PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Aroostook County residents with memory conditions and their caregivers can now receive services without leaving northern Maine.
The Aroostook Agency on Aging officially opened its Memory Care Center at 260 Main St. in Presque Isle on Monday, a nearly $1 million grant-funded project designed to treat people with dementia and offer respite for caregivers.
Besides being a local resource hub, the center connects northern Maine patients with specialists at Bangor’s Acadia Hospital Mood and Memory Clinic by telehealth. It’s the first operation of its kind in Maine, according to agency staff. People can access early diagnosis and treatment closer to home, without having to travel south to Bangor or farther for care.
“Many people wouldn’t have had evaluations at all because they wouldn’t have come to Bangor. This [center] will serve as a model for other places in Maine,” said Dr. Clifford Singer, neuropsychiatrist at the Mood and Memory Clinic, who joined Monday’s grand opening celebration on video.
Aroostook, one of Maine’s oldest counties, has the highest occurrence of Alzheimer’s in the state. In fact, Alzheimer’s is The County’s fifth leading cause of death, according to the Maine 2022 Shared Community Health Needs Assessment. First is cancer, followed by heart disease, chronic lower respiratory disease and unintentional injury.
The center bridges the gap between primary and specialist care, said Katina Ouellette, Memory Care Center coordinator.
Primary care providers recommend treatment, then center staff perform various assessments. They send information to Singer and his team at Acadia, who then fast-track patients to appointments, bypassing waiting lists that are normally two years long, she said.
“We’ve seen the need especially in Aroostook County because we have a higher older population,” Ouellette said. “People have to travel so far to get the memory service. To wait two years just to get in to see somebody is a long time.”
Some may have to make an initial visit to Bangor, but most appointments are on video, Ouellette said.
Lack of transportation can make it hard for some people even to get to Presque Isle. That’s where the Agency on Aging’s Access Points come in, she said.
Access Points are set up in community spaces from Danforth through the St. John Valley, with computer setups so people can link to the agency’s programs.
Staff also aim to educate the public on what dementia is, how to spot people who may be affected and how families can help their loved ones with memory struggles. Staff plan to offer educational sessions for health care facilities and public service agencies, Ouellette said.
The Memory Care Center also houses Adult Day Services, which recently moved there from Davis Street in Presque Isle. People with memory issues can attend day sessions to socialize and give caregivers some respite.
For siblings Lisa Anderson of Stockholm and Kevin Anderson of Florida, the day center has enriched their journey with their mother, Elaine, who experiences cognitive decline. Kevin and Elaine live in Florida in the winter but are at Cross Lake for the summer, he said.
Lisa found out about the center, and she and her brother took a caregiving course from Ruth White, the Agency on Aging’s regional services coordinator. Then they started taking their mother to day sessions.
Staff and volunteers are good to Elaine and the center is a safe, welcoming space that follows their family philosophy of making live enjoyable, Kevin Anderson said.
“We don’t sweat the small stuff,” he said. “We were just thrilled to be able to take her to a place where she has fun and enjoys the company of other people. I think it’s well worth the 50-minute drive to have her enjoy her day with others.”
Plans for the Memory Care Center began in 2022, when the Agency on Aging received $977,135 in grant funds from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living.
To help it continue, the agency has started a Memory Care Center endowment fund, said Joy Barresi Saucier, agency executive director.
“The Memory Center is not just a building; it is a place of hope, service, and compassion. It has been designed with the understanding that memory loss does not define an individual,” Barresi Saucier said.
The center had a kind of soft opening about three months ago and has already assisted 31 caregivers, conducted 84 dementia care coordination visits and served 11 people in day sessions, said Vi Belanger, Memory Care Center and Adult Day Services manager.
The center’s three main goals are supporting people with cognitive decline, supporting caregivers and educating the community, Belanger said. The center will develop a Gatekeepers program to teach local businesses about dementia, and will also start a monthly clinical session with Dr. Singer for primary care providers.
The University of Maine Center on Aging, a longtime partner with the state’s agencies on aging, will help the Presque Isle facility evaluate and refine its programs. Center director Lenard Kaye, professor of social work at UMaine, attended the opening ceremony by video.
“The Aroostook Agency on Aging is, in my eyes, a true pioneer,” said Kaye. “[The center] will offer a true, quality memory intervention in one of the most rural places in America.”
For information, contact the Aroostook Agency on Aging at 207-764-3396 or 800-439-1789, or email info@aroostookaging.org.
