Leveraging Experience, Practice, and Research
to Build Healthy Communities that are Disaster Prepared

ABOUT

Our 2024 Annual Lifelong Maine Conference focused on developing resilient communities equipped to recover after a man-made or natural disaster and on technology to make our age-friendly work more effective and efficient.  

Resilient communities are well-equipped to react to adverse events, including natural and man-made disasters. Resilience isn't created in a day. It builds from the work that many of Maine's lifelong communities are already doing when we:

Awareness of age-friendly contributions to resilient communities provides a shared pathway to sustainable, inclusive, and livable communities for people of all ages. Join us and be inspired by age-friendly leaders and experts in the field with ideas to build on the work you have started.

Plenary Panels

Stronger Communities through Preparedness

As we saw last winter, severe weather is becoming more frequent in Maine. There is much that communities can do to prepare so that residents, especially older people, can avoid negative consequences at such times. Join our plenary panel to hear how we can make sure residents have what they need to successfully navigate a natural disaster. Panelists include:

Bill Guindon, Mass Care Coordinator, Maine Emergency Management Agency

Resource: You can find the closest Open Cooling, Warming Centers, and Disaster/Emergency Shelters at Mass Care | Maine Emergency Management Agency

Eric Lynes, Board, American Red Cross - Red Cross Prepared

Resource: Red Cross Ready Presentation with notes that you can use to structure a presentation in your community

Dot Grady, Age-Friendly Chelsea - Opening and Sustaining a Warming Shelter

Resource: If you need any assistance in planning for Cooling/Warming Centers, please reach out to Bill Guindon, MEMA Mass Care Coordinator at 207-458-2867 or email william.guindon@maine.gov

Lisa Joyce, Age-Friendly South Portland - Developing a Community Resilience Plan

Facilitator - Dr. Sharon Klein, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Maine

Survey: Maine Community Alternative Energy Survey 2024
Climate Network - Maine Community-Led Energy and Climate Action Network Intake Survey

AI  and Technology - Making Age-Friendly more Efficient and Effective

We live in an era of rapidly expanding technology that can make our age-friendly work more effective and efficient. Technology can help us with administrative tasks, community outreach, and partner engagement. But how do we access and use it? Is it safe? Panelists include:

Anna Guest, Founding Director, Rising Tides Volunteer Solutions - AI: Your Efficient Personal Assistant 

Resources: 

Mark Evanoff, Assisted Rides CEO - Assisted Rides: Collecting Data to Share Community Impact

Resource: Assisted Rides website

Andy Chandler, AARP Maine - AI and Fraud Awareness

Resources: 

Facilitator - Candy Eaton, Age-Friendly Sullivan

Workshops

Home Safety for Emergencies and Every Day. We should all feel safe and secure in our homes, during severe weather events and when the sun is shining. This workshop will give you ideas for developing and distributing winter emergency kits, raising awareness of universal design in your community, and distributing File of Life, a card which contains vital personal medical information that is kept in a bright red magnetic packet that emergency personnel can easily find in a medical emergency. Note- With generous funding from AARP-Maine, we are able to distribute File of Life kits to communities that do not have access through their fire or rescue department. 

Sharon Kelly, Berwick for a Lifetime - Winter Safety Kits

Jason Lamoreau, Coordinator, Age-Friendly Bowdoinham - Universal Design Feaures that can be Incorporated into any Home

Resource: Universal Design Brochure in Plain Language

David Hamel, Deputy Fire Chief, Saco Fire Department - Promoting and Distributing File of LIfe

Resource: File of Life
Note: Age-Friendly Communities are eligible for free File of Life packets. For more information, email Lifelong@Maine.edu

Facilitator - Anne Schroth, Age-Friendly Coastal Communities

Inclusive Age-Friendly Teams - Age-friendly community development is stronger when the different sectors and interests in your community have a voice in decision-making. Residents from different neighborhoods, occupations, histories in the community, ages, and life experiences provide valuable insights into what their peers need and want to thrive. Having a diverse age-friendly committee shows your investment and commitment to an "all-of-community" approach. Join us to find out how to increase the diversity of ideas that move your lifelong community forward. 

Candy Eaton, Age-Friendly Sullivan - Inclusive Decision-Making 

Lori Johnson, Age-Friendly Coastal Communities - Bringing Men to the Decision-Making Table

Resource:  Engaging Community in Age-Friendly (form)

Facilitator - Elizabeth Gattine, Coordinator, Governor's Cabinet on Aging

Evaluation as a Tool for Community and Partner Engagement - Funding partners, municipal officials, and residents are energized when they hear about the community impact of age-friendly initiatives. Join us to explore ways to show how your work has changed lives in your community. There will be a special emphasis on showing the impact of disaster preparedness initiatives. 

Kathy Black, Professor Aging Studies, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee

Resource: Concise Guide to Creation of Community Organizations Active in Disasters

Tara Mozdziez, Danforth Livable Community - Data to Engage Funders and Partners

Resource: Maine State Housing Data Portal
Note: Links to community-level data from the US Census are included in each Lifelong Maine Community Profile. 

Facilitator - Jean Saunders, Age-Friendly Saco

Using Assisted Rides - It's free and easier than you think! As part of the Community Connector program, all of Maine's age-friendly communities will have free access to Assisted Rides. During this workshop, you will learn about the program, discover how easy it is to use, and explore some of the benefits of using Assisted Rides Software to make your age-friendly life a little easier!

Mark Evanoff, Assisted Rides, CEO

Gail Merritt, Age-Friendly Saco - Assisted Rides: Does it Really Make Life Easier?
Facilitator - Mary Beth Paquette, Lifelong Transportation Fellow, UMaine Center on Aging

Working with Volunteers - All of Lifelong Maine's Age-Friendly Communities depend on volunteers to lead the work and to implement change. There are times when volunteers don't do everything they have promised to do but how do you "fire" a volunteer or adjust their role to something that is more aligned with their skill set? A unique challenge of Maine's age-friendly network is that many of our volunteers are older, which increases the risk for cognitive or physical changes that can make it hard --or impossible-- to perform volunteer roles. How can volunteer leaders support a volunteer who needs to adjust their role due to physical or cognitive changes?

Anna Guest, Founding Director, Rising Tide Volunteer Solutions

Resources:

Connected Communities. One sign of a healthy community is that residents are connected with their neighbors, resources, and have convenient access to needed information. Four communities will share what they are doing to promote community connections.

Bob McIntire, Age-Friendly Hallowell - Dementia inclusion presentation to businesses and local organizations
 Resources:

Elizabeth Singer, Age-Friendly Caribou - Strategic Communication Strategies

Wilma Ware, Age-Friendly Chelsea - Monthly Luncheons with FUN

Linda Weare, Age-Friendly Portland - Age-Friendly Business Designation

Resource: Age-Friendly Portland Business and Organization Application

Facilitator - Jean Saunders, Age-Friendly Saco