Maine’s older residents are ‘aging into crisis’
Older Mainers Find It Harder to Keep Warm, Warm Their Wallets
By Maine News Now
When Linda Walls, a 71‑year‑old resident of Wiscasset, checks her bank account at the end of each month, the numbers look the same: just a handful of pennies left after rent, groceries, medication and utilities. For her, a single health crisis a few years ago set a chain of events in motion that still reverberates today.
Walls had lived in Limerick, working in local pharmacies and raising six children, until a sudden bout of severe stomach pain brought her to the emergency room. Doctors discovered she had a perforated colon—a condition that required extensive surgery and a long, uneven recovery. When she left the hospital, she could not work and could not pay rent. She left her home, her cat, and most of her possessions in a dumpster or on a curb because she had no storage options or money for a new place.
“After the hospital, I was basically homeless for a short time,” Walls said. “I was on Supplemental Security Income and had no way to get back on my feet.” She eventually found a friend who let her stay in a trailer in Wiscasset for $500 a month, with the friend covering most of the utilities. “I can’t afford to live on my own,” she said. “If you’re alone and in your 70s, it’s really tough.”
Walls’s story is far from unique. According to data released by the United Ways of Maine in June 2024, more than half of households headed by residents 65 or older are living below the federal poverty line or fall into the Asset‑Limited, Income‑Constrained, Employed (ALICE) category. In Boothbay Peninsula and Boothbay Harbor, respectively, 47% and 46% of households are below the ALICE threshold. Nationwide, 9.5% of Mainers 65 and older are in poverty, and women over 75 are twice as likely as men in the same age group to live in poverty.
“We’re stuck,” said Lindsay MacDonald, director of Spectrum Generations, a central Maine agency that serves older adults. “When inflation climbs and costs rise, there’s nowhere to turn for people who can’t work.” Social Security benefits, which provide a cushion for many seniors, often “mask poverty,” the Maine Council on Aging’s executive director, Jess Maurer, explained. “People receive just enough to not qualify for assistance programs, but they still struggle to pay basic needs.”
The problem is especially acute in rural parts of the state, where older adults face higher heating costs, limited transportation options and aging housing stock. Maine is the nation’s most oil‑dependent state for heating, with about half of all homes using heating oil. In September 2024, the price of heating oil spiked to a record $6.02 per gallon. Gov. Janet Mills sent a letter to Congress in early October urging that the Low‑Income Home Energy Assistance Program receive more funding, warning that many residents could be forced to choose between staying warm and putting food on the table. The governor estimated that a standard 275‑gallon tank would cost $740 more to fill this winter than last year.
In response to the rising costs, the Woodchucks, a volunteer‑run wood bank on the Boothbay Peninsula, have stepped in. The organization chops, stacks and distributes firewood to residents in need, delivering roughly 100 cords last year. The Woodchucks operate on a lot rented from the town for just $1 a year and rely on volunteers—many of them retired themselves—to keep the operation running. “It’s going to be even more critical this winter,” said Holly Stover, director of the Community Resource Council, which oversees the Woodchucks program. “We’ve heard people terrified of what winter will bring.”
The Community Resource Council also runs a 24‑hour food pantry, a community fridge behind the town office that is open at all hours, and a fuel fund that helps pay for heating oil. In late September, the council distributed $250 grocery gift cards to 283 families when federal SNAP payments were delayed due to a government shutdown. “You can fall behind once and not go hungry,” said Rev. Todd Weir, president of the CRC board. “But if you fall behind every month, you may not.” The council’s services have grown to meet the needs of a growing senior population, with some residents in Lincoln County receiving transportation to medical appointments and assistance signing up for benefits.
Transportation remains a major hurdle for many older Mainers. The county’s geography—multiple peninsulas and a network of winding roads—makes reaching medical appointments or grocery stores difficult for those without a car. Healthy Lincoln County’s Community Routes program now delivers groceries, clothing and hygiene products to ten towns each month, recognizing that proximity to a pantry does not always equate to accessibility.
The local community center in Boothbay Harbor has expanded its mission beyond social activities. In addition to mahjong tables and book clubs, the center hosts a free medical equipment closet stocked with walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs and incontinence supplies. “People are proud in this area,” said office manager Jane Carpenter. “They don’t want to admit they need help, so the no‑questions‑asked policy helps reduce stigma.” The center has also begun offering rides to medical appointments and assistance with supplies for people outside the immediate area.
The state’s efforts to support older adults are uneven. The Older Mainers Act, a bill that would have allocated $9.75 million to services such as transportation, meal programs and caregiver support, died on adjournment in April last year. A 2025 appropriation of $3 million from the general fund helped Meals on Wheels, but a long waitlist remains—over 700 people were on the list to receive services when the funding was approved. “Far too many older Mainers are one health problem away, one unexpected expense away, one loss away from crisis,” testified former Maine Council on Aging board vice president Sharon Foerster in 2023.
In the face of these challenges, some seniors are finding community support indispensable. Walls, who now works at a thrift store in Edgecomb Community Church, has built relationships with volunteers who help her navigate the complex web of assistance programs. She also relies on the Church’s food pantry and the community fridge to keep her pantry stocked. “I’m not alone,” she said, “but I still feel the pinch every month.”
The Social Security Administration has announced a 3.6% cost‑of‑living adjustment for older adults and people with disabilities that will take effect in 2027, translating to an additional $75 per month for recipients. Yet many seniors, like Walls, doubt it will offset the sharp rise in costs. “I get the extra money, but it’s not enough to keep
