The Connection We All Deserve: My Story

There’s a lot people don’t know about me.

One of those things is that I once served on the board of an assisted living facility.

It was some of the hardest work I've ever done.

At one point, we faced a difficult reality: 40 older adults, many with nowhere else to go, were at risk of losing their home.

One of the people I worked closest with during that time came from a world almost completely different than mine.

We didn’t just have different beliefs — we came with different kinds of experience, different types of connections, and different networks behind us.

He wasn’t polished.

His background was complicated.

But when it came time to stand up for the residents, we didn’t pick sides.

We stood together.

Because when dignity is on the line, nothing else matters.

That experience shaped how I see everything now.

At the same time, the emotional weight of navigating a system under strain became deeply personal.

The stress and disillusionment of that chapter pushed me to the limits — and showed me firsthand how systems that should protect people can fall short.

It strengthened my commitment:

Real change doesn’t come from waiting for systems to work.

It comes from building better solutions — from the inside out.

I founded Maine Aging Partners to be part of that solution.

Because real care isn’t just about services.

It’s about human connection.

It’s about ensuring people still feel alive, even when they need help.

I saw it in my own family too.

My grandmother lived to be just shy of 95 — sharp, funny, fiercely independent.

But when she moved into assisted living, it wasn’t her body that gave out.

It was her spirit.

She had her meals.

She had her medications.

She had her laundry done.

But she didn’t have people who truly knew her anymore.

It wasn’t illness that broke her.

It was loneliness.

When she died, it was just a few days before the election.

And in our family, we joked — knowing who ended up winning — that if she hadn't already passed, she would have the moment she found out.

It was the kind of sharp humor she would have appreciated.

She believed fiercely in fairness, dignity, and standing up for others — and that's the spirit I carry forward.

That’s why Maine Aging Partners exists:

To help families find real guidance, real support, and real options.

To keep human dignity at the center of every decision — not just for today’s older adults, but for all of us, eventually.

I've sat at a lot of tables since then — with people from every walk of life.

And across all those conversations, one truth stands out:

If we don’t change the way we care for people now, we’re not just failing today’s older adults — we’re failing our future selves.

I don't do this work because it’s easy.

I do it because I believe in something better —

in building systems that don’t just show up for the good moments,

but stay standing when the dust settles.

Maine Aging Partners stands for clarity, dignity, and connection.

Because real change doesn’t come from picking sides.

It comes from choosing people — and choosing to stay.