“Being alone is like being in jail without bars.”
That’s how Eleanor describes her life.
She lives alone in rural Acton. Because of serious health issues, she can no longer drive. There is no public transportation. No nearby grocery store. No easy way into town.
Most days, she sees no one.
“If you don’t know anyone, living in a rural area is complete solitude,” she told us. “There’s a level of fear when you live alone. I don’t even feel comfortable sleeping at night.”
She survives on $990 a month from Social Security. Her rent is $935.
That leaves almost nothing for food. Electricity. Water. Basic necessities.
There have been days without power. Days without running water. And because her tap water isn’t safe to drink, she depends on bottled water she cannot always afford or access.
This is what isolation looks like.
And this is why your generosity matters so much.
Because of you, Southern Maine Agency on Aging is delivering life-saving care that keeps older adults safe, supported, and connected in the homes and communities they love.
When Meals on Wheels began visiting Eleanor each week, something changed.
First, it was nourishment.
Due to medical issues, she had lost so much weight that her dentures no longer fit. Eating was painful. Before receiving meals, she was living on mashed potatoes and corn – every day.
Your support brought balanced, nourishing meals she could safely eat without leaving her home.
“If it weren’t for Meals on Wheels, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” she said.
Then came something unexpected.
During a regular visit, staff realized her drinking water was unsafe. That same day, they returned with 10 gallons of water.
“At the drop of a hat, they were here,” Eleanor said. “It was unbelievable kindness.”
That is what you make possible.
Not just a meal. Not just a check-in. But someone paying attention.
Someone noticing. Someone responding.
When mold and structural problems made her housing unsafe, your support powered our Care Coordination team to advocate for her and help her apply for safer, affordable housing.
And when the silence felt unbearable, you made it possible for Eleanor to be matched with Ruby through Phone Pals.
Now she receives a call every week.
“It warms my heart knowing I’ll have someone to talk to,” she says. “They make me feel like there’s hope.”
Hope. That’s what your gift delivers.
Right now, many older adults across rural southern Maine are living just like Eleanor was -isolated, undernourished, frightened, and unsure who to trust.
Many are afraid to ask for help.
Your gift delivers life-saving care that keeps older adults safe, supported, and connected in the homes and communities they love.
It puts food on a table that would otherwise be empty. It brings clean water when the tap cannot be trusted. It sends an advocate into an unsafe housing situation. It replaces silence with a caring voice.
Eleanor once believed no one cared.
Today she says, “They saved me. They literally saved my life.”
That is the power of your compassion in action.
With your support, we can reach the next older adult who feels forgotten – and replace isolation with nourishment, fear with safety, and loneliness with connection.
