FARMINGTON – United Way of the Tri-Valley Area is proud to be partnered with SeniorsPlus. Since 1972, SeniorsPlus has been serving Maine’s seniors and providing them help in whichever way they need it. Initially founded in Lewiston, SeniorsPlus later expanded to Oxford and Franklin Counties. SeniorsPlus offers several programs that ensure that Maine’s seniors can stay in home as long as possible and will receive assistance in their daily lives. Programs offered by SeniorsPlus include (but are not limited to):
Meals on Wheels: The Meals on Wheels program delivers hot meals to seniors once a day, four times a week. The meals are nutritious and healthy with 1/3 of the daily nutritional requirements. In addition, to some of the more remote participants in the program may receive one hot meal and additional flash frozen meals to ensure that they have something prepared and nutritious to eat. These deliveries also serve as a social visit, which is a huge help since social isolation is often a concern for those living alone. In the first six months of 2018, SeniorsPlus was able to provide 3,800 meals to seniors with funding from United Way.
Around Town Cafes: This program allows seniors to eat at participating restaurants using a selected menu with presentation of the Around Town Cafes voucher. Stop into one of the SeniorsPlus locations (locally found at the United Way office at 218 Fairbanks Road) to receive the Around Town Cafes vouchers and list of participating restaurants. Vouchers are available for $6.
Medicare Counseling: Medicare experts will sit down with you and make sure that you can navigate through the complex Medicare system. There is an open enrollment period, but anybody can sign up at any time. This program is perfect for people who are new to Medicare and are choosing their coverage for the first time, on Medicare already but are making sure that your coverage is right for you, need assistance with the prescription drug plan or are confused by the Medicare forms that are sent to you. The Medicare experts are not brokers, just navigators.
Information Assistance: This program is designed to help seniors find out the right information at connect to the right resource if need be. This program is not for any specific issue, but for any random issue that seniors may face. Common inquiries include: locating homecare services, resources for those facing hearing and/or sight issues, locating assisted living facilities, health and wellness education, and caregiver support.
Caregiver Support: This program is for the caregivers of seniors to ensure that they are providing the best possible care for their loved ones. SeniorsPlus can provide them with information and training services for the caregivers. In addition, SeniorsPlus offers counseling services for the caregivers. There is a group caregiver therapy where caregivers can gather and talk about their experiences and difficulties with taking care of their loved ones. There is also one on one counseling services if the caregiver is uncomfortable or just prefers to not meet in a group setting. Another sub-program of this program is called Respite Dollars. Respite Dollars is a jar of cash which can be used by caregivers to pay somebody else to watch their loved ones for a little while so that the caregiver can go out and get groceries, do laundry or any other daily task that they still must do.
Money Minders: In this program, trained volunteers help people manage their finances. The volunteers help to make sure that there is no fraud or scams that the seniors are paying into, they can ensure that you are not paying bills that you no longer must pay, for example car insurance on a car that you no longer own. When fraud or scams are detected, the volunteers will also work to get your money back when they can. Beyond that, the volunteers work to make sure that all of the bills are being paid and on time to ensure financial peace of mind.
For more information about SeniorsPlus or any of these programs and more, call 1-800-427-1241, email them at info@seniorsplus.org or visit their website at www.seniorsplus.org.
For more information about United Way, call (207) 778-5048, visit www.uwtva.org, visit Facebook, or stop in visit in person at 218 Fairbanks Rd. in Farmington.
