Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

All of the residents and staff at Elder Care Network would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Residents at Hodgdon Green in Damariscotta have been restricted from taking outings since the quarantine began in March 2020.  With new protocols in place, Lila, who is now 99 and our oldest resident, enjoyed s shopping trip to Mexicali Blues.  Hodgdon Green is one of ElderCare Network’s six assisted homes in Lincoln County.

While assisted living residents have been permitted to go on car rides, they have been prohibited from getting out of the car or van until new State and federal guidelines were put into effect last week.  Lila loves to shop, so her first outing was to Mexicali Blues (with mask). On the way back they stopped in Nobleboro to visit the fish ladder to Damariscotta Lake.

Eldercare Network staff had the opportunity to take residents on an outing this week to Boothbay Botanical Gardens’ Gardens Aglow 2020, a fantastic display of many thousands of festive Christmas Lights and features.

Gardens Aglow is hailed as the biggest and brightest display of Holiday Lights in New England, featuring over 650,000 LED lights.

This year the tour is a driving one, for safety of all concerned due to Covid-19, but this didn’t diminish the beauty and the fun had by all.

You can find out more at https://www.mainegardens.org/events-exhibits/gardens-aglow/

ECN staff are doing their best to maintain as much normalcy as possible for the residents while keeping everyone safe.

Staff at Round Pond Green set up decorations and, while using appropriate social distancing, were able to hand out candy to local children. The residents enjoyed seeing the children in costumes and providing happiness at a distance.

The view from the light tower at Two Lights or the steering cabin of a tugboat, a map showing the rum-running route from the Caribbean to New England to Africa and exhibits on all aspects of our maritime heritage brightened a winter day for Hodgdon and Wiscasset Green residents and friends. Before coming to ElderCareNetwork’s homes, residents lived in Friendship, Bath, Waldoboro, Five Islands, Damariscotta, Dresden and Gardiner. The models and exhibits brought back many memories of experiences living on the Maine coast. The museum was a great ‘escape’ from winter blues, and the staff was helpful and welcoming.

In addition to Exercise and Excursions, the Successful Aging program adds daily activities focused on Healthy Eating and Music Memories.

An important aspect of the excursions, especially during winter months, is to increase the residents’ ‘life space.’ According to ECN’s Medical Director, Dr. Allan Teel, “Recent medical studies have identified a ‘frailty syndrome,’ where those who never leave their homes experience a significant increase in mortality. A state of frailty is believed to be preceded by behavioral changes made in response declining physiologic reserve and a person’s ability to adapt to environmental challenges. 

These changes are a result of environmental challenges, such as area deprivation, and individual physical changes. Research suggests that ‘frailty’ is not an irreversible process, and can be prevented or lessened by interventions such as the excursions out of the homes that are a critical part of the Successful Aging Program.”

ElderCare Network was founded in 1996 to improve the way we care for elders in Lincoln County. ECN now operates seven assisted living homes for 58 residents. The homes are located in seven Lincoln County villages, including the flagship home at 6 Hodgdon Street in Damariscotta. They focus on family-style, wellness-centered living for elders of all incomes, and incorporate recent findings on healthy aging into daily programs. ECN’s Adult Day Program participants join in all the events and activities during their stays at all seven homes.