Technology is helping older adults age in place. Can Maine take advantage of it?
[
Aging in Maine is presented by AARP Maine
AARP Maine empowers people 50-plus to choose how they live as they age through advocacy, resources, programs, and benefits that strengthen communities, support caregivers and promote financial security and well-being.
When Peter Carrier fell down his front steps a couple of years ago, he didn’t want to bother anyone.
Carrier, 72, lives alone in his mobile home in Poland. He was headed out to the garage when he slipped and landed on his back. Unhurt and “more embarrassed than anything,” he said it wasn’t worth calling his son.
If something more serious happens, he hopes he can rely on smart technology to make that call for him.
Carrier is one of hundreds of people to receive free smart home devices in the last year amid a push to make Maine a better place to age. Lifelong Maine, one program leading the charge, has installed 606 smart speakers in homes from York to Caribou, focusing on people over the age of 65.
As Maine’s population ages, taking care of its older residents is becoming an increasingly urgent issue. From the stress of rural isolation to a shortage of workers to complicated federal Medicare guidelines, this guide helps Mainers learn about the services, technology and resources available to caregivers and the parents, spouses, neighbors and friends they’re caring for.
As workforce shortages and burnout afflict caregivers across the country, assistive technology is assuming a bigger role in the independence and comfort of older adults. The state has projected there will be nearly 75,000 more Mainers age 65 and older between now and 2032, and 88% of older adults say they want to live and age at home, according to a 2024 AARP survey.
Related
How can Maine stem its healthcare gaps?
Maine’s age-friendly advocates say adding technology to those plans supports safety, well-being and connections to others.
Advertisement
Within two months of Lifelong Maine’s distribution, 72% of recipients said they felt comfortable using the palm-sized smart speakers, which are called Echo Dots and powered by Amazon’s voice service, Alexa.
Some ask their speaker to play music. Others call family members whose phone numbers they’ve forgotten. When hooked up with smart lightbulbs, the devices can save people a trip to the light switch and reduce their risk of falls.
Peter Carrier talks about his Amazon Echo device, which he uses at his home in Poland. Carrier says he’s working to get a better grasp on enabling more features with trainings and the help of his son. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
“If they’re comfortable using the device now, they’re going to be more comfortable using it when they might need it more,” said Patricia Oh, founder of Lifelong Maine’s Echo Dot distribution program.
THE COST OF CONNECTIVITY
While technology is an important solution for aging Mainers, it isn’t infallible. By late 2024, about 9,000 homes and businesses in Maine had no access to internet service or technology of any kind, and hundreds of towns and cities are still underserved, according to the Maine Connectivity Authority, the state’s broadband office.
Those who are connected tread a minefield of scams and the rising use of artificial intelligence.
And cost remains a barrier for Maine’s older adults, more than half of whom are unable to afford basic expenses where they live, according to U.S. Census Bureau data and the ALICE threshold, which is calculated for each county using household income and the cost of food, housing and other needs.
Advertisement
Lani Carlson, director of Maine Community Inclusion through Technology, the state’s federally funded assistive technology program, said it’s important to remember that hiking sticks and cardholders also fall under the umbrella of assistive technology.
“We use it every day,” Carlson said. “Normalizing assistive technology in everyday use is so important because these tools can help us remain independent and live a better quality of life.”
Different devices categorized by use are on racks at Maine CITE’s assistive technology lending library in Augusta. The library loans items so clients can try them out and decide whether they want to purchase them on their own. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
At Maine CITE’s assistive technology lending library in Augusta, Carlson’s team matches patrons with devices that can help with hearing, vision, learning, recreation or daily activities. Some check out a pocket talker, a personal listening device that fits over the ears like headphones and amplifies nearby sound.
Sock pullers are helpful for back and hip issues. There’s even a robotic cat designed to provide companionship and stimulate brain activity in older adults with dementia. It communicates through meows that grow more insistent when it isn’t being pet, then responds to touch by purring and rolling over for belly rubs.
Carlson remembers holding a device demonstration with an older woman who said she was missing out on conversations but “didn’t want to really bother her hearing aid person.”
“She put on a pocket talker, and her eyes lit up,” Carlson said.
Advertisement
The woman returned the pocket talker and had her hearing aids adjusted by the end of the month.
This Pocketalker, a sound amplification device, is one of the items available from Maine CITE’s assistive technology lending library in Augusta. The library loans items so that clients can try them out and decide if they want to purchase on their own. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
Between 2023 and 2025, annual device loans nearly doubled to 994, which Carlson attributes in part to increased awareness of accessibility after the pandemic. People can browse and order from the library’s online catalog, while in-person device demonstrations are also available at partner sites in Sanford, Bath, Lewiston, Auburn and Farmington. Two new sites are set to open at North Star Pediatric Therapy and the Center for Advancement of Rural Living in Caribou.
It hasn’t all been growth, though. Maine CITE’s partner site in Portland, Spurwink ALLTECH, shuttered last month. Bart Beattie, chief operating officer of the statewide behavioral healthcare provider, said the closure was because of “program sustainability considerations and staffing changes.”
Carlson said it’s a loss for southern Mainers, who may face longer drives to try out devices.
“We’re trying hard to adapt to this change and create new networks and pathways,” Carlson said.
Oh also saw the Echo Dots as an opportunity to fill gaps. She asked volunteers in every corner of the state to identify older community members who needed extra support at home. Hundreds received Echo Dots, smart lightbulbs and smart plugs, which connect household appliances to voice control.
Advertisement
Many have incorporated the devices into routines around the home, from medication reminders to music. Betsey Pace, 78, and Donna Beveridge, 83, ask it about local business hours before they leave their Saco apartment.
But the Echo Dots didn’t work for everybody. Andy Chandler, a South Portland resident with lifelong hearing loss who advocates for assistive technology, said he was unable to hear Alexa’s responses. This year, with his feedback, Oh and her team are matching people who are deaf or hard of hearing with screened Echo Shows, which can provide captions for Alexa.
The smart devices were paid for with a $35,000 grant from the University of New England. Maine CITE’s $510,000 annual budget comes entirely from the federal government, and municipalities with age-friendly programs, like Saco and Lewiston, are increasingly funding their own technology distributions.
BARRIERS TO TECHNOLOGY
Carrier learned that he could receive a free Echo Dot and device training through his Sailing Life Solo group, which meets monthly in Lewiston. He said the group helps get him out of his house: A single-story, rambling space with a wooden rocking chair and walls filled with family photos.
His windows face several neighboring homes, but Carrier hasn’t introduced himself to anyone.
“It gets lonely sometimes,” he said. “I wish the cat would talk, but I have a conversation with her whether she’s listening or not.”
Advertisement
So he drives to Lewiston to meet other people who are aging alone. He texts his best friend. And he goes on Facebook, “where most problems arise.”
Carrier’s savings were depleted last year after he was scammed out of $27,000 by someone he met online. He is now living paycheck to paycheck on Social Security and pension payments. With the exception of a smart watch that he bought for less than $70, the smart devices he uses at home were all gifts or the result of a distribution program like Lewiston’s.
Peter Carrier, 72, shows off his smart watch, one of his smart devices that have features to monitor health and are voice-commanded and accessible in case of an emergency. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
More than 40% of Americans age 50 and older have had money stolen because of fraud, according to a report from AARP. The nonprofit offers cybersecurity workshops and resources to avoid more than 70 types of scams. Chandler, the assistive technology advocate, also delivers in-person presentations on artificial intelligence and fraud at community spaces across Maine.
While urging caution when using the internet, Chandler also can’t help but share his excitement. He spent decades relying on intermediaries to transcribe conversations and relay responses. Today, advances in automatic speech recognition allow him to see live captioning for every phone call, Zoom meeting or TV show he watches.
He can’t wait for the day that smart glasses with live captioning hit the mainstream market.
“Absolutely,” Chandler said, “assistive technology has been my best friend.”
Advertisement
Many are also betting on technology as a solution to loneliness. The Maine Connectivity Authority has provided millions in grants to improve technology access at community centers in Lewiston, Caribou and other underserved areas. The real goal, said Digital Opportunity Senior Manager Jessica Perez, is “social connectivity.”
Then there’s ElliQ, a robotic care companion that just arrived in Maine CITE’s library.
The lamp-shaped robot peppers the user with questions, jokes and requests for conversation, adapting to their personality and needs over time. When Carlson requested a reminder to take her medicine, ElliQ wondered if she’d like a nudge to eat food first.
Library director Lani Carlson laughs as the screen on the ElliQ robotic companion lights up with hearts as she “hugs” it by touching its side. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
To hug, the little lamp-shaped robot leaned into Carlson’s hand on its “metallic shoulder.”
The push to embrace technology will only grow with Maine’s older population. Carrier said he wouldn’t mind a robotic companion, but first he wants to learn how to use the devices already in front of him.
He still needs to figure out how to add an emergency contact to his smart watch, so it automatically calls his son if he falls. He’d like to see his best friend’s face when they catch up, for once. And he doesn’t want the dangers of the internet to keep him from connecting with others.
“I’m trying to just keep up,” he said. “I don’t want to get left behind, because I know you’ll miss out on a lot.”
Copy the Story Link
Tagged: aging, caregiver guide, health care, technology
Hannah Kaufman covers health and access to care in central and western Maine. She is on the first health reporting team at the Maine Trust for Local News, looking at state and federal changes through the. More by Hannah Kaufman
