With a new executive director in place, Golden Pond looks to bounce back after a challenging past year. PHOTO/JERRY SPAR

Marc Cohen, the new executive director of The Communities at Golden Pond, hopes to bring his decades of experience to help the assisted living facility overcome a series of challenges from last year.

Among the issues were a suspended certification — later resolved with the state — and the death of a resident who wandered off the property. Although the resident’s wife absolved Golden Pond of any fault, the incident brought some undesirable publicity.

Cohen, who started in August, has extensive knowledge of this field and of the area. He has worked in senior living management for about 18 years, including positions in Milford, Framingham and Natick. Before that, he spent 20 years working in hospital administration. His experience is varied, as he has worked for large national companies and family-owned facilities like Golden Pond.

“I could only provide the infrastructure for quality of care to happen,” he said in a recent interview with the Independent about his early experience. “I couldn’t actually put my hands on somebody and make a difference. Here, when I helped someone, I got a hug.”

Added Cohen: “That’s the kind of thing that gets you going to your job every day.”

Cohen decided to come out of retirement to fill this position and build a new management team. He had left his last role at Anthology Senior Living in Natick after having multiple eye surgeries.

“I couldn’t give the effort that the residents deserved and the company deserved,” he explained. “So I retired. But I’m not built for that.”

He took on the challenge of restoring the reputation of Golden Pond, which he noted is one of the largest assisted living facilities in Massachusetts with 173 apartments.

“I’ve known about Golden Pond forever because we’ve been around for about 35 years,” he said of his decision to work there. “They existed before I even came into the field.

“One of the things that is different about these jobs is that we get the honor of being welcomed into people’s homes every day,” Cohen continued. “It comes with a lot of responsibility, but a lot of joy, too.”

Asked about his decision to take on the role after last year’s failed compliance reviews and the certification suspension, Cohen was fervent about his desire to move forward and make significant changes.

“I knew what I was getting into,” he said. “We are in the process of reinventing Golden Pond. Clearly, we’ve had some issues in the past, but we’re past those.”

New staff and a hands-on approach

The first step Cohen took was hiring a new management team. He also retained two people he did not name but whom he described as “really great assets for us.”

“We have a new resident care director and memory care director,” he said, “and I am interviewing for a new activities director. Dining is coming back in-house later this year.”

Cohen also moved his office so that it would be accessible for the residents. It offers a view of West Main Street, where he watches visitors and pharmacy and food trucks enter.

One of the biggest changes Cohen has planned is that he is working to decertify some of the apartments so they can become independent living apartments. The application is pending with the state’s Executive Office of Elderly Affairs, he explained.

“It’s an opportunity for people to move in who don’t need any services,” he said. “There are plenty of independent living places around, but it’s going to be quite a move for people for the most part. Here you’re a part of the community, and when it gets to the point that you need services, you can stay here.”

He added that the regulations will be changing in 2025 due to recently passed legislation, allowing nurses to be able to perform more services for residents.

“They will allow assisted living nurses to do some basic healthcare things,” he explained. “For example, without a license, nurses can’t give injections. With oxygen, right now we can’t set the flow, but we can tell a resident where it needs to be.”

Said Cohen: “It’s a lot more complicated than a lot of people think.”

How the pandemic affected assisted living facilities

Regarding the suspended certifications that happened last year, Cohen noted that “it happens much more often than people think.” He also explained the impact that the pandemic had on state reviews.

“COVID-19 changed things a lot,” explained Cohen, who has a doctorate in health policy and planning. “I got to see what was going on in Italy because one of the residents watched Italian TV. So I actually made a big order of PPE during the second week of February. The government’s emergency order wasn’t until March 20. So we were way ahead of the curve.

“I could have done part of my job from home,” he continued. “But how could I tell people you have to go to a place where you could die just by breathing, and I’m going to sit home in my slippers?”

He explained that assisted living facilities like Golden Pond have to go through a recertification process every two years. But this process was shut down during the pandemic.

“Where I was working at that time, they had to look at 54 months of paperwork rather than 24,” he stressed. “And I was the fourth executive director within that time period.”

Golden Pond as a community resource

While Golden Pond has existed for more than three decades, “a lot of people don’t know what it is,” Cohen said.

“You may not be thinking about assisted living, but you’ve driven by here for 20 years,” he continued. “So stop in, and we’ll be happy to show you around.”

There is no pressure or “high-pressure sales pitch” involved. People who are exploring Golden Pond are welcome to make multiple visits, dine there and consult with family members before making a decision. Cohen also tries to meet everyone touring Golden Pond personally.

“People should know who we are,” he said. “We have a positive community. This is a place for someone you care for, and it’s got to be right.”

Added Cohen: “I’ve had family members move into an assisted living facility, so I’ve sat at both sides of that table.”

The facility includes studio apartments, companion apartments and more.

“The only thing that the residents have in common at first is that none of them expected to be here,” he said. Over time, activities, dining together and holiday gatherings allow them to grow into a close-knit community.

Added Cohen: “I tell everyone who works here that the residents are the boss.”

Cohen makes it a point to eat in the dining room with residents so he can experience the quality of the food firsthand. Once when someone made a comment about the meatloaf, he asked for her recipe. “Maria’s Meatloaf” became a menu special.

“You only need to do it once or twice, and it becomes a lot more fun,” he said.