Saco Community Connector Joe Moreshead with Age Friendly Saco helped launch the new Community Connections pilot program. Contributed / Age Friendly Saco

Age-Friendly Saco is celebrating the launch of a new Community Connections project, a local initiative aimed at strengthening community and promoting well-being for older people.

The project’s primary goal is to build robust connections between local services and older adults, allowing them easier access to essential resources and social opportunities. However, one ambitious goal is to promote the Home Assessment Program in an effort to help reduce slips and falls. Saco EMS responds to over 5,000 calls per year and more than half are for slips and falls.

Saco Community Connector Joe Moreshead began the project in September, and is already working closely with residents and community partners, helping bridge gaps in access to programs and services and creating avenues for participation.

So many residents are eligible for a number of services that they are not even aware of. For example, the new Medicare Savings Program has eliminated the $10,000 asset limit opening up the program to a large number of people already on Medicare. Key local partners, including Southern Maine Agency on Aging, Saco Parks and Recreation, Saco Food Pantry, Saco Fire Department/EMS and the Saco Police Department, have joined forces in support of this effort. These partners are providing essential resources and expertise to strengthen the project’s reach, ensuring that vital support and programs are accessible to all who need them. By focusing on service navigation, social engagement, and community-building, the pilot is bringing a renewed focus to supporting older residents.

The Community Connections program, a signature statewide initiative of the Governor’s Cabinet on Aging, is made possible by a $2.5 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act, and is managed in collaboration with the University of Maine Center on Aging and Maine’s five Area Agencies on Aging.

“Maine has long been a national leader in promoting healthy, active, and engaged aging,” said Elizabeth Gattine, Cabinet on Aging coordinator.. “Partnering together at the community level strengthens our critical work to create inclusive and livable communities where Mainers of all ages can thrive and recognizes the value of these community efforts in accomplishing that goal. Twelve pilot sites are engaged with the Community Connections program across the state, each with goals specific to the unique needs of their community. The statewide goals of the program are to create pathways for assistance, strengthen ties between Age-Friendly Communities and local Area Agencies on Aging, and enhance access to training and technology supports for Age-Friendly initiatives.

For residents of Saco, the pilot offers new opportunities to engage, seek assistance, and participate in local programs tailored to their needs. Through Age Friendly Saco’s website residents can sign up for medical rides and appointments, commodity food boxes delivered to your home, information and sign up for the new Medicare Savings Program, the new Home Assessment Program, newsletter and more.

Community members interested in learning more about Community Connections, or looking to get involved, are encouraged to reach out to Community Connector Joe Moreshead at Connector.agefriendlysaco@gmail.com or at 207.710.4384 To learn about events, services, or volunteer opportunities, visit agefriendlysaco.org, or call 207-710-5029.