Our Staff

We take great pride in the devotion and care our staff brings to our guests each day.  Our staff come from a wide range of backgrounds—from social work to interior design to horticulture. However, their common thread is their passion for creating better days for those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Trained in dementia care best practices, our staff pour their heart and soul into everything they do to provide the highest quality and most dignifying memory care program in our region.

Care Partners

Our staff of Care Partners are the heart of Better Day, and the engine that keeps it operating at such a high level. From greeting guests, to facilitating and structuring programs, to meal preparation, to redirecting, supporting and entertaining, Better Day is staffed with the best of the best in memory care.

Each staff member at Better Day brings years of experience from various industries, but it is their passion for helping and personal experiences of caring for loved ones with dementia that sparks joy and brings the intangible warmth to Better Day each day.

Our Staff (left to right): Lisa Gardner, Lynnmarie Lange, Nancy Johnson, Katherine Wright, Eric Kessler, and Regina Wolf Fritz

Nancy johnson, program Director

Nancy joined Better Day in 2021 as a Care Partner and Program Manager, now Care Partner and Program Director. She has over 15 years of experience working with people with dementia in a variety of senior living and healthcare settings. Nancy is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, is Activities Director Certified, and is an Ageless Grace Brain Fitness Educator. Through a partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, Nancy co-facilitates our monthly Caregiver Support Group.

Nancy first earned her degree in Graphic Design, but found herself more called to working with seniors and finding creative ways for them to have meaningful engagement opportunities. Her passion for working with older adults led her to learn more about the needs of those living with dementia and focus her career in that direction. Nancy received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

Nancy enjoys working with, and building relationships, with guests and their families. She enjoys working in the small setting that Better Day provides, with opportunity for guests and staff to connect with each other every day.

Regina Wolf Fritz, Executive Director

Regina first joined Pleasantries, now Better Day, as an intern and care partner. She returned as Program Director after receiving her Masters Degree in Elder Care Management from Lasell College. Regina is a Certified Nursing Assistant as well as a Dementia Care Practitioner. In January 2020 she converted Pleasantries Adult Day Services into Better Day Adult Social Day Program, a non-profit organization.

Regina has a background in horticulture and worked for 15 years as Program Coordinator at the Natick Community Organic Farm before switching into elder care. She is most proud of founding a year-round outdoor preschool program at the Farm. She loves to work with families—whether it is supporting them in raising their children or whether it is accompanying them in their journey with their elderly.

She believes in “small is beautiful” – loving the fact that Better Day is a home with an intimate number of guests and staff that allows everyone to be their authentic self. This generates a true feeling of home where everyone comes together to make every day as good as can be.

Regina’s goal is to enable our guests to live their lives to the fullest – to provide an environment that is connected to the community and to nature, to allow risk taking, and to provide as much independence as possible.

Lisa Bazarian Gardner
Community Outreach Coordinator and Care Partner

Lisa has been with Pleasantries and Better Day for more than ten years. After graduation with a Marketing degree from Westfield State University, Lisa went on to work as a Legislative Aid at the Massachusetts State House for 10 years before ultimately choosing to turn her passion for caregiving into a career. Growing up close with her grandparents, Lisa always found herself drawn to the older generation- intrigued by their stories and life experiences. This was her inspiration in coming to work at Pleasantries.

Lisa is a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) and recently completed her Ageless Grace Brain Health Program training as well, now able to help us lead our morning workouts with our guests! With a warmth and compassion for helping those around her, Lisa cherishes the bonds she creates with our guests and their loved ones, and the mutual positive impacts they can have on each other.