RANGELEY – On Saturday, Oct. 18, close to 70 seniors from the Rangeley region attended the first Rangeley Senior Resource Expo held at the historic Rangeley Inn. The Expo, sponsored by the organization Helping Elders Live in Place, was held in order to highlight resources available for seniors/elders in Rangeley and the surrounding communities.
Participating partner agencies included SeniorsPlus, Androscoggin Homecare & Hospice, Rangeley Health & Wellness, Rangeley Family Medicine, Central Maine Orthopaedics, Rangeley Adult and Community Education, and Rangeley Regional Health Appointment Transportation (RRHAT). The Mobile Health Unit from Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County was onsite offering complimentary health assessments to the attendees.
Additionally, three well-attended workshops were presented, including Financial Tips for Seniors, including How to Avoid Financial Scams, presented by LeeAnna Wilbur, Franklin Savings Bank vice president and branch manager.
Attendees commented that the expo was “a terrific way to spend a Saturday morning,” and that “the HELP symposium was informative and delightful.”
“Last year I was the target of a very frightening scam; I was lucky not to have lost money,” one attendee wrote. “I learned that there are almost 100, extremely sophisticated scams, directed at people over 60. Now I’m aware and on alert.”
HELP is a group of residents that began meeting in March of 2014 to work on addressing issues related to seniors and aging in place in the Rangeley region. This local effort was spearheaded by a one-year planning grant funded by Maine Health Access Foundation. HELP has been working to identify and advocate for the needs of elders, including creating a dialogue about aging, as well as identifying available resources for seniors, which allows elder residents to remain active in the community and live in their homes. They are planning similar events early in 2015, as well as initiating check-in phone calls to residents requesting them, as well as implementing a neighbors helping neighbors approach.
The next HELP meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 13, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Rangeley Family Medicine, 42 Dallas Hill Road. Meetings are open to anyone interesting in issues related to seniors in the greater-Rangeley region.
For more information about HELP, contact Marge and Don Miller, at 864-5383.
