Reconnecting Around Care: Shared Living & AFC Conference Returns with Focus on Relationships, Resilience
The Shared Living & Adult Family Care Conference Committee with keynote speaker Melody Vachal (fourth from left)
The 27th Annual Shared Living and Adult Family Care Conference brought caregivers, clinicians, and human services professionals together April 14 in Marlborough, Mass., reviving a long-standing gathering centered on connection, dignity, and the everyday impact of care.
“Bringing the conference back after several years apart is about more than reconnecting professionally,” said ServiceNet Vice President of Family Based Living Terri Presby. “It’s about honoring the caregivers at the heart of this work and ensuring they feel valued, supported, and part of a larger community.”
About 300 attendees from across Massachusetts participated in the daylong event, marking the first in-person conference since 2019 and a renewed commitment to supporting those at the heart of community-based care.
“This work is often done quietly, behind closed doors,” said Mary Zagula, family based living coordinator at ServiceNet and a member of the conference planning committee. “Caregivers go above and beyond every day, and this is a chance to recognize that and bring people together around a shared purpose.”
Family Based Living Coordinator Mary Zagula (left) with author, caregiver, and keynote speaker Melody Vachal.
Hosted collaboratively by provider organizations across the state, the conference focused on best practices in shared living and adult family care. Such models are designed to support individuals in home- and community-based settings through relationship-centered care, individualized daily support, and strong partnerships between caregivers and professional support teams.
This year’s theme, “Back to the Future: A Legacy of Care, A Vision for Tomorrow,” reflected both the field’s evolution and the aspects of the work that remain constant. “The tools and the demands have changed,” Zagula said. “But at its core, this work is still about connection, dignity, and relationships.”
Attendees chose from 18 workshops across three sessions. Presenters discussed practical tools, best practices, and topics such as trauma-informed care, caregiver resilience, and aging and dementia. Members of ServiceNet’s STRIVE Clinic, which offers physical, occupational, and speech and language therapy to individuals with brain injury, presented on assistive technology.
Keynote speaker Melody Vachal — an author, caregiver advocate, and longtime caregiver who became a care recipient herself — spoke about resilience, burnout, and the importance of sustaining oneself in a demanding field. Her message was particularly resonant, Zagula said, for an audience still feeling the lasting emotional exhaustion and increased demands many caregivers experienced during and after the pandemic.
“People are tired,” Zagula said. “A lot of caregivers never truly had the chance to reset after that period. The emotional strain and intensity of those years created a new baseline when it comes to everyday stress, leaving many feeling like they’re constantly running on fumes. The conference was an opportunity to reconnect with one another, return to the roots and heart of this work, gain new ideas and perspectives, and renew the sense of purpose that called them to human services in the first place.”
Nancy Carpenter and Regina Norling (pictured with her son) were honored with 2026 Community Living Awards.
ServiceNet honored two caregivers with the 2026 Community Living Awards: Nancy Carpenter, a Shared Living caregiver, and Regina Norling, an Adult Family Care caregiver. Both were recognized for the dedication and commitment they have shown to the people they care for.
“It’s work that comes naturally to so many of these caregivers,” Zagula said. “But that doesn’t make it any less extraordinary. These programs don’t exist without them.”
Zagula received the Rookie of the Year Recognition Award for “outstanding contributions as a first-year conference committee member.”
For Presby, much of the conference’s impact comes down to what participants carry forward.
“We hope people leave with connections, with practical tools, and with a sense that they’re not alone in this,” she said. “When we invest in caregivers, we strengthen the entire system of care. Ultimately, it improves the lives of the individuals and families we serve.”
To learn more about Shared Living or Adult Family Care, please email [email protected]. To ask about Adult Family Care services for a loved one, call 413-731-4533. For information about becoming a Shared Living caregiver, call 413-333-1113.
