Creating a healthy and vibrant senior community

By Dr. Lesley Fernow

    There has been considerable interest recently in the plans to develop the Maine Highlands Senior Center. As President of the Board I would like to outline some of the reasons why this project is important to the region.

    Maine has one of the oldest populations in the country. In 2012 the number of seniors (over age 65) in Piscataquis County was 3,838 according to the Maine DHHS. Over the next 10 years this number is expected to grow by a whopping 53.3 percent and in 2022 seniors will represent 30 percent of the total population! If we are going to meet the demands on the health care system and society of this “grey tsunami” our community must plan ahead.
    The difficult reality also is that the population of younger people who are not only the wage earners but also the caregivers for this population will be shrinking over the same time period. Planning for the aging of our population involves not only preparing for seniors with health problems — by ensuring the availability of skilled caregivers and a healthy hospital — but also by supporting other seniors to remain healthy.
    Many studies show that successful and healthy aging requires social engagement, physical and intellectual activities, a sense of purpose and a community. Research indicates that creating a healthy and vibrant senior community reduces illness and hospitalization rates, and prolongs independent living at home. This in turn frees up money to be spent on other community needs such as education. Thus investing in the health and vitality of the senior community boosts the health of the entire community.
    As people become less independent, the cost to society of supporting them to stay in their homes is substantial: family, mostly adult daughters, shoulder the majority of the caregiving burden often giving up full-time paid jobs, pensions and quality of life to ensure the senior is safe at home. This results in lost work productivity, caregivers putting lives on hold, and ultimately lost wages, spending and taxes in the community. The estimated value of family caregiving in Maine alone in 2007, if these services had been paid for, was $1.8 billion.
    The DHHS recently completed a report projecting the costs and needs of the aging Maine population. They recommended the development of programs to support seniors in their homes and in community including the building of Adult Day Service Centers, like the one proposed by Maine Highlands Senior Center. This would enable family caregivers to keep loved ones at home while ensuring their daytime safety and well being and continuing to be productive and work. This is a win-win-win-win for the senior, the caregiver, the employer and the community. Without such programs, the care-giving burden becomes too great and often these elders are placed in long-term care facilities at far greater cost to society. In Maine, the majority of the cost for these placements is paid by Medicaid funding, which is ultimately you and me, the taxpayer. Keeping people at home by building adult day programs has the potential to save the taxpayers and the State of Maine millions of dollars a year.
    Beyond the economic argument, it is the strong belief of Maine Highlands Senior Center board members that people over age 65 possess knowledge, creativity and experience which can benefit our community at many levels. Rather than viewing aging seniors as a potential drain on the resources and energy of the region, our view is that this population is an under-utilized resource which can help us to recover social vibrancy by volunteering their skills and time in ways that enrich the community: mentoring and reading to young children, teaching parenting and life skills to young parents, passing on the many skills of gardening, farming, small engine repair, sewing, quilting and crocheting, assisting town beautification projects, guiding young business owners in marketing and business development, volunteering for hospice, the hospital and nursing homes to enhance the lives of more dependent seniors, helping with shopping and transportation and more.
    The Friends of Central Hall, the Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society, The Maine Highlands Senior Center board, the town of Dover-Foxcroft, many individuals with input from Charlotte White Center and Eastern Area Agency on Aging have worked hard to give Central Hall a new purpose in life!
    So in response to the complaint that the Highlands project is about nostalgia, we would argue that it is very much about valuing and promoting the creative energy of our region to develop a stronger, healthier and more vigorous community of the future where people of all ages can thrive.
    We welcome participation of anyone in the community. Interested people can call 992-6822 or write lmfernow@rcn.com.
    Lesley M Fernow, MD is president of the Maine Highlands Senior Center, Dover-Foxcroft.