Community Connections
"we all have tools in our toolkit, but none of us have all the tools. (The Community Connetions Project) identifies the tools we each have and equips the Area Agencies on Aging and age-friendly communities to leverage those tools to work together for the best outcomes."
– Elizabeth Gattine, Coordinator Cabinet on Aging
– Elizabeth Gattine, Coordinator Cabinet on Aging
community connections overview
The Community Connections program is a signature initiative of the Governor's Cabinet on Aging in collaboration with the UMaine Center on Aging and Maine's five Area Agencies on Aging. By investing in Maine's Age-Friendly Communities** to further local goals and strengthen resource connections.
The project goal is to reduce barriers to essential services, programs, and social opportunities. As trusted neighbors, Community Connectors create pathways for older community members to seek assistance and engage with regional and community resources. Through specialized training in resource navigation, service connection, and leadership development, Connectors work to eliminate barriers that often prevent people from accessing essential resources or participating in social opportunities.
Click here to read more about our 12 pilot sites!
The Governor's Cabinet on Aging, through the Community Connections grant project, has invested $329,991 in 40 innovative proposals to make our communities more age-friendly. The funded projects advance the Cabinet's mission by strengthening communities in essential ways. They help residents prepare for winter storms, foster social connections, and make public spaces more welcoming and accessible. The initiatives also expand volunteer transportation services and support residents in aging safely at home with optimal health. Additionally, they create opportunities for digital engagement and launch numerous other innovations to enhance life for older residents.
Click here to learn more about the funded projects.
Benefits for all of Lifelong Maine's age-friendly communities.
A Community Ambassador role has been developed by each of the five Maine Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). The Community Ambassadors build close relationships with Age-Friendly communities and with other municipalities in their service area. The aim is for the Community Ambassador to more closely understand the unique strengths and needs in each community, connect communities to AAA resources, and to refer people to local Age-Friendly Communities for opportunities in their own city or town.
Opportunities to hone your skills in outreach, advocacy, volunteer management, communication, and other skills to connect people to resources, services, and programs that address critical and social needs.
Opportunities to network and learn about regional resources available to help older community members:
Elder Abuse Awareness Training.
November 20 - Lifelong Maine Learn and Share Call
Assisted Rides - software helps schedule volunteer rides, track other age-friendly activities, and even organize e-blasts to your distribution list. The aim is to make your work more efficient and help you tell the story of community impact to residents, community decision-makers, and funders. The program, training to use it efficiently, and technical support are available at no charge to Lifelong Maine's Age-Friendly Communities (a value of approximately $2000/year per community).
Click here to read the Governor's press release
Click here to read coverage of the program in the Bangor Daily News
**Note: Age-Friendly communities are most often members of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. Others are working withing a similar framework without formally joining the AARP Network. All cities, towns, and groups of towns working together regionally to become more age-inclusive play a critical role making Maine's communities great places to live. Lifelong Maine, a program of the UMaine Center on Aging in partnership with AARP Maine, provides technical and programmatic support to communities throughout this process. For more information about what makes a community age-friendly, visit Lifelong Maine's Guide to Building Age-Friendly Communities.