Herlda Senhouse, Wellesley’s oldest resident, is back home and needs our help

UPDATE: 12/12/23—Herlda is home from the hospital and care has been arranged. Donations to pay for her bump up in care needs are still being accepted. See the end of this post for directions, and thank you for helping Wellesley’s oldest resident.

Wellesley’s oldest resident, Herlda Senhouse, celebrated her 112th birthday on February 28, 2023 with over 50 guests, cake, and a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday.” Lately though, the Glen Grove resident hasn’t been feeling her usual joyous self due to an illness that has landed her in the hospital. The good news is that Herlda is steadily recovering. The hard part is that  she cannot go back to her familiar surroundings until health care assistants are in place to ensure that her needs are met.

Herlda Senhouse, Wellesley, 112-years old
Herlda Senhouse at her 112th birthday party, 2023. Photo credit: Town of Wellesley

A blocker to Herlda’s return home—money. Insurance will cover only a portion of her additional care expenses. So her friends are raising funds to help cover the estimated $400/week that she will need to pay out of pocket. Wellesley residents Robert Alevizos and Margaret Robinson have spearheaded efforts to ask the community to help with financial assistance for their dear friend and the town’s oldest resident.

“At 112 years old, finances aren’t great,” Margaret said. “Herlda in her younger years has given and done, and given and done, always for others. Now she needs help.”

How to help Herlda

Checks made out to Herlda Senhouse may be sent c/o Robert Alevizos, 2 Lake Road, Wellesley, MA 02482.

Checks will be deposited directly to Herlda’s bank account. “Believe it or not, Herlda still writes checks on her own to pay for her current home care,” Robert said.

Any questions may be directed to Robert at 781-738-1744 or via email at rzos@yahoo.com

How to help Herlda through Myrtle Baptist Church

Herlda’s church home, Myrtle Baptist Church in Newton, has an easy online giving portal that allows donors to help support Herlda’s healthcare needs. Current plans call for this giving opportunity to remain in place until January 14, 2024.  The church will forward  all money accumulated directly to Herlda.
The following instructions have been developed for use by anyone wishing to donate through Myrtle Baptist Church:

1.    Navigate to www.myrtlebaptist.org

2.    Select the “give” link near the top of the page

3.    Select the “GIVE ONLINE(CLICK HERE)” link

4.    Select “give now”

5.    Under ‘My Donation’ select “One-time”

6.    From the ‘Fund’ drop-down list below, select “Herlda Senhouse Shut-in Care”

7.    Enter the amount of your donation

8.    Select your payment method and provide the requested payment information

9.    Submit payment