Meeting Essential and Quality of Life Needs of Rural Older Mainers through the Community Connector Pilot

Rural America is aging rapidly and experiencing health and population declines. Older age counties - those in which more than 20% of the population are age 65 or older - are overwhelmingly in rural locations. While some rural locations in Maine are destinations for retirees due to the beauty of the natural environment, those communities face housing, healthcare, and service access challenges and environmental pressures. Maine’s recent Statewide Needs Assessment for our State Plan on Aging identified many essential and quality of life unmet needs and preferences of older Mainers, including the many older adults living in rural areas. A recent State of Maine initiative, the Community Connector Pilot, shows promise for addressing the unmet needs of older people residing in rural locations. The Pilot will inform policy change for state and local governments and can be a successful model in future locations in Maine and other rural states.