AgeWise Maine a trusted resource and information source for older Mainers

For 53 years, Maine’s Agencies on Aging have provided resources, information, programs, services and social connection for older adults, adults with disabilities, and their caregivers. As Maine’s population ages and policies shift, it has never been more critical for older adults to access the services, information, and programs that the Agencies on Aging offer to support their health, independence, and quality of life.

As recent federal legislation H.R. 1 begins to reshape how Mainers statewide access health coverage and long-term care, Maine’s Agencies on Aging remain steadfast in its mission to offer resources, support, and connection for older adults as they navigate these changes.

Signed into law on July 4, 2025, H.R. 1 introduces several updates to public benefit programs that will affect older Mainers. These include adjustments to the age threshold for work requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and modifies eligibility criteria for Medicaid (MaineCare), including new documentation requirements, work-related conditions, and shorter retroactive coverage windows.

According to Maine.gov, the state is anticipating more than 31,000 disenrollments in the first year of the new law because of these administrative hurdles, many of whom will be older adults.

“These changes are more than numbers, and they affect real people,” said Megan Walton, Board Chair of AgeWise Maine. “One recent caller shared her worry about balancing her own health challenges while caring for her spouse. What she needed most was reassurance that she wasn’t alone and that there were programs in place to help her manage. That is what we are here for.”

This experience echoes broader concerns across the state. Sharon Foerster, Board Chair of the Maine Council on Aging testified this Spring on behalf of LD 814 The Older Mainers Act that, “Tens of thousands of older Mainers are only one health problem, one unexpected expense, or one home system failure away from crisis.”

Building on decades of service, the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging has launched a new name and website, AgeWise Maine, to make it easier for older residents to access resources and support. The site provides timely information about available services and connects individuals with their local Agency on Aging for personalized guidance.

“We chose AgeWise Maine as our new name to reflect the resilience, wisdom, and dignity of older adults in our state,” said Walton. “In a time when accessing the right support can feel overwhelming, we want to ensure that the Agencies on Aging remain the trusted source that family caregivers and older Mainers turn to for connection, resources, and support.”

AgeWise Maine encourages older adults, adults with disabilities, family caregivers, and community partners to visit www.AgeWiseMaine.org and to connect with their local Agency on Aging to explore available resources and assistance.

About AgeWise Maine

AgeWise Maine, The Maine Association of Agencies on Aging, is a private, non-profit organization that provides a unifying voice for Maine’s Agencies on Aging on issues that promote independence, dignity and economic self-reliance for Maine’s older adults. <

Public Safety Day event nearing in Windham

By Ed Pierce

For those who have thought about what it would be like to serve as a firefighter, emergency medical technician or a police officer for the Town of Windham, the upcoming Public Safety Day will offer an in-depth and close-up look at the people, equipment, vehicles, and duties of local first responders.

The public is invited to attend the free Windham Public
Safety Day which will offer an in-depth look at the people,
equipment, vehicles, and duties of local first responders in
the community. The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 29 at the Windham Public Safety
Building, 375 Gray Road in Windham.  
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

The free event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29 at the Windham Public Safety Building, 375 Gray Road in Windham, and will be informative, enlightening and fun for everyone who attends.

According to organizers from the Windham Police Department and the Windham Fire/Rescue Department, Windham Public Safety Day is a great way for local residents and visitors to learn more about what it takes to keep the community safe and to show appreciation to the dedicated firefighters, EMTs, police officers and other community staff members and volunteers who put their lives on the line every single day in the line of duty protecting the town.

“This event will be filled with plenty of family activities and it’s entirely free,” officials said.

Among the wide range of activities, events will include Touch-a-Truck as participants will be able to sit in the cab of a Windham fire truck or a Windham police cruiser or experience a police canine demonstration up close as a WPD handler shows how a trained police dog follows commands. There will also be fire extinguisher demonstrations by members of Windham Fire/Rescue teaching how to operate a fire extinguisher effectively and safely and a 911 Dispatch Simulator to show how public safety personnel respond to emergency situations in Windham.

Participants will also have an opportunity to visit Central Maine Power’s “Safety City” traveling electrical safety exhibit. The intent of “Safety City” is to give the public a better understanding of how to be safe around power lines and other structures. Set up like a real neighborhood, Safety City helps school children of all ages understand how to be safe around power lines and other structures and that no power line is safe to touch ever.

There will be raffles and giveaways and presentations about the dangers of distracted driving. Firefighters will demonstrate Hands-only CPR and information will be available about Windham’s Animal Control Program.

“A bouncy house will be set up for the kids, and we’ll have hotdogs and chips for the public,” officials said.

Participants will also find helpful information about the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program offered in Windham schools, and TRIAD, a cooperative partnership between law enforcement agencies, elder service providers, and seniors in our community. The primary mission of TRIAD is to reduce the criminal victimization of older citizens, enhance the delivery of law enforcement services, and improve the quality of life for seniors.

Windham Public Safety officials say that this Public Safety Day is different from the National Night Out event held annually in August because this is just about Windham Public Safety.

“At Windham’s Public Safety Day, you’ll be able to meet and talk with police officers and firefighters and EMTs who serve the town and this community around the clock every day,” the officials said. “You’ll be able to review the capabilities of the equipment and the vehicles that we use every day and to see how the department operate in person.”

The event is open to everyone and is an excellent opportunity to take photographs, see the Windham Public Safety Building and to experience first-hand what it could be like to serve the community as a firefighter, EMT or police officer.

“Everyone who comes out will leave with a much greater sense and understanding the men and women who serve to keep Windham safe,” officials said. “Windham Public Safety Day is not to be missed and will be a memorable time for all members of the family.” <

Tennis tournament proceeds to benefit local ALS support

By Ed Pierce

Tennis champion Pete Sampras wasn’t thinking specifically about Windham when he shared his thoughts about the game, but a statement he once made describes an upcoming event here perfectly. “Tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, love – the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature," Sampras said.

Friends of Phil Swan are staging a tennis tournament on
Sunday, Sept. 7 at Windham High School to assist ALS
programs in Maine after Swan was diagnosed with
ALS recently. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Bill Gallant has been part of a group of up to 16 people playing tennis in Windham for more than two decades and along the way he’s made plenty of friends on the courts at Windham High School but none more special than Phil Swan. Over the years, the two have become close friends and worked together at Sappi Warren before Bill’s retirement.

A few months ago, Phil learned that he has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare neurodegenerative condition that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lower motor neurons that control voluntary muscle contraction, movement, and breathing. Prominent individuals who have lost their lives to ALS include baseball star Lou Gehrig and physicist Stephen Hawking.

Gallant and his tennis friends are a tight group, playing outdoors in the summer and indoors during the winter months, and they were shocked to hear about Phil’s diagnosis.

“We all immediately wanted to do something to help Phil but he’s an extremely proud man and wouldn’t accept our help,” Gallant said. “We wanted to hold a tennis tournament while the weather’s still good to raise money to assist Phil with his treatment but wouldn’t take any of it.”

So instead of donating proceeds from a tennis tournament directly to Phil, the group decided to stage a tournament in Windham named for their friend and donate whatever is collected to a local ALS charity in Maine that offers advocacy opportunities, virtual support groups, and ongoing emotional support and logistical guidance for families impacted by ALS.

Sponsored by Windham Parks and Recreation, the Phil Swan ALS Tennis Tournament will be held at 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 7 at the Windham High School Tennis Courts and runs all day.

“Right now, we have 20 teams competing in the tournament,” Gallant said. “It will be a mixed doubles tournament and a double-elimination event.”

A food truck will be at the site for those who want to come and watch the tournament.

“I guess I’ve known about ALS for a long time,” Gallant said. “It’s a terrible disease and now it’s hit close to home and our friend Phil, whom I have known for 25 years.”

According to Gallant, the game of tennis is a way of life for everyone involved with the Windham group.

“Tennis is a great sport,” he said. “It brings the community together in an atmosphere of friendship and laughter. We have players of all ages, and we even have someone who plays who is 89 years old. It truly is a sport you can play all your life.”

The group organizing the tournament to do something in their friend Phil’s name is grateful to Windham Parks and Recreation for helping them with the tournament and to RSU 14 for the use of their courts for the fundraiser.

The entry fee for teams competing in the tournament is $100 and there is still time left to enter and compete. To register, send an email to bburnham2@hotmail.com or to amyjuned@gmail.com

“We are doing what we can because Phil is such a great guy and are hoping whatever we can raise from this tournament will help prevent this happening to anyone else,” Gallant said. “Our tennis group is all about friendship and this is such a sad situation happening to our friend. We couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.” <