Sailing Life Solo:
How Lewiston Is Building Community for Solo Agers 

One of the great values of the Age-Friendly/Lifelong Communities network is the vibrant exchange of ideas. Projects and programs in one community often morph into something new in a different community, with the details tailored to their unique needs.

At the annual 2025 Lifelong Maine Conference held last June, Lewiston Age-Friendly Program Coordinator Stephanie Cote and Lewiston Senior Advisory Council member Eileen Fair attended a presentation on solo aging by Mary Lou Ciolfi, Assistant Director of Policy and Education, UMaine Center on Aging, and Ken Elliott, retired UMaine Augusta faculty.

An idea was born

Eileen, herself a solo ager, and Stephanie were intrigued and thought this might be something Lewiston residents would find interesting and useful.

Stephanie said, "The city of Lewiston has an aging population, and the solo aging topic is very relevant."

And Eileen: "As a solo ager myself, this topic caught my eye. I have been part of an informal group exploring aging topics with three other friends for several years. Being able to focus on aging from the perspective of solo aging made sense to me, and it seemed to be of interest to others."

With ongoing support from the city, Stephanie manages the administrative work, including community outreach, organizing, and marketing. She says that Nicole Welch, Lewiston Recreation Director, was immediately on board with the idea and could not have been more supportive.

Eileen guides the group, made the connections, and did the work to educate herself on the topic — and according to Stephanie, volunteers to do most of the work.

They called it
Sailing Life Solo

About 12 people attended the first session, representing a wide range of solo living experiences. The goals of the group include creating a sense of community and encouraging participants to develop an individualized backup plan to support decision-making as they age.

For the past year, Eileen has taken part in the "Living Your Novel Experience" (LYNX) monthly Zoom meetings coordinated by Mary Lou Ciolfi and Ken Elliott. The Lynx group focuses on understanding and supporting solo agers — people aging without close family or partner support. These meetings have been an invaluable support and resource. Through LYNX, they connected with Linda Camp, a researcher in Minnesota, who very generously shared her group model for solo aging. Click here for more information.

Stephanie's role as Age-Friendly Program Coordinator is about three years old and was created to help build more opportunities for adults 50 and older. The solo aging group is just one of the programs they have established. A bimonthly free electronic newsletter, Lewiston Recreation's website, and flyers keep members informed about upcoming activities. Programming — including fitness, various games, and outings — is broad enough to appeal to many different interests. With a small staff, Stephanie says these programs rely on volunteers like Eileen to keep them going.

Community interest has been strong, and both Stephanie and Eileen have been heartened by the response. To learn more about solo aging, visit the Solo Aging Resource Center at soloagingresourcecenter.org. Interested in joining LYNX or starting your own solo aging group? Email Mary Lou Ciolfi at marylou.ciolfi@maine.edu.