local toolkit

+ Which tools are useful for my work? Click here for guidance.

When you interact with older adults whom you suspect or know lack engAgement, what are common sources of their loneliness?

This may… no, it WILL require talking to willing older adults one-on-one, in a small group, or through surveys. Here are questions from the individual toolkit to guide these discussions.

Which identities are common across your clients, patients, or participants?

Consider income level, gender, health status, multi-generation Mainer or New Mainer backgrounds, etc. Some suggested tools are more relevant to certain social groups.

Nevertheless, ensure older adults you work with take the lead on choosing tools which work for them, individually.

What kind of service or resource do you provide?

Within each source of loneliness, you'll find some tools are targetted toward healthcare providers, social service coordinators, directors and members of organizations and clubs, business owners, etc. Look for the set of tools most applicable to you.

+ Little say in where home is.

➤ As landlords, building staff, and residents, advocate for and prioritize common spaces in apartments, even as simple as some chairs and a table in floor landings. Residents can then gather here on their own time, naturally.

➤ Host programs in community or common rooms which give residents control of the gathering, which encourages activities beyond routine card-games and holiday meals (though these are, of course, welcome if desired).

➤ Organize neighbor check-ins by and for elder residents in both apartments and nearby homes.

➤ Start up or use neighborhood associations to host get-togethers for those living independently in homes. Take advantage of outdoor spaces, but also host in willing residents' homes.

➤ Organize neighbor check-ins by and for elder residents in both apartments and nearby homes.

➤ As local affordable housing resources, prioritize networking with landlords to support them in offering subsidized rent to young families in apartments which are primarily occupied by elder residents, a way to encourage bonding among age groups while also reducing housing costs for young families living in aging areas. This may involve resarching and applying for grants at the state and federal level.

➤ Up social service agency's bilingual staff and outreach budgets to guide toward additional subsidies & alternative housing options, better aligned with wishes. This could include helping to pair immigrants who live apart from family with roommates to lower costs and raise companionship.

+ Memberships, transport, even basic needs unaffordable.

➤ As a provider or staff at any local site, know the signs of chronic hunger among older adults, and try to manage a sensitive conversation with the person to connect to Meals on Wheels and other area agency on aging supports.

➤ Ask for elder feedback on what they find to be a fair ticket cost or membership fee, and meet suggestions as possible. Perhaps ask for donations from those able to give more to offset costs.

➤ Encourage donations versus fees to give the participant discretion. Asking participants to bring food, lead some aspect of the event, or help with organizing makes the exchange feel equitable.

➤ Seek sponsors to subsidize or offer free events, such as a free coffee at a cafe hosting a book club.

➤ Offer financial aid for memberships, offset by willing participant, fundraising, or sponsorships. Consider selling items made by the group which is gathering, or other ideas proposed by group.

➤ Formally or informally survey attendees on how they come and go from events to get a sense of needs. Be sure to protect privacy, but encourage open discussion.

➤ Discretely ask those you suspect may have transportation barriers if they have plans to come and go, or survey entire groups anonymously.

➤ Organize carpools among participants, encouraging equal contribution in the form of shared driving or other favors, so that all feel comfortable participating.

➤ Check if your location is reachable by public transport in more urban areas, as well as what times and at what intervals buses arrive.

➤ Host events at or near public transportation stops as much as possible, and in convenient windows of time for transit schedueles.

➤ Advocate munincipal government for a stop at or near your location if needed, as well as schedules that ease older participant's travel.

➤ If carpools and public options are not manageable, offer free or low-cost transport to pick up participants, which those who prefer it can sign up for in advance - especially important in rural areas and for those with physical and cognitive limitations.

+ Continued need to work.

➤ As social service providers, faith-based organizations, and other local organizations, outreach directly to labor industries’ offices to connect with older employees who need support to retire comfortably.

➤ Offer religious, recreational, educational programming at night/other preferred times outside of workday. To determine if needed, survey attendees, but be sure to also survey at a sample of work sites to hear the voices of those currently unable to attend.

➤ Create outreach coordinator positions whose responsibilities include outreach to working groups, especially rural-dwelling and New Mainer groups.

➤ Extend English as a Second Language courses, especially those focused on workplace vocabulary, to improve both level and pay of work, as well as make employees more comfortable conversing at the workplace.

➤ Likewise, coordinate job training programs to assist middle-aged and older adults in advancing from labor-based jobs. Immigrant Resource Centers and local universities are promising target sites. Recruit older adults to volunteer to train others based on their work experience.

➤ Refer older adults who are unemployed or underemployed, but in need of income to hopefully retire more promptly, to government job sites and others which offer employment with fair wages.

+ Physically difficult to go & join in.

➤ Expand already popular recreational programs like Tai Chi, chair yoga, water-based exercise.

➤ Offer modified movements in all recreation classes as instructors and class coordinators.

➤ Hold events in small towns to reduce tiring travel for rural-dwellers.

➤ Ensure buildings are not only handicap accessible in all seasons, but also comfortable once inside by offering plenty of seating, modifications for physical aspects of activities, and other participant requests.

➤ Acknowledge participant needs, but avoid imposing limits.

➤ Take attendance at groups without an official registry and give the option to give a contact number, to both draw attention and provide ways to reach out if a person stops attending.

➤ Coordinate in-person recruitment efforts for activities and programs, door-to-door as needed, particularly by older adults who know of people with mobility challenges.

➤ Organize older adult participants & volunteers, especially older adults themselves, to bring an activity or group directly to those who are homebound or otherwise unable to attend meetings and events. These can include homebound religious services, small support groups, book clubs, etc.

➤ Volunteer for or coordinate a companionship program pairing homebound older adults with someone with similar interests or background. For exmaple, in Maine and elsewhere in the country, Vet 2 Vet focuses specifically on pairing veterans with one another, some of whom are functionally compromised.

➤ Thoroughly explore some pain management and mobility options with patients as health providers, encouraging dialogue and revising plans along the way.

➤ Conduct home visits as health and social service providers as possible to gauge environment, especially for most vulnerable patients.

➤ Advocate hospital organization heads to partner with community paramedicine to complete home visits and report on patient wellbeing.

➤ As social service providers and care managers, look to in-home health monitoring technology to improve responsiveness of care, which can be covered by MaineCare and other government programs.

➤ Gather feedback on access, ease and comfort of transport from potential and regular program participants. (See more on this in Financial Instability & Inequity - transport.)

➤ Advocate for physical accessibility on locally-managed public transportation, partly through funding for aptly-designed buses.

➤ Especially when funds are short, organize driver trainings about how to welcome and assist functionally-compromised passengers. This is a low-cost way to transform the rider's experience.

➤ Arrange pick-ups from meetings and events via emergency medical services’ wheelchair transport divisions for those unable to travel comfortably. Seek sponsors and donations to fund this.

+ Mind is changing, bringing frustration, shame.

➤ Offer educational, recreational, & creative activities which are welcoming & flexible for varied cognitive capacities, as determined by participant feedback.

➤ Tap into and support, or newly organize (likely needed in rural areas), groups for older adults with cognitive challenges with attention to loneliness and engagement.

➤ Acknowledge participant needs, but avoid imposing limits. Particularly for older adults with early diagnoses, this can be demeaning and discouraging. And thus feed into stigma related to cognitive change.

➤ Take attendance at groups without an official registry and give the option to give a contact number, to both draw attention and provide ways to reach out if a person stops attending.

➤ As providers, brainstorm, give information about, and follow up on alternatives for engagement which the person does not feel uncomfortable or embarassed about, especially by referring to case managers and working closely with current or future caregivers.

➤ Advocate at town government levels for Adult Day Centers which can support those with cognitive impairments, but also older adults with other needs, to provide support without separating people based on abilities.

➤ Coordinate in-person recruitment efforts for activities and programs, door-to-door as needed, particularly by older adults who know of people with cognitive impairment.

+ Unaided elder caregivers also isolated.

➤ As medical and social service providers, ask whether an older adult is a caregiver in health appointments and consider this high risk factor for loneliness and other mental health difficulties.

➤ If patients/clients are caregivers in any capacity, recommend case management and/or counseling even if caregiving is not inducing stress presently, and follow up on how the meeting went.

➤ Encourage and expand family caregiver support groups. Consider groups with focus on spousal versus child or grandchild caregiving, or related to care recipient needs, as well as sharing among groups about common experiences.

➤ Identify sources of loneliness (creative, emotional, etc.) & follow steps outlined for each. Caregivers may very well have different needs than recipients.

➤ Guide toward family caregiver benefits, such as reprieve time, at social service sites, but also at local sites like libraries, etc. which have caregiver-focused programming.

➤ Advocate at town government levels for Adult Day Centers which can support those with cognitive impairments, but also older adults with other needs, to provide support without separating people based on abilities.

➤ Advocate at town government levels for affordable childcare to support grandfamily caregivers.

➤ Refer to individual/group therapy even in early stages of mental health struggle and follow up on how it went.

+ Disconnect from occupation & roles.

➤ If you coordinate an organization that needs volunteers in a particular area, ask around about older adults who retired from that work to benefit you both. For example, retired carpenters can help to remodel a communal space.

➤ Apply for government funds to pay an older adult to work for your organization or business, especially helpful if the person is financially insecure.

➤ Refer older adults to government job sites and others which offer paid employment for older adults hoping to continue to work.

➤ As an elementary, middle, or high-school educator, or college professor, invite older adults to speak in your class on their occupation, experience raising kids, serving their communities, etc.

➤ When organizing events, consider spotlighting a certain career, community, or family role, and give attendees the chance to share their stories.

+ Struggle to find meaning & purpose.

➤ Actively outreach, in-person as much as possible, to vulnerable older adults as religious leaders, organizing older adults to visit others who are homebound or otherwise unable to attend services

➤ Maintain & create more coordinator positions in faith-based organizations in charge of outreach to specific groups, such as Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, etc.

➤ Ask older adults in appointments whether they have experience volunteering & listen to their experiences

➤ Brainstorm ideas for civic engagement based on expressed interest

➤ Help contact organizations & local sites to set up opportunities

➤ Ask up front what barriers might get in the way of going (be it lack of transportation, physical pain, or shyness) & suggest strategies

➤ Follow up on whether older adults do give it a try & try to resolve remaining barriers

➤ Hire translators for non-English speaking and deaf/hard-of-hearing attendees at town meetings to broaden access to civic participation

+ Independence, shyness makes reaching out hard.

➤ Volunteer for, coordinate, or host events with a focus on gathering to achieve a kind, versus just chatting. This can make the event more appealing to those who are not interested in meeting new people or talking just for the sake of it, opening them to opportunities to meet new people and connect with familiar faces.

➤ Volunteer for or coordinate a companionship program pairing homebound older adults with someone with similar interests or background. For exmaple, in Maine and elsewhere in the country, Vet 2 Vet focuses specifically on pairing veterans with one another, some of whom are functionally compromised.

➤ When guiding a resistant older adult to mental health services, as a provider or staff at any other local site, consider how their background and sense of pride impacts their perception of whether they indeed need, or perhaps deserve, help. Especially when therapy, etc. is tabboo, it can help to start with reconnecting to distant family, friends, neighbors.

➤ To rekindle these connections, have the patient/client/visitor decide how and when to meet up again. A simple check in of, "Did you meet up with Jim last week? How'd it go?" can be a gentle reminder that you're invested.

+ Loss of partner, of intimacy.

➤ Check-in frequently and for a long period after the passing of a parnter as healthcare providers, case managers, and program staff, encouraging real conversation by putting screens away and allowing as much time as possible.

➤ Alert healthcare higher-ups and network with mental health providers to make referral simple and fast, and be sure to follow up on how the appointment went.

➤ As a library, senior center, or activities use participant input to run groups based on voiced interests and comfort level, even and especially those without the overt purpose of addressing grief.

➤ Take attendance at groups without an official registry and give the option to give a contact number, to both draw attention and provide ways to reach out if a person stops attending, perhaps because of an distressing event.

+ Loss, separation, or conflict with family, friends, even pets.

➤ Foster discussion at programs attended by multi-generational & New Mainers between groups to relate experiences of distance from family.

➤ Open and structure discussion about conflict with or estrangement from children, siblings, where other older adults can advise one another. Focus on substance misuse and other mental health conditions, as they intersect with relationship conflicts, is needed.

➤ Take attendance at group meetings without an official registry and give the option to give a contact number, to both draw attention and provide ways to reach out if a person stops attending, perhaps because of an distressing event.

➤ As providers, refer to individual or group counselling to develop coping strategies for loss, distance, conflict in relationships.

➤ Support older adults capable of caring for a pet to do so if a lack of a warm presence at home is lacking.

➤ Learn about and refer older adults to immigration support and translator services to clarify status, next steps, and timeline for family arrival, especially as federal policies become stricter.

➤ Organize support groups at New Mainer organizations in particular, taking poll of when and how to host groups.

➤ Encourage older adults to volunteer and fundraise for all above resources, taking an active role.

+ Unease or fear of dying alone.

➤ Volunteer for, support, or coordinate hospice referrals, or even just a simple conversation with hospice staff, in advance of needing services to allay some fears early on of being unsupported.

➤ Encourage books and films which present death and dying in positive lights, and try to gather small groups to talk these over.

➤ For those who live alone and are stressed by illness, encourage roommate and other communal living arrangements, including a move to an assisted living facility if it suits the person's needs and preferences.

+ Living alone, far from kids.

➤ Inquire about family support and its impacts in medical and social services appointments, and look for signs of isolation from family as staff at any local site, being sure to listen attentively and offer creative suggestions.

➤ Host group discussions about family dynamics, as part of immigrant resource programs as well as events at which long-time Mainer and New Mainer communities can share common experiences.

➤ Oppportunities to share do not have to be formal, so consider informal chances to find common ground. For example, a story-telling event at a restaurant to bring more shy or reluctant participants to the table.

➤ Form groups to regularly share feelings of shock, anger, sadness, and ideas for coping.

➤ Assist those not living with family to find roommates/live close to one another.

➤ Expand English as a second language offerings at New Mainer organizations, but also at area agency of aging and other sites serving long-time Mainers as well, to introduce both other services to newcomers and fellow users to each other.

+ Conversation & news go online.

➤ Discuss family support at programming, encouraging dialogue among older adults about shared challenges & ideas to stay connected

➤ Inquire about technology and its impacts in medical and social services appointments, being sure to listen attentively & offer creative suggestions.

➤ As a public site or organization, survey older adult visitors on paper, or even better have informal conversations, asking about how they prefer to receive word of goings on. Try to stick to many forms of communcation to catch more groups.

➤ For those who express being left out, as staff and by recruiting other visitors, provide some easy tips for using computers. For example, recommend using a computer at the public library to look events up, and show the person how to do this.

➤ Direct toward or host technology classes, especially to be taught by young people as well as older adults who use the skills at hand regularly. Include conversations about social media, including it's challenges and benefits.

+ Unseen or unheard due to age, plus race, gender, citizenship, sexuality.

➤ Increase programming bringing older and younger people together to share stories, advice, & work on a common activity/goal, especially cost-efficient mentorship programs, which can take place in schools, senior centers, libraries, even coffee shops.

➤ As a local teacher or schol administrator, invite older adults into schools to teach about their experience with a historical event or a career in science field, etc.

➤ Further, as a local teacher or schol administrator, incorporate conversations which talk about aging in realistic but also positive terms. Some resources for lesson planning. The best conversations ask students to think about, or even invite in, older adults in students' lives. And also, ageism can be discussed in terms of unequal treatment young students have been faced with, which can make content more relatable.

➤ Use above tip in relation to mental health, racial bias, anti-immigrant sentiments and citizenship, and sexuality. In fact, all relate to aging and this theme can be brought in as well. These can be part of health education cirriculum, but also part of all classes like history and science.

➤ Especially in rural or other areas where advocacy and events for a minority elder group are scarce, coordinate younger and older New Mainers to get together to talk about common experiences with discrimintation, and also open these events to white Mainers or other citizens less aware of these challenges. Scenarios and examples make learnings most lasting. Emphasize older adult leadership and organizing to bring these meetings, lecture series, art installations, etc. together.

➤ Harness the power of art to collect stories, dances, photography, theater on the topics of oppression, discrimination, overcoming, and collective action, especially with a focus on elder experiences. As staff of local galleries, museums, performing arts spaces (in Lewiston, L/A Arts, Museum L/A, The Public Theater, The Franco Center ) seek out such offerings, and invite elders of varied identities to contribute to planning. As other local gathering site staff, including coffee shops, restaurants, parks, etc., plan arts collaborations, likewise organized with elder leadership.

➤ To assist older adults treated unfairly due to sexual preferences and/or gender identity, integrate suggestions relevant to your work from SAGE, a national organization serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender elders, which has a Maine-specific branch. Visit the SAGE Maine website or call this number to find out about offerings and potential partnerships. (For example, weekly virtual stay-in-touch meetings during COVID closures.)

➤ For resources and information on advocacy efforts on behalf of minority-group elders, visit the Diverse Elders Coalition website, which then links to group-specific efforts doing national and local work, like the National Hispanic Coalition for Older Adults and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging.

➤ See Social Identity & Purpose Tested tools below for more ideas which help with overcoming discrimination of many forms.

+ Few reachable places to pursue interests.

➤ Make creative use of coffee shops, bookstores, restaurants, mill spaces, and other local hubs for classes, clubs, and studios. Get potential and committed participants involved in brainstorming locations and setting up these events.

➤ Coordinate opportunities for older adults to teach a class or workshop at schools, senior centers, libraries, etc.

➤ Expand and share widely lectures, exhibits, events at libraries, museums, theaters, etc. organized with older adult input on what they’d like to learn more about.

➤ Increase programming, perhaps via seeking grants or other fundraising, for adult education classes not only in language-learning and job training, but in history, politics, science, etc.

➤ As a higher education administator, open spots to community members to audit college classes at universities and private institutions, especially where senior colleges are far away.

➤ If transport is an issue, see the Financial tools section above, related to assessing public transport accessiblity, carpooling, and shuttles.

+ Existing opportunities unknown or intimidating.

➤ Emphasize educational and creative opportunities in marketing, especially by using testimonials from older adults who have benefitted from them.

➤ As a program coordinator or instructor, dedicate 5 minutes at the end of creative and intellectual-based programs to gathering participant ideas for widening access. Then, see if an older participant will take charge of planning a few outreach events to put ideas into action.

➤ Encourage in-person recruitment for such programs, at coffee shops, corner and grocery stores, and other places of high foot trafffic. Prioritize outreach by older adults themselves.

➤ Dedicate time to talking about these opportunities in appointments as providers, and encourage family and other supports to raise this topic with the person. Make clear the availabilty and benefits of these types of engagement.

+ Limited language & topics of interest.

➤ Ask regular participants who have faced langauge barriers to share what worked for them to get in the room of educational and creative programs, and gather their recommendations for how to get others in the room.

➤ Offer lectures, exhibits, amd movies relevant to Somali, Angolan, Portuguese, Mexican, and other New Mainer groups. To determine which, include members of these communities on planning committes.

➤ Show subtitles for non-English speaking attendees, as well as those with hearing loss.

➤ Ask event attendees or program organizers to help pay for a translator to come to future events based on common language needs, or the needs of audience members you think are missing.

➤ To address lack of interest in topics, likewise expand offerings by including older adults of varied backgrounds on planning committees, or by surveying and holding other opportunities to uncover ideas.