participate in stimulating, engaging and social interactions. A caring team of skilled, empathic memory experts will serve as care partners to future residents and guides to their loved ones.

Among the many unique amenities will be outdoor dining, plentiful gardens, a spa and cafe, customized nutrition plans from a licensed nutritionist specializing in brain health, daily Mind & Memory exercises based on Benchmark’s Live Now, Live Engaged™ program and a brain fitness center. Adelaide of Newton Centre will be capable of housing 61 residents in 50 luxury apartments, most featuring awe-inspiring views of Newton and Boston.

“Adelaide will be unlike any other senior care community in the Boston area,” says Julie Lombardo, regional director of operations for Benchmark. “We needed a leader who can think and operate outside the box. Susan has excelled in every role she’s had at Benchmark, demonstrating an ability to create a solid team, solve complex challenges and create an environment that keeps our residents, their families and our associates connected to what matters most in her lives.”

“I am grateful to have been chosen for this opportunity,” says Cwieka. “It’s not often that you get a chance to make history. I am gratified to lead the way in offering the Adelaide experience to residents and their families desiring a luxuriously warm and peaceful place for their loved ones experiencing memory loss.”

The community’s name pays homage to Newton’s rich history and the late Adelaide Ball, the first woman to be elected to the Newton Board of Aldermen. Ball’s volunteer work for a wide variety of civic organizations and her political career, which spanned nearly 20 years, contributed significantly to the development and growth of Newton.

The Adelaide information center is located at 1320 Centre Street, 4th floor, in Newton Centre. For information about the community, please call (617) 544-3454.

About Benchmark 
Based in Waltham, Mass., Benchmark is a leading provider of senior housing in the Northeast with 6,400 associates and 58 communities. Founded in 1997 by Tom Grape, Benchmark offers independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and skilled nursing in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The organization was selected by FORTUNE magazine for its inaugural 2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services list, taking the number 16 spot on the list of top 40 aging services companies and ranking number three among companies with more than 40 communities. Benchmark is one of only six companies named to The Boston Globe Top Places to Work list every year of the 11 years it has been published. And it has been consistently recognized by Boston Business Journal, Hartford Courant and Hartford Business Journal as a top workplace, and by the Boston Business Journal, Providence Business News and Hartford Business Journal as one of the healthiest employers. Click here for more information.

Press Contact: Carol Arnold, Arnold Communications, carol@arnoldcomm.com, (603) 502-0469.

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Adelaide of Newton Centre