Maine Aging Partners

01/21/2026

Most families don’t realize there’s a peak-pressure moment in senior care. It’s the point where options shrink, timelines speed up, and the responsibility shifts home — fast.

It’s not a failure of planning or love. It’s the system buckling.
If you’re helping an aging parent or spouse right now, and you feel like everything suddenly got smaller, harder, and more expensive — you’re not imagining it.
You’re in the squeeze.

Families shouldn't have to make major care decisions this way.

01/20/2026

If caring for an aging parent feels rushed, confusing, or heavier than you expected — you’re not imagining it. Families assume they’re entering a “system” when they seek care, but much of that system no longer exists.
What they walk into instead is a squeeze: fewer options, faster timelines, and more responsibility landing at home.
No family should have to learn this in crisis.
We wrote about it here 👇

https://www.maineaging.com/blog/youre-not-imagining-it-the-squeeze-in-senior-care

National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care Andwell Health Partners The Grande at South Portland

If the care world feels confusing, rushed, or strangely uncomfortable — you’re not imagining it. You’re stepping into what we call the squeeze. Everyone sees the closures, but almost no one knows how we got here. Families assume they’re entering a “system,” but the system they imagine .....

01/19/2026

In Alaska, if your mom needs senior living, there’s a public option called the Pioneer Homes. It doesn’t solve everything, but it means families aren’t starting from scratch.
In Maine, there is no public senior living system. No baseline option. No default. Families are on their own to figure out:
✓ housing
✓ hospitals
✓ rehab
✓ Medicaid
✓ assisted living
✓ and the costs
Most people assume there must be a “plan” or a “system” somewhere — but there isn’t. It’s just families trying their best.
This isn’t about comparing states — it’s about understanding the landscape we live in so we can make better decisions together.
You don’t have to navigate it alone.

01/18/2026

While cleaning up my computer today, I found an old graphic from a time when aging work focused mostly on positivity, visibility, and partnerships. That work mattered — it helped people talk about aging with more respect and hope.

But the world families are navigating now looks very different.
The reality today is tougher. Families are dealing with:
• fewer staff and more turnover
• higher private-pay rates
• fewer available beds
• shortened rehab and hospital discharge timelines
• long waits for MaineCare
• higher out-of-pocket costs
• facility closures in key communities
• more pressure on daughters, sons, and spouses to coordinate
• burnout and decision fatigue
• less time to plan and fewer “good” options
• less clarity from the system as a whole

If you’ve ever felt like you’re navigating a maze instead of a system, you’re not imagining it. The ground has shifted faster than people realize.

This is why Maine Aging Partners exists. Families today don’t just need inspiration — they need direction, clarity, and someone in their corner when the decisions feel urgent and the path forward isn’t obvious.

You’re not alone in this. And you’re not doing it wrong — the system is just harder to move through than it used to be.

We’re here to help you map the next step.

12/17/2025

Most families don’t enter the elder care system until after a hospitalization.

By then, the timeline is compressed, the choices are narrower, and the costs—financial and emotional—are higher.

If nothing feels urgent yet, that’s not a reason to wait.
It’s actually the best moment to understand how this system really works.

12/16/2025

I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s happening in Maine’s aging services — and how often we rush to fix one visible problem without stepping back to look at the whole picture.

Pharmacy access is the issue getting attention right now. And yes, it matters. A lot.
But what it’s really pointing to is something bigger: how fragmented our aging system has become, and how easily responsibility gets shifted without enough planning, support, or coordination.

I wrote this as a reflection — not a hot take — on what happens when urgency pushes us to “do something” before we’ve asked the right questions about capacity, safety, and long-term impact.

If you work in aging, care, healthcare, or if you’re a family trying to make sense of all of this, I think this will resonate.

Here’s the piece:
👉 https://www.maineaging.com/blog/before-we-leap-questions-about-maines-pharmacy-crisis-and-our-path-forward

I’d genuinely love to hear what others are noticing right now. Where are you seeing systems stretch — or crack — for older adults in Maine?

The Press Herald opinion piece this week about Maine's impending long-term care pharmacy crisis raises urgent concerns for 22,092 seniors who depend on these services. Rep. Robert Foley is right that changes to Medicare Part D reimbursements taking effect January 1st could devastate long-term care

12/12/2025

If you’ve ever helped a family look for senior care and thought, “Why does this feel so rushed and confusing?” — this is why.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what really happens when families start searching online, and how it affects care on the other end.

12/02/2025

Maine led the way for young families with the Harold Alfond Foundation’s investment in every child.

Now it’s time to lead again—this time for older adults.
Our care systems can’t hold if decision-making weakens at the top of the age spectrum.
Strengthen families. Strengthen aging. Strengthen Maine.

12/01/2025

Aging services in Maine aren’t one system — they’re three.
And during Medicare open enrollment, most families don’t realize they’re choosing how these systems will work together later.
Here’s the truth:
👉 Medicare = medical care
👉 MaineCare = long-term care + support for Medicare for those who qualify
👉 Facilities = housing, staffing, meals, safety — completely separate
Open enrollment isn’t just about insurance.
It’s about protecting your thinking before a crisis ever happens.
And you actually have a choice in how you get support:
Private agents → help you choose a plan
SMAAA → helps you understand the system
Two paths.
Both valid.
The key is choosing the kind of support that matches how you make decisions.
If you want help making sense of how all of this connects to assisted living, memory care, or long-term planning — that’s where I come in.

11/29/2025

When you're looking at senior care facilities, everyone talks about staffing ratios. But that number doesn't tell you what you actually need to know.
It doesn't tell you about turnover. It doesn't tell you if the staff has been there six weeks or six years. It doesn't tell you what happens at 2 AM when your parent needs help.
Don't just trust the headline. Ask about retention. Ask about training. Ask to see incident reports. Ask what happens in the middle of the night.
Nobody is going to protect your family like you will. Dig deeper.

11/26/2025

I keep noticing the same pattern in different parts of life — politics, social media, senior care, even in relationships.

When a system is overwhelmed and stops responding (what I call a numb system), the loudest person in the room becomes the one who “leads.”

Not because they’re right.
Not because they’re stable.
But because they’re the only one anyone can hear.

It happened nationally.
It happened in our senior care industry with A Place for Mom.
I’ve seen it play out in smaller systems too — families, workplaces, marriages.

A volume k**b on a numb system doesn’t create direction. It creates distortion.

The noise gets louder, but nothing gets better.

I think this matters for Maine right now — especially around aging.

Because the more exhausted and overstretched our care system becomes, the easier it is for the wrong voices to fill the vacuum.

The fix isn’t to shout louder.

It’s to rebuild systems that can actually feel, respond, and correct themselves again.

That’s the future I’m working toward.
— Kaitlyn

11/25/2025

Navigating senior care shouldn’t feel overwhelming — but for most families, it does.
If you or someone you love needs help sorting through assisted living, rehab discharge plans, or what I call “second retirement,” I’m here.
I’m opening space for 3 new clients this week.
Whether you’re planning ahead or facing a quick decision, reach out.
You don’t have to navigate this alone.
— Kaitlyn
Maine Aging Andwell Health Partners