New partnership adds memory care options for Harpswell neighbors

BY PATTI NEUHOF, HARPSWELL AGING AT HOME

Need some info? Google it. Advice on how to fix something? YouTube’s your friend. Live in Harpswell and need a hand? Then it’s time for an “a-HAH” moment. Harpswell Aging at Home provides a myriad of services to support neighbors aging at home and their caregivers. Pragmatic and generous support is free and readily available!

While HAH has much to offer the people of Harpswell, sometimes it isn’t quite enough. Aware of the numerous and varied challenges associated with aging and open to new ideas and partnerships, HAH’s resourceful volunteers are always looking for new ways to expand their reach. As a result of this perspective and focus, HAH is pleased to announce its recently forged partnership with Bath-Brunswick Respite Care.

Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, located in Bath, provides supportive care and valuable information to families living with Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, and diseases associated with aging. The social adult day care program at Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, lovingly referred to as “The Club,” provides a safe space for members to socialize, exercise, sing and have lots of laughs, while allowing caregivers a bit of free time … to rest, to regroup, to refocus.

Nancy Herk, executive director at Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, feels it’s important to note that “The Club” is not a place you “put” someone. It’s a place you bring someone to enhance the quality of their life. To bolster the spirit of caregivers, Bath-Brunswick Respite Care holds a support group twice a month and addresses caregivers’ needs one-on-one.

But one of the best pieces of this story is how these two valuable resources came together to expand their individual abilities to support the community they serve.

An older couple living in South Harpswell was enjoying the social benefits of Bath-Brunswick Respite Care when it became clear that the husband would no longer be able to attend. Their daughter, a sole caregiver, would not be able to leave her father unattended to take her mother to Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, a place and experience she had come to love.

In an “a-HAH” moment, Bath-Brunswick Respite Care’s Herk reached out to HAH’s resources chair, Judy Muller, and the new partnership was born. With a wide variety of services available, HAH was able to coordinate the needed transportation from Harpswell to Bath so Mom could continue to enjoy her time at “The Club” with friends, including the furry, four-legged Elle. Now connected to HAH, the family also receives food through HAH’s Meals in a Pinch program, providing an occasional night off from dinner duty for their daughter.

Muller, a licensed clinical social worker, has nothing but praise for the professionalism and work provided by Bath-Brunswick Respite Care. Reflecting on the new partnership, she said, “I’ve had a lot of calls from families looking for help. The need is great and it’s just such a relief to have a place like BBRC to refer people to and to be able to support their work with HAH’s services.”

So remember, if you or someone you know needs a hand, an “a-HAH” moment may be just the solution.

For more information about how HAH can help, contact Muller at 207-798-0612 or visit HAH’s website at hah.community. For more information about Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, call 207-729-8571 or visit respite-care.org.