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Community Connectors
Eleven Community Connections pilot sites have hit the ground running, developing partnerships to move age-friendly forward. Collaborations with local organizations, such as the library, food pantry, cultural organizations, and more are opening doors to essential resources and social opportunities to improve the well-being of older residents. Partnerships forged by the community connectors in the Sacopee Valley, Gray/New Gloucester, and Saco are already making an impact on people’s lives!
Gray/New Gloucester - Bringing Local Organizations and Groups Together to Pool Resources
Gray/New Gloucester - Bringing Local Organizations and Groups Together to Pool Resources
Cindy Slocum and Lori Fowler, Community Connectors in Age-Friendly Gray/New Gloucester
The two community connectors working with Building Livability in New Gloucester, Age-Friendly New Gloucester, and Age-Friendly Gray have developed new partnerships in the few weeks since their project kicked off. By joining forces with the recreation departments, libraries, town officials, churches, and veterans groups in both communities, they have expanded their reach and ability to connect with a diverse array of citizens. Bringing organizations together, rather than working in silos, has already begun to bear fruit. The Gray/New Gloucester (GNG) pilot team believes that the collaborative synergy, created by pooling communications and resources among these organizations, has already begun to make the communities more age-friendly.
Outreach about the pilot programs and services has included a variety of approaches including: making personal connections with town officials and staff, sending mailers to residents, and posting information on Facebook, town websites and the local paper, New Gloucester Xchange. Partnering with New Gloucester First Congregational Church, the GNG Community Connectors, Lori Fowler and Cindy Slocum, are offering weekly social events to meet with members of the community - to share a cup of coffee or tea and just talk about what they need or where their interest lies. The Gray and New Gloucester Libraries are also essential partners, providing space every week where Connectors can meet with individuals and help connect them with resources. The Southern Maine Agency on Aging is also collaborating to bring several programs to GNG, like Medicare Options and a vaccine clinic. Cindy Slocum, shares “I can't tell you how excited I am to have someone ask if I can help them with something. It is so rewarding to be able to reduce someone's stress by providing them with information that actually helps.”
Grateful Undead - Developing a Community Calendar
Grateful Undead - Developing a Community Calendar
In Sacopee Valley, Grateful Undead Community Connector, Jamie Gleason’s initial focus has been on developing a regional calendar of age-friendly events and activities so that people can easily find opportunities to get connected and be involved. Jamie knew that making personal connections would be key as she approached a number of local organizations including Bonney Memorial Library, Sacopee Adult Ed, Hiram Cultural Center, Sacopee Valley Health Center, and Tear Cap Workshops, a non-profit that offers hands-on learning and crafts education. The Grateful Undead serves a number of communities in Maine’s rural southwestern foothills, and each organization Jamie connected with offers the community valuable educational and socialization opportunities. The calendar (include PDF) which will be published monthly in a free local paper distributed to all households will be an important way to highlight their programs, workshops and other events.
Jamie shares “It was important that I met with each of them face to face. People stopped and took the time with me - they wanted to talk about their programs and then it gave me the opportunity to educate them on ours. A handshake and a conversation go a long way.”
CC Partnerships Oct Events Calendar final.pdfAge-Friendly Saco - Partnering with Emergency Services to Make Homes Safer
Age-Friendly Saco - Partnering with Emergency Services to Make Homes Safer
AARP HomeFit Guide.pdfOne priority of Age Friendly Saco’s (AFS) community connector project is to extend a helping hand to older residents who have had encounters with the Saco Police Department (PD) or Emergency Medical Services (EMS), often in the wake of a slip or fall. Age Friendly Saco’s community connector will follow up on referrals from EMS and the Police Department, using the AARP Home Fit Guide. The assessment tool includes a comprehensive checklist for evaluating residents' homes and generating personalized recommendations. Guided by these findings, the AFS Handy Helper Program can take concrete steps to enhance safety, such as installing grab bars, strategically placing night lights near toilets, and offering guidance on eliminating potential hazards like scatter rugs and extension cords.
AFS team members have already collaborated with PD’s Social Outreach Coordinator and the Fire Chief, to find a solution to an initial challenge. EMS cannot share information with AFS directly due to HIPAA regulations. However, they can communicate with the Social Outreach Coordinator, so EMS will refer calls to the Social Outreach Coordinator, who will then pass vetted referrals (with resident permission) to Community Connector, Joe Moreshead.
Joe shares, “It’s crucial to understand what you’re offering and who your audience is. Once you’ve identified your target group, you must determine how to reach them and who the community stakeholders are that can help facilitate these connections. It requires proactive outreach, making calls and introductions, while also recognizing that building connections is a two-way street.”
In his role as Connector, Joe aims to build a trusting relationship with community members as a path to connecting them to resources that address needs beyond a Home Assessment: food insecurity, transportation issues, and assistance with programs like Medicare Savings and property tax relief.
Tips for Partnering from the Community Connectors:
Tips for Partnering from the Community Connectors:
Introduce yourself in person!
Have some key talking points - explain your mission and ask for their input on how you can be effective
Keep In Touch - continue to share information and involve them as much as possible.
Be patient - strong partnerships move at the speed of trust.
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