Resources in Action
Resources in Action
Patricia Oh, PhD, MSW
Patricia Oh, PhD, MSW
University of Maine Center on Aging
Consortium for Aging Policy, Research, and Analysis
Embedded Files
Communities across Maine are treasure troves of resources—from the skills and talents of residents, to the commitment of local groups to making the community better, to natural resources that encourage people to get outside and socialize. Identifying and tapping into these local resources is a crucial aspect of the Community Connector role. This process involves learning about your community's assets, including human skills, natural resources, community stories and values, and the built environment. The age-friendly team can build on community strengths and needs to make the community a better place for aging. This might involve connecting skilled residents with local businesses, repurposing vacant spaces for community use, or utilizing traditional knowledge to solve modern challenges. By tapping into local assets, the Community Connector is well-positioned to facilitate access to local resources that enhance the well-being and quality of life for older adults.
Community Treasure Hunt - Identifying and Tapping into Local Resources
Community Treasure Hunt - Identifying and Tapping into Local Resources
This video talks about finding the assets in your community. We have a few resources for you to explore before moving onto the next section.
One of the assets mentioned in the video is "bumping spaces". Please read the article about Bumping Spaces and how they can help you identify and tap into community resources.
We also want you to start thinking about the resources in your community. The Identifying Community Assets worksheet is a place to record the assets in your community, record any contact person you can tap into if you want to link someone to the resource or learn more, and to think how older people are already engaged.
Resources - Identifying and Tapping into Community Assets
Resources - Identifying and Tapping into Community Assets
You Cant Build Community Without Doing the Bump.pdfActivity - Identifying and Tapping into Local Resources
Activity - Identifying and Tapping into Local Resources
Please watch this brief video about a birthday card campaign in Sullivan, Maine and then reflect on the assets that this project taps into. Consider:
Community groups
Institutions
Built environment
Local economy
Core values and stories
Bringing all of these assets together achieves several goals. Consider:
How the community benefits
How individuals benefit
Click on each picture to see our ideas of the assets that Age-Friendly Sullivan and the Circle of Friends tap into for this intiative.
Reflection - Identifying and Tapping into Local Resources
Reflection - Identifying and Tapping into Local Resources
Now, think about your own community. Are there initiatives like this one, small groups of residents working together to transform their community? If so, what are the resources they are tapping into? How can you, as a Community Connector or age-friendly volunteer, collaborate with them? Click here to complete the first of two reflections in this chapter. Entering your reflection will also record your progress. Important: Complete each section before moving on to its corresponding reflection. When you return to the form, you will automatically be taken to where you last left off.
Community In Action -- Age-Friendly Coastal Communities, Bridging Neighbors
Community In Action -- Age-Friendly Coastal Communities, Bridging Neighbors
We have explored some of the ways to identify resources. In this video, you will hear how Bridging Neighbors, a program designed and implemented by Healthy Peninsula and Age-Friendly Coastal Communities is identifying resources and connecting them to community members who live in one of the nine communities on the Blue Hill Peninsula and Deer Isle.
Connecting Residents to Resources
Connecting Residents to Resources
In this section, our focus is on identifying the gifts and talents of residents. Many people need to have the opportunity to contribute to their community before they are willing to access resources to help, especially with critical needs, such as food and heat.
Older residents have a lot to contribute to our communities. Please read Invisible Talents to spark some ideas about the contributions that people coming to you can contribute to the community.
We also want you to start identifying the gifts and talents of residents. The Identifying Gifts and Talents of Residents worksheet is a place to record information.
Resources - Finding the Gifts of the People who Come to You
We encourage you to browse the invisible talents! with this scavenger hunt worksheet
Resources - Finding the Gifts of the People who Come to You
We encourage you to browse the invisible talents! with this scavenger hunt worksheet
Activity - Connecting Residents to Resources
Activity - Connecting Residents to Resources
Empathy mapping is a tool that we can use to give us a brief snapshot of the person who seeks help. It can be used as a guide to structure your interviews and as a tool to record what you hear. You can also use it to uncover assumptions people hold about other groups in the community. The tool helps build empathy for the people in our community.
Think of someone or a group of people that are not part of your age-friendly team or that are marginalized by a lack of resources or a disability. For example (choose one or make one up based on your experience in the community):
Think about what it is like for people who come from away and try to join in community life or, alternatively, people who have lived in the community for a lifetime but feel displaced by the "new" people.
Reflect on the experiences of someone in the early stages of dementia who is trying to participate in community activities.
Consider what it is like to need help with heating or home repair after being someone who has spent a lifetime giving to community.
This exercise is a quick way to put yourself in someone else's shoes and can help you match the person with appropriate resources in a way that is acceptable to the person.
Click here to read our example of a person who needs help but doesn't want to receive help.
Reflection - Connecting Residents to Resources
Reflection - Connecting Residents to Resources
Now, think about your own community. Considering the person(s) or group that you focused on during the empathy mapping activity, how can you communicate that they are in the driver's seat, deciding which referrals the person will pursue? What are some ways that the person can engage in an activity which will provide a sense of purpose? Click here to complete your final reflection in this chapter and record successful completion of the Resources chapter. Note: Clicking will bring you back to where you left off when you completed your last reflection. When you have finished, please click "submit" to record completion of the Resources chapter.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
John McKnight. The gifts of strangers: understanding the benefits of diversity.
This inspiring blog post describes the benefits of welcoming "people from away" into our communities.
Cormac Russell. Sustainable community development: shifting the focus from what's wrong to what's strong.
This 18-minute Ted Talk describes an Asset-Based Community Development approach to working in community. By building on the strengths and capacities of the people who come to you seeking help, not only will the person be in the driver-seat when they access resources (which is critical for someone to receive help) but community will be stronger. The Community Connector role provides an opportunity for connection that brings people together, which makes our cities and towns stronger.
Judith Snow. Great Questions
Judith Snow was a renowned advocate, thinker, and visionary in the field of disability rights and inclusion. Her work on "Great Questions" was a significant part of her philosophy and approach to fostering inclusive communities. She believed that great questions are those that refuse to be answered simply, instead leading us into deeper connections with each other.
Walsch Center for Rural Health Analysis. Leveraging culture and history to improve health and equity in rural communities.
This article focuses on health promotion for all ages. The approach taps into local culture and history to improve health outcomes and promote equity. By recognizing and building on community strengths, historical resilience, and shared identity, age-friendly communities can engage residents in conversations around activities that promote health and wellness.
Meet Your Chapter Guide - Patricia Oh, PhD, MSW
Patricia Oh serves as the Assistant Director of Community Innovation and Research at the University of Maine Center on Aging where she works with her colleagues on community-engaged research. Her expertise lies in translational research, program development, evaluation, and community education. Since 2012, Dr. Oh has focused on age-friendly community development at national and state levels, with a particular emphasis on rural communities. Dr. Oh is also Co-Director of the Consortium for Aging Policy Research and Analysis, a partnership between the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine. Based on her research with communities, Dr. Oh has authored more than a dozen book chapters and articles about aging in community and is lead author to the award-winning AARP Roadmap to Livability Series and Rural Livability Report. Recent peer reviewed publications include:
Black, K., & Oh, P. (2022). Assessing age-friendly community progress: What have we learned?. The Gerontologist, 62(1), 6-17.
Black, K., & Oh, P. (2023). Exploring sectoral reach in age-friendly communities. The Gerontologist, 63(5), 920-932.
Black, K., Oh, P., Montepare, J., and Kaye, L. (2024). Leveraging Higher Education in Our Age-Friendly World. Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 1-17. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2024.2384187
Gleason, S.R., Oh, P., Coyle, C. & Somerville, C. (2024). 'They Don't want to Label It': Insights from Communities not Enrolled in the NAFSC. Journal of Aging and Social Policy. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2024.2422660
Greenfield, E. A., Black, K., Oh, P., & Pestine-Stevens, A. (2022). Theories of community collaboration to advance age-friendly community change. The Gerontologist, 62(1), 36-45.
Oh, P., Kaye, L., & Parham, L. (2021). Community leaders’ perspective of strategies to enhance social connectedness in rural communities. Innovation in Aging, 5(Suppl 1), 315.
Oh, P. & White, L. (2022). Approaches to Community Supports and Health Services in U.S. Age-Friendly Communities: Focus on Advance Care and End-of-Life Planning. Journal of Aging Life Care, 32(1), 11-17.
During this chapter, we hope you will gain a few tools for tapping into community resources and connecting them to residents.
If you have any questions as you are going through the material, please email: lifelong@maine.edu.
The Lifelong Maine Skill Building Series was developed as part of the Community Connections project.
Funding for the project was provided through support of the Governor's Cabinet on Aging and Office of Aging and Disability Services.
We are deeply grateful for the funding and for the thought leadership provided by Elizabeth Gattien, Coordinator of the Governor's Cabinet on Aging.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse