Age-Friendly Portland, Maine

HELP FOR DELIVERIES AND HEAVY LIFTS Ads seeking volunteers for Age Friendly Portland Courtesy Age Friendly Portland The AARP article “Why Shoveling Snow Can Trigger a Heart Attack” notes

that some 11,500 people every year in the U.S. are treated in emergency rooms for shoveling related incidents. In some communities, including in Portland, homeowners are required by law to

clear the snow and ice from their sidewalk after each storm. Failure to do so can result in a warning and then a fine. Age Friendly Portland’s snow shoveling service pairs an older resident

or homeowner with a volunteer who shovels steps and sidewalks and clears a path from the front door to the sidewalk. The unfunded, all-volunteer program is in its fifth year and growing

every winter. “We started out with just two neighborhoods and now have more than a dozen participating,” says Weare. “Every time we post a recruiting ad, which we do on Facebook and other

apps, we always get new volunteers stepping up.” Becky Junkins is one of the program's 100 snow-shoveling volunteers and a neighborhood coordinator. “Our neighbors are delightful and

always grateful for the work our volunteers do,” says Junkins. “I have lived away from my aging family for most of my life. It’s important to me that people helped care for them while I

couldn’t due to the distance. I feel it is an honor to serve and care for our aging neighbors.” Homeowner Diane Shea, 63, was the go-to snow shoveler for her elderly neighbors until 2017,

when she permanently injured her left hand. “You don't get young kids knocking on your doors anymore, asking to shovel your driveway,” she says. When her sister suggested she call the

city to see if it had a program that helps with snow shoveling, Shea was skeptical but called anyway. “A godsend” is how she describes the two teenagers who subsequently arrived at her home,

shovels in hand. Local leaders are big fans of the shoveling service. “A city councilor will get a call from a constituent worried that he can’t shovel his driveway — so the councilor

refers that person to me,” says Weare.” A RESOURCEFUL — MULTILINGUAL — GUIDE The Age-Friendly Resource Guide in English, Spanish, Somali, French and Arabic. Click on the image to access the

downloadable PDFs. Courtesy Age Friendly Portland Portland, Maine's _Age-Friendly Resource Guide _contains information about vital services and amenities available to older adults in

Portland. First published in 2018 with help from AARP Maine, the guide was updated in 2020 and translated into multiple languages to better serve the changing needs of the city’s

increasingly diverse population.  “We found out the four languages most commonly spoken by new Mainers are Somali, French, Spanish and Arabic,” says Weare, who worked with organizations that

serve immigrants and refugees to distribute the translated guides. “The older members of families that come here as refugees or immigrants tend to be more isolated. They're not going

to school. They might not be employed. They don't have as many opportunities to learn the language and get integrated into the community as much as the younger people do. Providing the

guide in their language is one small thing we could do to help them be a little more connected.” And in another resource guide update, the 2022 edition of the visitors’ guide published by

Portland Downtown includes a notation next to each business and location listing that it has been designated age-friendly. LESSONS LEARNED (AND ADVICE FOR OTHERS) SHOW UP — FROM THE START

From Portland’s earliest foray into joining the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, Weare and the newly created steering committee made a point of attending all community

forums, meetings or planning sessions. At the time, the city was creating a new comprehensive plan. “We wanted to ensure that the things older citizens had told us in the needs assessment

got considered in any of that planning,” she says. The findings of the needs assessment found their way to the city’s plan, particularly as relates to housing and transportation. “I

don't think those initiatives would have been included had we not showed up, raised our hands and said, ‘Don't forget this group,’” she adds. PREPARE TO REACT The arrival of

COVID-19 meant that Age Friendly Portland had to implement programs and services that were never part of its action plan. Using the initiative’s Facebook page, Weare recruited 75 volunteers

in three weeks. After undergoing a background check, the volunteers were deployed to do grocery shopping and pick up food from community pantries for delivering to homebound seniors. CREATE

AWARENESS Weare stresses the importance of making the public aware of how many people in the community are over the age of 50 and what it means to be “age-friendly.” As an example, she cites

doing a walkthrough at a business that was applying for the age-friendly designation. The location had a beautiful area rug on the floor that was a serious tripping hazard. The owner hadn’t

realized that the rug was a potential problem — for older adults _and_ people of all ages. JUST _ASK_ An ongoing question asked by Portland and other communities: “How do we do these

important projects without added resources?” One of the answers is to tap into the potential of volunteers. “You really can do a lot with volunteers and people who have an interest and a

desire to roll up their shirtsleeves and get involved,” says Weare. “Don’t underestimate the value of people's goodwill and willingness to volunteer if you ask them, and you're

specific and tell them what you _really _need help with. I've been so impressed by how willing people have been to step up once they understand what the need is.” CAST A WIDE NET,

PREPARE AN ‘ELEVATOR SPEECH’ AND MORE * “Use all of your contacts and connect with city officials such as councilors, managers and the mayor. Make sure they know what you’re doing so they

can, in turn, tell their constituents.” * “Be ready to tell a stranger, in 30 seconds or less, what age-friendly is and why it’s important.” * “Don't get caught up in trying to do

everything perfectly. Do what is practical given the resources you have — and be creative about it as well.” _Reporting by Amy Lennard Goehner_