It’s a conundrum for many seniors, especially those in the upper reaches of their golden years. The internet promises virtually unlimited information and connection to services, but many seniors either don’t have access to a computer or are distrustful of the medium, cautious of becoming vulnerable to scammers and fraud. Others find the deluge of information overwhelming and lack the ability to sort and filter search results to find what they’re looking for.
“Many, many seniors are not savvy about using computers, even for email,” said Ann Davidoff, 74, of the Orono-based nonprofit organization Gateway Seniors Without Walls. “Many don’t even own a computer. They’re much more comfortable on the phone.”
So while there’s a fast-growing business and nonprofit sector aimed at helping aging Mainers stay healthy and active in their homes, the population they seek to serve is often unaware of what’s available, she said.
“We held a series of focus groups to find out what services and activities older people needed most,” she said. “The No. 1 issue we heard was that people were confused about what services were available in the area.”
In-home health care, legal assistance, meal delivery, transportation, affordable housing, financial services and much more are what the participants were looking for, she said. It was clear that many people were not comfortable using computer technology to track down the information they needed.
So Gateway Seniors, a nonprofit organization established in 2013, set to work, compiling a more familiar resource: the Senior Yellow Pages, a 220-page resource in large type with more than 30 headings, alphabetically arranged from “Abuse and Neglect” to “Work, see Employment Opportunities.”
Hot off the presses on Sept. 12, “Senior Yellow Pages: Local and State Services for Seniors in Greater Bangor” is available free of charge to Bangor-area individuals and families, community groups and public facilities like libraries and town offices. Funded in part by the Bangor-based Eastern Area Agency on Aging with additional support from the former Hammond Street Senior Center and other sponsors, the compiled businesses and service providers are all based in Bangor and 15 communities in the surrounding area.
It took nearly three years to complete the project, Davidoff said, and the combined efforts of Gateway Senior volunteers, the University of Maine Center on Aging and various student groups from UMaine, who earned academic credit for their involvement. For the most part, she said, appropriate entries and supporting information were compiled using online searches.
Of course, one benefit of online information over print is the ability to keep it up to date. Won’t the Senior Yellow Pages be quickly outdated? Yes, Davidoff agreed — that’s why the group has decided to post the information online as well, where it can easily be refreshed as needed.
“It’ll be on the web in October,” Davidoff said, at www.senioryellowpages.org, which is not yet active. She anticipates there will be future paper editions as well but would not predict when.
Davidoff is not aware of any other local senior advocacy groups, in Maine or beyond, that have undertaken a similar project. If other groups are interested in compiling a Senior Yellow Pages for their own regions, she said, Gateway Seniors will be glad to share their experience.
At Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Executive Director Dyan Walsh said the Senior Yellow Pages fills an important niche in the area, providing essential information to non-computer-savvy seniors who prefer to contact a business directly, by phone, rather than working through a clearinghouse service like EAAA or the statewide 2-1-1 program.
EAAA has already compiled a list of area residents who are waiting to get their hands on the new Senior Yellow Pages. Others who would like a copy may contact the agency at 207-941-2865 or contact their local library.
Gateway Seniors Without Walls was founded in 2013 in affiliation with the University of Maine Center on Aging. Its mission is twofold: to sponsor a variety of social activities, including films, lectures and fitness classes, and to publicize community services for seniors.
