To address the growing need for services for older adults in Maine, Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) is opening a new service hub in the Anderson Learning Center in Springvale this summer. The new location will make services more accessible to people living in Acton, Alfred, Lebanon, Newfield, N. Berwick, Sanford, Springvale, Shapleigh, and Waterboro​.

A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston shows the rapid rate that nursing homes in New England — and especially in Maine — are closing. This data illustrates the importance of strengthening local supports that allow people to “age in place” at home, an option that is not only preferred by over 75% of older adults according to AARP, but also saves money both for their families and taxpayers. This is what Maine’s Agencies on Aging, including SMAA, have been doing for over 51 years.

Programming at SMAA’s Sanford/Springvale Hub will include an Adult Day Program for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, Nutrition Services including Meals on Wheels and Community Cafés, Falls Prevention exercise classes, and Medicare Counseling. Resource Specialists will also be available on site to help older adults and caregivers navigate issues with housing, healthcare, benefits, and other components of the complex network of services available in southern Maine.