One of the biggest issues facing older Americans is isolation. As Harpswell Aging at Home looked at its goals, one of the priorities was to offer more programming that would allow residents to safely gather with others — so Friends Together was born.
“What people missed most was socializing,” said Lili Ott, co-chair of HAH’s Steering Committee and one of the organizers of Friends Together. “We wanted to offer something where people could get together and be a little more spread out.”
The pilot program, which ran for eight weeks, was offered in partnership with the Harpswell Department of Recreation and Community Services. “In discussing options with members of HAH, we were able to partner with them in offering Friends Together at town hall, which supported one of our goals — bringing more programming to adults and seniors,” said Gina Caldwell, the town’s recreation director and community services coordinator.