Leland House: A 2Life Community

Leland House: A 2Life Community stands as a three-story, affordable senior residence in Waltham that began welcoming older adults in December 2024, right next to the William F. Stanley Senior Center, and provides a peaceful, homelike place for people aged 62 and up who need help with daily living or just want a safe place to call home, and since it was purchased by 2Life Communities in 2022, it was designed to let residents age in place while getting support like memory care, assisted living services, respite care, and help with medical needs including hospice, therapy, and rehabilitation on site. People who live here find 68 apartments, mainly one-bedrooms but also two two-bedroom units, each with its own kitchen and bathroom, showers, wheelchair accessible rooms, Wi-Fi, and universal design that helps people as their needs change, and because it's positioned close to the busline, folks can use public transportation, but there's also resident parking and transportation services for things like grocery shopping and going to appointments. Folks get three meals a day planned and cooked by professional chefs with options for special diets like vegetarian, gluten-free, low/no sugar, or low/no sodium, and you can get meals in the dining room, your own apartment, or share guest meals with family, so nobody has to worry about going hungry or finding something they can eat, and the staff takes care of housekeeping, laundry, and even dry-cleaning, making things easier for everyone. The community offers a mix of activities and programs each month-fitness classes, music, games, pet visits, learning workshops, and even lifelong learning programs, while also having religious services for both Protestant and Catholic residents with a Visiting Chaplain, which lets people keep up with the things that matter most to them. You'll see comfortable shared spaces like a movie room, library, TV lounge, atrium, and garden patio, and if you need a haircut or want to get pampered, there's a Beauty Salon and Barber Shop, while the Village Center has space for arts, cultural programming, and wellness events, and the Nichols Solarium gives everyone a cozy spot for music and visitors. Since its founding in 1892, this building's changed over time-with big renovations in 1938-39 and new wings added in the '50s-moving from a small rest home to this modern place that holds 68 seniors now, serving people with Alzheimer's or other dementia, single folks, men, and couples, as management shifted to Deaconess Abundant Life Communities, a Massachusetts-based non-profit. Residents get around-the-clock emergency response, on-site management and care coordination, support for basic needs, and a schedule that encourages dignity and independence, with everything like utilities, transportation to appointments, and stimulating activities included in monthly fees for those who qualify based on income-up to 60% of area median income-so seniors who couldn't afford other places get to stay here. A Board of Managers made up of community volunteers helps guide things, and the mission's always focused on safety, community, respect, and giving older adults a place where they can stay connected, well cared for, and valued for who they are, backed by a staff who tries to treat everyone with the care and kindness they'd want for their own loved ones. The architecture has that classic colonial revival style, the spaces stay tidy and welcoming, and folks living there can enjoy music, talks, and holidays together, finding friendship, understanding, and easy comfort each day-because living with connection, care, and dignity means a lot when you get older and want to keep your independence without giving up what makes life meaningful.