WEST BATH
Debbie Leighton, 92, lives in a quiet, comfortable single story home in West Bath.
She has family in Durham, but she largely lives independently. In recent years, however, health issues have made it difficult for her to live alone — only this summer she fell and broke her hip.
About a year ago, faced with the growing complexities of aging independently in her home, Leighton learned about a program through Bath Housing which could help her continue living without assistance in West Bath. She reached out to Bath Housing about their Community Aging in Place program, a free initiative that provides home repairs to help elderly Mainers live safely and independently, and they sent their staff over to take a look at Leighton’s home.
“They came and assessed what was needed here for me to make it more ably,” said Leighton.
Working together, CAP was able to make a number of important changes inside and outside the house to make it safe and comfortable for Leighton.
“It’s made a huge difference for my family,” said Leighton.
While her family wants to be there for her all the time, distance and time constraints can make it difficult. The changes made through CAP allow Leighton to continue aging in her own home independently without being a burden on anyone.
“That’s another unique part of this program,” said Deb Keller, executive director of Bath Housing. “We found when we were looking at the need out there, there’s actually a lot of places that will come out there and do an assessment for you, and then somebody ends up with a long list of things that need to get done.”
CAP fills a vital gap by not only assessing the problems, but finding solutions. In many cases, CAP’s own maintenance technician, Josh Dubois, can provide the technical know how and skills to conduct initial assessments and complete smaller one man jobs. At Leighton’s home, Dubois installed grab bars and a shower wand, and replaced unreliable smoke detectors and busted light bulbs. Around a year after those repairs, Dubois was back on Monday changing a door and fixing a problematic gutter.
For larger projects, CAP partners with Habitat for Humanity. In Leighton’s case, she recruited a team of volunteers to rebuild the entrance of her house, which had deteriorated over the years and was becoming a problem.
CAP’s staff also has knowledge of other programs and services available to the elderly in Maine. When CAP can’t offer a needed service, they can often refer individuals to programs that can help. CAP was able to connect Leighton to someone who could help with her chimney, a problem outside of CAP’s scope.
“It’s a very organic process, where we’re really working with the homeowner to come up with a customized work order that fits their needs,” said Amy Liechty, the program coordinator at Bath Housing.
The CAP program has worked with more than 50 homeowners in the past year, and has announced plans to assist four other housing authorities set up similar programs in their own communities. And while data is limited, the numbers Bath Housing has seen suggest that their work is possibly reducing injuries and 911 emergencies.
Still, Liechty admitted that it’s difficult to convince seniors to the seek the help needed to continue living safely in their homes.
“They’re fiercely independent and stoic, and proud and absolutely fabulous, but they don’t want to ask for help,” said Liechty.
“There are a number of us elderly that need this desperately, (but) either don’t know where to turn for support or are very afraid to ask for help,” said Leighton.
She hopes that her example can show other elderly individuals in the greater Bath area that the CAP program is non-invasive and that there’s nothing wrong with asking for assistance.
“They are willing to see how, and help people to stay in their home. It’s like family,” said Leighton. “The Bath Housing program is a community.”