On May 15, the Boothbay Region Health & Wellness Foundation’s Awesome Seniors’ committee launched Awesome Seniors’ “People Helping People.”

This program was designed by a group of local year-round and seasonal residents (all of them 65 and over) many of whom live alone. Their goal: provide a proactive social support network that enables seniors and people with disabilities to remain independent in their own homes, even as they require more and more support with the activities of daily living. The program is available to full-time or part-time residents on the Boothbay peninsula, from Edgecomb to Southport.

June Phillips, who lived at Campbell Creek in Boothbay Harbor, was the leader of this Awesome Seniors group, and the guinea pig for the program, until she died in January of this year.

Despite being wheelchair-bound and having a number of physical ailments that are common to the elderly, June was able to maintain an active lifestyle until her death, thanks to the help she received from Awesome Seniors’ volunteers with grocery shopping, laundry, light housekeeping, recycling runs, unpacking and organizing things, and from the BRAS Community Paramedics.

In return, June spent hours on the phone coordinating rides for others for FISH, and reminding Wellness Foundation members of upcoming meetings and events. She was heavily involved in community activities, loved being able to cook for herself and remain in her own home with her cat, her books, and her memorabilia.

The Awesome Seniors group has continued to flesh out the program since June’s passing and is now welcoming new members. Each member can request the services they need: rides, grocery shopping, errands, companionship, meals, light housekeeping or yard work, handyman, pet care, exercise, and so on. Members call a single phone number to reach the Awesome Seniors’ coordinator, Rachel Tibbetts. Rachel coordinates the services needed with the volunteers available to provide those services. Or, if the member needs professional services, such as nursing care, heavy housekeeping, landscaping, plumbing, etc., Rachel will arrange for a local professional to provide that paid service and make sure it gets done.

Each member pays a monthly membership fee and provides four hours of service to other members. The monthly fee ranges from $5/month to $100/month, depending on income. Every member finds that they can help with some need that others have, and that engagement helps keep the members young and active. The minimum membership term is three months. For Awesome Seniors needing health and safety monitoring, the program offers three affordable, extra cost options: Quick Call button or programmed number for 24x7 help and support; 24-hour video and sensor monitoring for people who live alone, and whose loved ones want to know they’re safe and following their normal routines; and proactive chronic care management. These services are all provided by Dr. Chip Teel’s Full Circle America, an innovative, local supplier with deep local knowledge.

When asked whether this program is based on the Village-to-Village model started by seniors on Beacon Hill in Boston in 2002, Patty Seybold, the current committee chairman explained: “We came up with our model based on the needs and interests of our local members, and we became a member of the Village-to-Village Network in order to learn from the best practices of the 150 communities of seniors around the country that have similar programs. We’re certain that our program will evolve as more and more year-round and seasonal members join and we discover new needs and new talents.”

For more information, call Patty Seybold at 207-633-4368. Or, come to one of our meetings, every Friday (except May 22, Memorial Day weekend) at 2 p.m. at the Boothbay Town Office, or visit with us at the weekly Farmers Market on Thursday mornings on the Boothbay Common.