Age-friendly coastal Communities
(Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle, Stonington)

WHEN DID YOU ORGANIZE AS A REGIONAL APPROACH?

From the beginning

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE A REGIONAL APPROACH?

We had an existing, region-wide collaboration of service providers that transitioned to the Age-Friendly framework.

HOW MANY MUNICIPALITIES ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR REGIONAL APPROACH? 

Nine

PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR REGION

Our region consists of 7 towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula and 2 towns on the island of Deer Isle, connected to the peninsula by a bridge. This is a rural, coastal area with many summer visitors. The area is a natural region, with shared schools, commercial areas, healthcare, etc. 

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ORGANIZATION OF YOUR REGIONAL APPROACH?

Led by a local organization (Healthy Peninsula). Comment: The initiative is coordinated by Healthy Peninsula, a local community health organization.

IS EACH OF YOUR MEMBER MUNICIPALITIES AN INDEPENDENTLY ENROLLED MEMBER OF THE AARP NETWORK OF AGE-FRIENDLY STATES AND COMMUNITIES?

Yes. 

PLEASE DESCRIBE ANY KIND OF FISCAL RELATIONSHIP/CONTRACT

There is no fiscal relationship with the towns.

WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE THE BENEFITS AND DOWNFALLS OF THE REGIONAL APPROACH?

The benefits include economies of scale and overlapping communities in such a rural area. 

The downside is that it is harder to recruit volunteers for more local efforts in the individual towns.

WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER PEOPLE CONSIDERING A REGIONAL APPROACH?

It's useful to maintain close ties to the municipal leaders, if possible, so they see the value of the work. Showing government and individual community members how the regional work specifically helps their town is important.