Since the very beginning of the pandemic, Spectrum Generations has been a resource that some of central Maine’s most vulnerable population – older adults – have been able to count on for support. Even at the outset of the pandemic, Spectrum Generations never closed its doors, instead quickly pivoting staff and resources to provide much-needed services to the community as evolving needs were presented, according to Spectrum, in a news release.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spectrum Generations Meals on Wheels program more than doubled in size, with meal production and packing operations producing 1,800 meals per day. But it didn’t stop there. Procuring and gearing up with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Spectrum Generations also continued to provide consistent Personal Support Services and Community Case Management services at people’s homes; its hotline continued to answer community questions and assist caregivers in finding solutions; its evidence-based health and prevention programs went virtual; all four of its Adult Day and Community Support Services reopened on July 5, 2020, providing a safe place for community essential workers to leave their loved one while they too served the community; and finally its congregate dining program resumed on October 1, 2020.   

Now, a year later, Spectrum Generations has again adapted its operations, marshaling resources to assist with the vaccine rollout in Central Maine. 

Through partnerships with Northern Light Health, Redington-Fairview, MaineGeneral, KVCAP, WaldoCAP, and People Plus, Spectrum Generations is helping run vaccination clinics, transport people to vaccination appointments, and even connecting in-home vaccination providers to those who are housebound.

On March 5, Spectrum Generations held its first vaccination clinic, which was the first of its kind among the Area Agencies on Aging in Maine. The clinics are now a weekly occurrence.

“I am so proud of the way our staff and volunteers have stepped up over the past year to help some of the most vulnerable residents within our community,” said Gerard Queally, President and CEO of Spectrum Generations. “While nobody could have planned for or imagined the events of the last year, our dedicated staff stepped up to fill the community’s ever-evolving needs, from ramping up the Meals on Wheels services to helping get Mainers vaccinated. The past year has not been easy, but it has highlighted the adaptability of our organization and its value for the community.”

Spectrum Generations, the Central Maine Area Agency on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Center, has been a leading provider of information and advice, referrals, programs and activities for adults for over 40 years. Today’s Spectrum Generations is poised to serve adults of all ages and backgrounds in a changing, challenging world. We are here for you as you look forward to longer, more active lives and seek to engage in new physical and intellectual challenges.