Greater Lynn Senior Services (GLSS) is the non-profit Aging Services Access Point and Area Agency on Aging serving people age 60 and older, adults living with disabilities, and their families and caregivers in Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus, and Swampscott, Massachusetts.  For close to 50 years, GLSS has responded to the changing needs of these residents, providing a continuum of community health and social services to help people maintain their independence, safely and with dignity.  In carrying out that mission, GLSS provides a broad range of services, including: information and referral; home care services; nutrition programs; transportation assistance; housing supports; clinical and protective services; programs designed to promote consumer engagement and better health and well-being; and a number of new initiatives aimed at creating stronger, more livable communities for all.  The agency holds a prestigious accreditation for excellence in case management and care coordination from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

In 2017, GLSS created a non-profit management services organization called Silver Otter Strategies—a wholly owned subsidiary of GLSS.  Silver Otter Strategies puts the power of informed decision-making into the hands of consumers, so they can lead healthier, more fulfilling, independent lives, and provides new approaches to how healthcare is delivered through services and products that promote population health and community livability.  Products include Conversations for Caring, which coordinates community education initiatives that include trainings for providers, both professional and volunteer, serving older people, veterans, people living with disabilities of all ages, and their families. Trainings are offered by area service providers as well as the faculty of regional colleges and universities. The program offers continuing education credits (CEUs) for Social Workers, Registered Nurses, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors, and Licensed Mental Health Counselors.

GLSS enjoys many partnerships with other local and area organizations, including Element Care and the members of Greater North Shore Link (the aging and disability resource consortium serving our area) and, most recently, promising innovations like The Phoenix Food Hub—a “one-stop” shop for a broad range of nutritional and related supports for people of all ages in conjunction with the City of Lynn's Food Policy Council members. For several years, GLSS has been part of the One Care program, offered in Essex County by Commonwealth Care Alliance.  The program provides health care and long-term services and supports to people age 18-64 who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.  Building on this experience, as well as its track record of serving people with increasingly complex medical needs, GLSS—along with affiliated partners Bridgewell, Disability Resource Center, Element Care, Lynn Community Health Center, and Northeast Arc—serves as a state-authorized Long-Term Services and Supports Community Partner (LTSS CP) participating in the Commonwealth’s MassHealth Medicaid Reform Demonstration project.  Known as the North Region LTSS Partnership, the program serves MassHealth members from 3-64 who are enrolled in ACO/MCO programs and live in the Northern Region of the state, which includes over 60 communities across the North Shore and Merrimack Valley.   In addition to care coordination, community partners offer access to a wide range of resources, such as housing, meals, personal care, transportation, training and education, home care, counseling, and more.   

GLSS is the principal information and referral source for elder services for nearly 30,000 persons age 60 and older and their families in its five-town service area—a population that includes all demographic groups, ethnicities, and languages.

On an annual basis, GLSS delivers   a broad range of in-home assistance services to nearly 2,000 home care clients, and provides close to 225,000 meals to homebound and frail seniors.  Some of our programs—Phoenix Food Hub, the Women’s and Family Abuse Program, and Options Counseling—serve adults of all ages in 23 cities and towns throughout the North Shore and on Cape Ann.

If you or someone in your family is 60 or older or an adult with a disability, we make it easy for you to get exactly the services you’re looking for. All it takes is a phone call.  Call us today at 781-599-0110, or e-mail your questions to info@glss.net.

Vincent J. Lique
Executive Director, 1982-2006

On March 20, 2006, Vince Lique passed away. His loss was felt deeply throughout the Agency, as well as throughout the Greater Lynn community and regional elder and human service agencies with which he had worked closely during his 35-year career. In his memory, the Lique Human Services Scholarship was created to commemorate both his passion for helping others and his belief that all people be treated with dignity and respect.

"Vince's legacy is firmly rooted in his compassion for people. He measured success by the quality of his service to and advocacy for others. I believe in Vince's theory that one's individual success is directly related to the benefits received by those around us," said GLSS' current executive director, Kathryn Burns. "The Lique Human Services Scholarship looks to honor the man and his service by encouraging others to do the same. We challenge you to succeed." 

The Lique Human Services Scholarship will be awarded to two seniors who attend one of the seven high schools located in GLSS' service area of Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus, and Swampscott. 

Application forms are available through each school's Guidance Office usually starting in January of each year and are due sometime in April. When they are available, please make sure that you click on the application for your city or town, as the submission guidelines vary according to location. Also, we strongly encourage all applicants to use the worksheet provided to ensure all required documents have been submitted.