Handlers

Founder Jeff Cohen has over 40 years of dedicated experience working with elders and staff in long-term health care facilities throughout New England. Always the conversationalist, Jeff enjoys spending time with elders, especially making them laugh and learning more about them. For the majority of his professional career, he had worked as a sales representative, providing geriatric clothing and casual wear for residents. From the start of his career, Jeff has actively attended the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and The Massachusetts Council of Activity Professionals (MassCAP) conferences annually. Today, you can still find Jeff at these conferences, but as a different vendor, Golden Moments 4 Elders.

In 2002, Jeff brought home a new member of the Cohen family, a Golden Retriever he named Buddy. He began bringing Buddy to work periodically, as he wanted to share his new puppy with everyone. It was then that Jeff witnessed firsthand the positive impact that interacting with a dog had on the residents, as well as recognizing this important piece missing in their lives. This inspired him to start Golden Moments 4 Elders, where he could provide a pet entertainment service that would enhance, stimulate, and engage the lives of elders. 

Jeff worked the business himself from 2002 through 2014 until he decided to expand his company into a family business, with his wife, Sheila, and daughter, Jennifer joining the team along with Golden’s Chase, Bentley, and Myles. Today, the company provides tactile and cognitively-stimulating entertainment to the elderly, bringing golden moments wherever they go.

Sheila has always been a passionate artist, teacher and avid animal lover. In her early years growing up by the ocean, she found her true inspiration in the natural beauty and colors of the world around her. She received a degree in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art & Design and has over 25 years of teaching experience in both public and private schools. As a teacher, mother of two, and caregiver to her elderly father for eight years, she is sensitive to the needs of others, compassionate, and loves helping people find their creative outlet.

 Combining her knowledge of art and education, Sheila is able to provide private and group art classes to elders in addition to pet entertainment. She is well-acquainted with the physical and emotional benefits of art therapy and pet entertainment and how it can improve the well-being of our elders, especially those in long-term healthcare facilities.

From a young age, Jen developed a passion for working with dogs and knew she wanted to pursue a career that was dog-oriented. At the age of nine, she began accompanying her dad to healthcare facilities with Buddy, witnessing firsthand the impact that dogs can have in providing comfort and joy for the residents. Her optimistic and bubbly demeanor allows her to engage naturally with residents, bringing pawsitive energy with her everywhere she goes, with a dog by her side. 

While in college at Framingham State University where she received a degree in Business Management, she started her own part-time dog walking and pet sitting business, Walk with Pawsitivity. She began working full time for Golden Moments 4 Elders after graduating in 2015 and has been a fantastic asset to the team. To further her experience and passion for working with dogs, Jen enrolled in Animal Behavior College and graduated as a Certified Dog Trainer in 2018. She uses this knowledge to expand the team’s capabilities and strives to capture as many Golden Moments as possible. As Operations Manager, Jen handles the bookkeeping, payroll, and all other business operations. Jen attributes her success to Buddy, her special dog who was not only a childhood pet, but helped pave the way for her future.