SeniorsPlus to launch capital campaign for new building on Giving Tuesday

Published By the Daily Bulldog:

SeniorsPlus to launch Capital Campaign - Daily Bulldog

November 21, 2024

(Lewiston) SeniorsPlus, the designated Area Agency on Aging serving Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford counties, will announce the launch of the public phases of a $5.5 million capital campaign for construction of a new education and nutrition center on Tuesday, December 3, at 10 a.m. at its headquarters at 8 Falcon Road, Lewiston.?

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The public is invited to attend the campaign launch, which will feature speakers, music, pastries made by the Meals on Wheels kitchen of SeniorsPlus, and coffee provided by Just-In-Time Recreation. Plans for the 12,000 square foot structure designed by Adam Lemire of the Auburn architectural firm of Platz Associates will be unveiled. Construction of the new facility in an adjoining lot at 14 Mollison Way is planned for 2025.

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What: Representatives of SeniorsPlus will announce the “Encompass Campaign,” a capital campaign for the building of a new education and nutrition center facility at 14 Mollison Way designed to help fight isolation by increasing socialization, access to food, and access to education and digital communities.

Who: SeniorsPlus President and CEO Betsy Sawyer-Manter will detail the plans and their impact together with Holly Zielinski and Dustin Ward, Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of SeniorsPlus respectively.

When: Tuesday, December 3 at 10 a.m.

Where: 8 Falcon Road, Lewiston, ME 04210

The December 3 event coincides with Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement that highlights the impact and needs of nonprofits worldwide.?

Donations to the Encompass capital campaign may be made by visiting www.seniorsplus.org/campaign.

“Since 1972, SeniorsPlus has been a vital lifeline for older adults and adults with disabilities in Western Maine,” said Betsy Sawyer-Manter, President and CEO of SeniorsPlus. “As the need for support continues to grow, the new education and nutrition center is urgently needed to provide a crucial space where our community can connect, find purpose, and access essential resources. This center will not only strengthen our Meals on Wheels and nutrition programs, but it will also combat isolation, offering a place for individuals to engage, build friendships, and continue learning.”

Loneliness among older adults is epidemic and, according to the National Institute on Aging, the health risks of prolonged isolation are equivalent to smoking?15 cigarettes a day.

Since 1972, SeniorsPlus has been improving the lives of older adults and adults with disabilities. As the designated Area Agency on Aging for Western Maine, SeniorsPlus provides statewide services with an emphasis on Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties for core services (ie nutrition and information and assistance) that support independent living, healthy aging, and fight isolation. The overall program goal of SeniorsPlus is to assist older people and adults with disabilities in its tri-county area to remain safely at home for as long as possible. The mission of SeniorsPlus is to enrich the lives of older people and adults with disabilities, their families and communities, and to support them to make informed choices. SeniorsPlus envisions a future where all older adults and individuals with disabilities are engaged and respected while living quality, independent lives in the communities of their choice. Annually, SeniorsPlus serves more than 8,000 individuals and fields 101,000 phone inquiries. SeniorsPlus offers a network of support, including information and assistance, short-term care management, Medicare counseling, caregiver support and respite, health and wellness education, benefits counseling, and Meals on Wheels and congregate dining. ?

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Calendar copy:

Capital campaign launch and coffee break event

Tuesday, December 3 at 10 am.

8 Falcon Road, Lewiston, ME 04210

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SeniorsPlus will celebrate the public launch of a capital campaign for the building of a new education and nutrition center in Lewiston. The event will include food, music, and speakers, and is free and open to the public.

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SeniorsPlus: December 3 Press Event About the new construction

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Construction information about 14 Mollison Way

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The need: SeniorsPlus has seen significant growth over the last few years. The members of our diverse community of older adults and adults with disabilities are living longer, often remaining in their own homes. For more than 50 years, SeniorsPlus has been committed to helping this growing demographic live fulfilling, independent lives in their preferred communities, ensuring they receive the respect and engagement they deserve.

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The response: To meet these growing needs, SeniorsPlus is excited to announce plans to break ground on a new facility in Spring 2025. This space will feature a state-of-the-art kitchen for Meals on Wheels,?and an expanded education center—both essential to helping older adults and individuals with disabilities remain in their homes, close to their families and communities they’ve built throughout their lives.

The new kitchen will replace a rented, cramped, outgrown facility that has been utilized for more than a decade. New technologies have rendered our current education center outdated and the construction of this building affords us the opportunity to take older adult education to a new level in Western Maine.

The 12,000 sq. ft. structure will be located at 14 Mollison Way in Lewiston, adjoining the current headquarters of SeniorsPlus, and designed by the Auburn architectural firm Platz Associates. Groundbreaking is expected in 2025.

Features of the new facility include the following.

·?????? Meal preparation and storage for more than 175,000 meals annually, benefiting 1,000 older adults and adults with disabilities in Androscoggin, Oxford, and Franklin counties annually;

·?????? Designated workspace for Nutrition staff and clients to convene to ensure confidentiality;

·?????? A pet food pantry to support Meals on Wheels clients with pets;

·?????? A social dining area with kitchen access, adjoining the education center;

·?????? Professionally-led adult learning classes and activities including book clubs, support groups and health promotion, exercise classes, etc., benefiting an estimated 400 clients annually;

·?????? Digital access and equity; and

·?????? An expanded education center with two “privacy pod” rooms to allow for telehealth, behavioral health, familial, and legal consultations.

The project will create a welcoming space for lifelong learning and access to nutritional food and engagement, critical to reducing isolation and depression while encouraging good health.

Images of the planned construction:? Architectural rendering of the planned Education and Nutrition Center at SeniorsPlus. (See attached.)

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SeniorsPlus: December 3 Press Event About the Encompass Capital Campaign

Details of the Encompass Capital Campaign

SeniorsPlus is excited to launch the public phase of its capital campaign for a new facility featuring a cutting-edge kitchen for Meals on Wheels and a larger education center to address the rising needs in Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties.?

The campaign goal is $5.5M. At the time of this announcement, more than half of the goal has been met through state, federal, municipal grants, and individual donations.

The Encompass Campaign Committee??

Holly Zielinski, Chair

Neal Richard

Robert Kirchherr

Dustin Ward

Shawn Wright

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The Case

A feasibility study conducted by SeniorsPlus in 2023 confirmed the need in the community for this project. With more than 20% of its population over the age of 65, Maine has the oldest median age in the country.

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SeniorsPlus: December 3 Press Event/ Loneliness attachment

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Information about loneliness and social isolation among older adults

According to the University of Michigan, National Poll on Healthy Aging https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/reports-more/report/trends-loneliness-among-older-adults-2018-2023:

“In 2023, one in three adults age 50–80 (34%) reported feeling isolated from others (29% some of the time, 5% often) in the past year. This represents a marked decline compared with the 56% (43% some of the time, 13% often) who felt isolated in 2020, but a greater proportion than the 27% (22% some of the time, 5% often) who reported feeling isolated in 2018.”

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According to the NIH report Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System.? (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557972/)

“Social isolation (the objective state of having few social relationships or infrequent social contact with others) and loneliness (a subjective feeling of being isolated) are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter (24 percent) of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely (35 percent of adults aged 45 and older and 43 percent of adults aged 60 and older). While there are challenges in measuring social isolation and loneliness precisely, there is strong evidence that many older adults are socially isolated or lonely in ways that puts their health at risk. For example:

• Social isolation has been associated with a significantly increased risk of premature mortality from all causes;
• Social isolation has been associated with an approximately 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia;
• Loneliness among heart failure patients has been associated with a nearly four times increased risk of death, 68 percent increased risk of hospitalization, and 57 percent increased risk of emergency department visits; and
• Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) have been associated with a 29 percent increased risk of incident coronary heart disease and a 32 percent increased risk of stroke.”