News & Media

Sam L. Cohen Center Open in January

January 19, 2016 (Biddeford, ME) – On Tuesday, January 19, 2016 the Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) will officially open the Sam. L. Cohen Center, a state-of-the-art day center for older adults living with dementia and their caregivers.  Located at 30 Barra Road in Biddeford, the new Center offers person-centered programs in a beautiful, home-like setting for up to 50 members a day. 

Laurence Gross, Executive Director of SMAA said, “the Southern Maine Agency on Aging is delighted to bring a center of excellence for the care of those living with dementia and their caregivers to the greater Biddeford area.  This Center will provide dynamic programming for our members, but also much needed respite opportunities for their family caregivers.  I believe that we have built the finest adult day center in New England, and perhaps the entire country.   As our population ages and more families are faced with the challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia, the Sam L. Cohen Center will provide critical respite for caregivers as well as the members we will serve who are living with dementia.  This Center will be a huge resource for those families intent on keeping their loved ones at home for as long as possible yet enabling caregivers to maintain some normalcy in their own lives.”

The person-centered programming offered at the Sam L. Cohen Center is focused on what the member retains, not what he or she has lost in the course of the disease. The staff, working with the members and their families, designs activities that appeal to each individual member. The Center has a beautiful fenced terrace which will have raised beds for gardening. There are also several attractive seating areas, allowing members to enjoy the outdoor patio while safe and secure.  The new Center was designed so that up to 8 different programs and activities can be running simultaneously.  At the end of the day, each of our members will have had a day that was engaging and interesting to them personally.  The new space is bright and cheery, with lots of room for physical activities as well as quieter spaces for reading, puzzle making and game playing,” said Gross.  The Center also features a specially designed arts and crafts room and a therapeutic kitchen which encourages member independence in a warm, home-like setting. 

The Sam L. Cohen Center also offers a separate Family Caregiver Support area where caregiver classes and workshops will be held as well as support group meetings.

If you would like more information about the Sam. L. Cohen Center or would like to arrange a private tour, please visit our website or call Polly Bradley, Director of Adult Day Centers at (207) 396-6512. 

About the Southern Maine Agency on Aging
Since 1973, the Southern Maine Agency on Aging has provided residents of York and Cumberland counties with resources and assistance to address the issues and concerns of aging. The Agency serves people ages 60 and older, family caregivers, and people under 60 with a disability. Agency services are devoted to fulfilling its mission of improving the social, emotional, physical and economic well-being of older adults in southern Maine.