Our Mission
For more than 149 years, John Bertram Homes has served seniors and families on the North Shore with a simple guiding principle: people come first. As a not-for-profit charitable organization, our mission is focused on care, dignity, and community.
Our Mission
John Bertram Homes is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit charitable organization providing exceptional assisted living care to seniors and families on Massachusetts’ North Shore. With communities in Salem and Swampscott, Massachusetts, we combine personalized support, meaningful daily life, strong family communication, and a warm residential environment where residents are treated with dignity, respect, and genuine care.
Our legacy began in 1877 with Captain John Bertram’s commitment to serving older adults in the Salem community. Today, that mission continues through two distinguished communities: John Bertram House of Salem, located in a beautifully restored historic Federalist-style home across from Salem Common, and John Bertram House of Swampscott, an ocean-side senior living community one block from the water.
We offer individualized service plans, daily dining, engaging activities, wellness support, housekeeping, laundry, medication management, and compassionate assistance with daily living. Our Swampscott community also includes a dedicated Reminiscence memory care neighborhood for residents living with Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.
At John Bertram Homes, care is personal. Our team of CNAs, nurses, dining staff, activities professionals, housekeepers, maintenance staff, administrators, volunteers, and leadership work together to create a home-like environment where residents can remain independent while receiving the support they need.
We share community news, celebrate our staff, highlight career opportunities, recognize volunteers and donors, and showcase life inside our Salem and Swampscott communities.
What Drives Us
Decisions are guided by resident care, dignity, and long-term community service — not shareholders.
John Bertram Homes continues a legacy of care that began in Salem in 1877.
Salem and Swampscott share the same people-first mission and standards of care.
A volunteer Board of Trustees provides governance, stewardship, and oversight.
Gifts help support programs, improvements, and resident-centered initiatives that go beyond the basics.
Residents and families of every background are welcomed with respect, dignity, and inclusion.
Our Legacy
Our story begins with Captain John Bertram — a Salem sea captain whose life of trade and philanthropy shaped the city. The Salem Home for Aged Men, founded in his name in 1877, provided shelter and care to older men in the community, especially retired sailors.
In 1990, the John Bertram House reopened as Massachusetts’ very first certified free-standing assisted living community. In 1997, our Swampscott community opened just one block from the ocean. Today, both communities share the same mission and the same Board of Trustees.
How Support Helps
Gifts of every size support daily life and long-term health across both communities. Direct your gift to a specific area or contribute to our greatest need.
Help underwrite care for residents with limited financial resources.
Support music, arts, outings, and special programming throughout the year.
Fund renovations, comfort upgrades, and accessibility improvements at both communities.
Help us retain and recognize the caregivers who make daily life possible.
Flexible support that meets needs as they arise — wherever they’re needed most.
Include John Bertram Homes in your estate plan to support generations to come.
Get Involved
Share your time, talents, and companionship with residents on the North Shore.
Volunteer OpportunitiesMake a tribute gift in honor or memory of someone meaningful in your life.
Make a TributeCreate a lasting legacy by including John Bertram Homes in your estate planning.
Ways to GiveFor Families
When you’re comparing assisted living options, non-profit status is a meaningful signal. It tells you the organization exists to serve residents — that mission and care, not investor returns, drive decisions.
That’s why John Bertram Homes has remained rooted on the North Shore since 1877: because the mission has never been about scale or margin. It’s about our residents, their families, and care done well today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
Questions Families & Donors Ask
It means we exist to serve residents and the community rather than shareholders or investors. Every operating decision is guided by our mission of resident-first, dignity-driven care. Surpluses are reinvested in the communities we serve.
Yes. John Bertram Homes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. Gifts may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Donations support resident scholarships, enrichment activities, facility improvements, staff recognition, and a greatest-need fund. You can also direct a gift toward a specific area.
Yes. Volunteers are an important part of community life. We welcome consistent volunteer schedules and a range of skills — from leading activities to companionship visits.
Yes. Tribute and memorial gifts are a meaningful way to honor a loved one while supporting the seniors in our communities.
Yes. Both communities operate under the same not-for-profit John Bertram Homes umbrella, with the same Board of Trustees and the same mission of people-first care.
Whether you’re considering a community for a loved one or supporting the mission, visit us to see what 149 years of people-first care looks like.
