The Aging Imperative in Maine: Present Realities and Future Prospects
 Helen B. Miltiades and Lenard W. Kaye

In this overview of Maine’s aging population, Helen Miltiades and Lenard Kaye discuss the challenges and opportunities we face in the “revolution in aging” now taking place. With one of the oldest populations  in the United States, Maine faces growing demands on its family  caregivers, health and long-term care systems, and on budgetary and  policy decisions. Maine has been in the forefront in innovative public and private sector responses that have provided expanded home- and community-based care for its frailer elders. At the same time, there are increased opportunities as growing numbers of healthier older adults choose to remain in the labor force, to participate in education, and to play active roles in philanthropy, the arts, and as volunteers.

The Changing Nature of Long-Term Care in Maine
Paul Saucier and Julie Fralich

The increase in the proportion of older adults, many with one or more chronic medical illnesses, is leading to growing demand for long-term care. Paul Saucier and Julie Fralich, each with extensive experience in long-term care policy and financing, describe the socio-demographic factors affecting long-term care, and discuss various state and federal options for providing and financing this care. They note that Maine’s long-term care system has been able to absorb considerable growth in people by serving increasing numbers in lower-cost settings. Cost sharing has been introduced and tax policy changed to encourage long-term care insurance. However, policymakers need to address whether the current balance of public and private financing is sustainable in the long run.

Getting Creative About Elderly Housing
Frank O’Hara    
 
In his commentary on Stephen Golant’s article, Frank O’Hara suggests  that while Golant has very successfully identified the problems of  some older homeowners, the proposed solution—government-assisted  rental housing—may apply to only a few. Moreover, he notes that very little government-subsidized housing is currently being built or planned for Maine. The greatest problem for Maine’s older home-owners is affordability, yet the majority of older homeowners are not interested in reverse mortgages, the policy alternative that would best meet their needs. At the same time, older Maine homeowners are increasingly willing to sell their homes and move into multi-family settings if the attractions are there.

The Human Face of Housing Policy for Rural Elders in Maine
Sandra S. Butler

Here, Sandra Butler reflects on the ways in which elder households— with which she has been working in her in-depth research on the Senior Companion Program in Washington County —match those described by Stephen Golant in his article in this issue. As one of its primary purposes, this program has helped elders remain in their homes as long as possible. A number of elders Butler interviewed live in government-subsidized housing, while others remain (sometimes precariously) in their own homes. Through the use of vignettes and quotations, she gives a picture for the reader of “the human face” of housing policy for some of Maine’s rural elders.