speaker Mark Eves <1 . t' =6 . Senior Listening Tour i' 2016 vw?r? A A Seeking to improve seniors? ability to live independently in their homes and communities, Speaker Eves traveled to 11 cities and towns for a Statewide Senior Listening Tour in the summer and fall of 2016. The Speaker heard directly from seniors about their concerns, ideas and recommendations. This report is a summary of those discussions with recommendations for the 128th Maine Legislature. Contact: 207-287-1300 Introduction In 2014, recognizing the unique needs and opportunities an aging State creayes for both communities and families, Speaker Eves, in partnership with the Maine Council on Aging, launched the Speaker?s Round Table on Aging and he'd the augural annual aging summit to bring stakeholders together to lav a Plan for action to help transform how people age in Maine. In August 2014, the Speaker announced his Keep ME Home Initiative. The plan was focused on creating more affordable housing for seniors in each of Maine?s 16 counties through a $65 million housing bond; boosting pay for in-home care workers who have not had a raise in nearly a decade; and expanding property tax credits for seniors. During the fall of 2014 and winter of 2015, the speaker . traveled the state to gather information and feedback on his Keep ME Home Ini- tiative. He held town forums in Waterville, Presque Isle, Bethel, Brewer and Topsham. In the winter of 2015, Speaker Eves partnered with Senator David Burns (R- Whiting) to found and co-chair the ?rst?ever Legislative Caucus on Aging. As a result of the bipartisan work of the caucus, the 127th Legislature made signi?cant strides to pass legislation that will support seniors to remain in their homes. Over the two years, the legislature passed 18 bills to support seniors in Maine. These bills included the key components of the Speaker?s Keep ME Home Initia- tive including a $15 million senior housing bond, increased reimbursement for in ?home care workers and doubling of the homestead exemption to provide great- er property tax relief for all Maine homeowners. The 127th legislature also l. passed legislation increasing funding for the Family Caregiver Respite Program, established a new money management program for seniors, and increased pro- tections against abusive debt collection practices. Statewide Senior Listening Determined to continue the work started by the 127th legislature, the Speaker embarked on a statewide senior listening tour during the spring and fall of 2016 to hear directly from seniors throughout the state about their concerns and needs. Starting in Kennebunk on June 20 and ending in Dover-Foxcroft on Octo- i Maine has the oldest population in the country. Maine has: the oldest median age in the country (43.5 years), the second-oldest population based on proportion of people over 65 and, the highest per- centage of baby boomers of all states. By 2030, more than 25 percent of Mainers will be 65 or older. ber 12, the Speaker spoke with and heard from more than 450 people across the i state. In total, the Speaker?s senior listening tour visited 11 different communi- ties throughout the state, including Kennebunk, Harpswell, Auburn, Bangor, Damariscotta, Jackman, Skowhegan, Sanford, Greenville, Milo, and Dover- Foxcroft. Attendees at the senior listening sessions included seniors, children of aging par? ents, family caregivers, public of?cials, service and health care providers and oth- er community members. The Speaker facilitated each of the sessions, opening each session with background about his work in the legislature. At most of the sessions, a local volunteer or leader spoke about local efforts to support semorS to get the services and supports they need to live independently in their homes' The majority of the time in each session was spent listening to the participams' concerns, ideas and recommendations. _3 ll: diam? Findings of the Senior Listening Tour hemes that emerged from the sessions as of this re ort IS to rovrde an overvrew of the major The purpose re were similar themes that arose across the . . . the a whole. While each community faced unique challenges, . state. This report ends with a series of recommendations to the future co?chairs of the Caucus on Aging and members of the 128m Maine Legislature. Top Concerns Raised by Participants Reliable Transportation for Seniors Seniors from communities across the state talked about the challenge of ?nding reliable transportation to. get to medical appointments, to see family and friends, and to purchase groceries. Community members In extremely rural areas such as Jackman explained trips to medical appointments take the whole day. It is dif?cult to ?nd family members or volunteers willing and able to drive people the 2 to 3 hours to appoint- ments and back. In less rural neighborhoods, people struggled to ?nd rides for shorter trips to stores and doctor?s of?ces. Seniors who lack transportation are at risk of isolation and not getting the services they need. in some communities, volunteer led projects are helping to ?nd volunteer drivers to drive people to appoint- ments. The volunteer-led group Harpswell Aging at Home has recruited 10 local volunteers who are coordi- nated through People?s Plus Volunteer Transportation Network to provide rides to Harpswell seniors to plac- es they need to go. Community Action Agencies provide regularly scheduled transportation to necessary services. The Kennebec Valley Community Action Program is now running the Somerset Explorer that offers public transportation to seniors in Skowhegan, Madison, Anson and Norridgewock three days a week. In Greenville, LINKS, the local transportation service through Penquis Community Action Program, ?nds creative ways to bring seniors to- gether for social events such as a group trip to an ice cream shop in Skowhegan. II is hard to 88! for i Isolation for Homebound Seniors Senior woman in Samara Studies have shown that social isolation can lead to increased risk of earlier death. Community members across the state are concerned about their neigh- bors, friends and family members who are living alone and homebound with very few connections to their communities. Many worried that seniors in Maine are proud and do not want to bother anyone for help. They explained that seniors often wait until a crisis hits to ask for needed help. Along with being concerned about seniors not getting the medical attention they need or meeting other needs, participants expressed concern about the toll loneliness takes on the health and well?being of seniors living on their own. Finally, people raised concerns about how isolation and loneli- ness can lead to ?nancial exploitation and elder abuse. Seniors who live alone are at much greater risk of living in poverty. According to a recent report 20 7 per? 1 cent of smgle seniors in Maine live below the poverty level compared to 3.6 percent of senior couples in Maine. Aneven higher percentage (56.7 percent) of Maine seniors living alone have annual incomes which are msuf?crent to .meet-all of their basic needs. Clearly seniors living on their own are not only at risk for iso- lation, but also gomg Without ba5ics necessities like food, heat and medicine. a: as?, . .uWIidn . i. . -1?M9y, . - In many of the listening sessions, participants were extremely interested in Promoting Lor art:- reach to seniors at risk of isolation. Participants talked about the responsibility of the community tlo ?P?es active in reaching these seniors. A number of the communities have senior centers or other formka id?: to bring seniors together. But many worried that the seniors living on their own were at most ns 0 no knowing about these opportunities or not having the ability to participate these efforts' Greenville Police Department Leads Effort to Prevent Isolation for Homebound Seniors I :ln Greenville, the local police department works to protect community seniors from the dangers related to 0 isolation. A member of their staff makes regular check in calls to homebound seniors. The calls are usually :short conversations once a week. The program cultivates strong relationships between the coordinator and :participants. Participants become comfortable sharing personal information such as health issues and oth- - ers needs with the coordinator. The coordinator is then able to link participants to needed services through :local agencies. She believes that her work has helped to prevent many participants from going in to a nurs- ing facility until it was absolutely necessary. Safe Affordable Housing The vast majority of seniors we met on the tour wanted to be able to age in their own homes the homes where they had raised their families. However, many were concerned about the safety of their homes. From Kennebunk to Harpswell to Skowhegan to Greenville, seniors spoke about needing assistance with home modi?cations like building a ramp or other improvements in accessibility. At a number of the sessions, people talked about how a small investment in home modifications and repairs could prevent higher cost care in a hospital or nursing home. Participants spoke about seniors who live in old houses that they can no longer afford to maintain and are falling down around them. They need safe and affordable alternatives in their communities. Many were frustrated that the Governor is still refusing to release the $15 million senior housing bond that had passed the legislature and received support from almost 70 percent of Maine voters. With 10,000 Maine seniors on waiting lists for affordable housing, it was not surprising to hear from people across the state that there is real need for increased alternatives for safe and affordable housing to ensure that seniors can continue to live independently. in a handful of coastal communities, people expressed interest in opportunities for co-habitation or renova? tion of "in-law? apartments. in some of these towns, zoning laws did not allow for these types of renova- tions. in recent years several towns in an effort to create more aging friendly communities have modi?ed their "accessory apartment? ordinances to allow for "in-law? apartments. For more information on these ordinances, please visit GrowSmart Maine's web- am? o? "a site. live to have I sense If In Milo, the Speaker spoke with residents at a senior housing complex. There num" human.? were about 15 women in the room who all lived in their own units at Pleasant milieu? mm- ?is Park. These women clearly enjoyed each other?s company. They laughed and myfamily.? made jokes with each other. They explained that this was now their family. 88mm, mm. i This senior housing complex provided a tight knit community for these mostly Single women. g~~i - 1 Bath Housing Provides Needed Safety Check and Home Modi?cations . . In October 2015, Bath Housing started a new home repair program with a goal of helping seniors in the re? :gion to age safely in their own homes by providing high quality home safety enhancements: Maintenance :staff conduct safety checks, "adaptability" upgrades, minor maintenance repairs and accessibility modifica- tions for homes of low-income seniors. Bath Housing decided to provide this service to re5idents because :there is not enough affordable housing in the area and while they are committed to continuing to bqu new :affordable housing, they cannot keep pace with the demand. The results have been extremely successful, preventing hospitalization of participants and making people feel safer in their own homes. ln-home Supports and Services and Support for Informal Family Caregivers II I in every community seniors and their family members complained about the I could? Hake can oi my dif?culty of finding and keeping quali?ed, trained staff to care for seniors in mother In her home their homes. Some said that it wasn?t the cost of care that prohibited them longer and "I'll from ?nding someone to care for family members, but the lack of professional hell] to care [or her at home_ caregivers in their area. Others did struggle with being able to afford home She deteriorated so ?nick? care serwces. Their income or assets were too high to qualify for Medicaid, when we ?laced her in a but the daily cost of in home care was out of reach for themselves and their - children. Compounding an already existing shortage of direct care workers, nurswg humansne gave participants complained that even if they could secure care, it was often hard he. to I've- to ?nd consistent, reliable care. Mechanic ?om Listening Session Participants also worried about the stress put on informal family caregivers, particularly those caring for family members with dementia and other serious health issues. People explained that caregiving can some? times be a gradual process that grows with responsibility as the individual gets older and more unable to take care of him or herself. As the responsibility grows, the stress for family members can become over- whelming as they struggle to balance the needs of their aging family members with work and other responsi- bilities. Caregivers often need help to alleviate the burden of caring for loved ones. Regular respite care or other help to provide in-home care is often needed to help people juggle their multiple responsibilities. Increasing and Unaffordable Property Taxes Seniors in a number of communities complained about the cost of property taxes and worried about the cost becoming prohibitive as they struggled to meet all of their needs as they age. The concern was particularly acute in the coastal communities. The signi?cant cut backs in previous years to the former circuit breaker program, which is now called the Property Tax Relief Credit, have made paying property taxes even more challenging for many people. The Speaker has successfully led efforts in the legislature to increase the re- bate under the Property Tax Relief Credit program, which provides more targeted relief to seniors who pay a higher percentage of their income on property taxes and double the homestead exemption which bene?ts all Maine homeowners. However, seniors with low to middle income who pay a high percentage of their in- tcome of property taxes were worried that they would not be able to stay in their homes as a result of their axes. {Hx?muuq m: I. h. Seniors and Family Members Are Unaware of Existing Services Over and over again, participants in the listening sessions complained about the seniors we: com- pletely unaware of existing services and found the social service network very complicateito nav?ia?guaic if; en- Many spoke about the important assistance they receive from the local Area AgenCIes on gingsemcesgnu? eral, people remained concerned that seniors were completely unaware oflarea transporta on I I tri?on assistance services such as Meals on Wheels, and local services prowded by senior centers an oca I volunteer organizations. Some wanted a central number they could call to find out about all of the availab resources within their town. in a handful of the sessions, family members spoke about the dif?culties they faced when assisting their par- ents or grandparents with applying for services. They complained of redundant paperwork and the need for signi?cant documentation. There were a couple requests to streamline the applications so that the same information did not need to be provided numerous times. 0 Harpswell Aging At Home Publishes Senior Resource Guide 0 :Harpswell Aging at Home (HAH) completed a community assessment that showed nearly half of the seniors in Harpswell don?t know about available services and 45% of those seniors are in need of assistance. HAH :worked with the Town of Harpswell to publish a "Senior Resource Guide? which was posted on the town website and is being distributed at the Town Of?ce, local churches, convenience stories and libraries. The a guide has run in the local newspaper, in HAH newsletter and on Facebook page. Volunteers at HAH are working hard to spread the word about services in their area. I Maine Leads the Nation in Establishing Age Friendly Communities Across the state, community groups are working to address the many challenges that growing older can bring, including driving, isolation, chores, etc. Maine is now home to more than 70 communities that have made a commitment to better supporting their older residents. Many have joined national network onge Friendly Communities; others are engaged in a multi-year grant initiative called "Thriving in Place?; some are running or planning to run ?Village-to-Village? programs; and a whole host of communities are building grassroots efforts led by older adults. While these community efforts are evolving and growing in different ways, at their core, they?re all focused on helping older adults thrive in their homes and communi- tiesConcluswn . Maine has made Significant progress in adapting to the challenges;andgopportunities presented by . a uniquely aging population. From increases in affordable housingito??iipanding community volun teer initiatives, Mainers have successfully kept more seniors - ?fely in their own homes and :communities However, there is still Significant and diverse wo . affordable senior housing bond that contin a must do much more to support our seniors f: . i . - gdetrans ?irtation, em - :ing and adequatelypaying those who formally and informally; primers and ingfewer 9 ingaffordable housmg options for seniors and the safety of axis," 1 7? as- :Mame Legislature must and can address. reas?fit'he 128th . . . . . . . 3.. their. ., VWGW Wu .ma .. . 9 Recommendations for the 128th Legislature l\ Pass legislation to force the Governor to release the $15 million senior housing bond and provide new bonding for safe, affordable housing for sen- iors which includes both funds for new housing and for home modifications and repairs. Invest more funding in the state?s transportation infrastructure to expand public transportation options and to support local volunteer networks. Pass a final increase in reimbursement rates for direct care workers providing in-home support services and identify and pass other measures needed to recruit and retain staff. Continue to rebuild the Property Tax Relief Credit to provide targeted property tax relief to low and middle income seniors. Establish a fund to provide small grants to aug- ment community volunteer efforts that are suc- cessfully preventing isolation for seniors and tak- ing other steps to build age friendly communities. Provide greater support for informal family caregivers either through tax credits and/ or increased respite care.