Maine Senior Living

Maine does offer some Jewish assisted living facilities, but there aren’t many so finding an available space may prove challenging. They are all offered by one group of assisted living facilities that we’ll cover in just a bit, but seniors should also consider secular homes that are in easy reach of the nearly one dozen communities dotted across the state.

So, let’s first look at the Jewish assisted living centers. These are all offered by The Cedars, which is a retirement community based in Portland, ME. This community provides everything from independent living options, to assisted living and full nursing home services. The assisted living center is set at Osher Inn.

But when you expand the search to consider assisted living facilities set in and around Jewish communities, the number of potential options increases dramatically. There are Jewish communities in Portland, Bangor, Auburn, Brunswick and Augusta, ME. In Portland alone, there are more than 20 assisted living centers that should give faithful seniors easy access to a local Jewish community, Rabbi and synagogue.

Cost of Jewish Assisted Living in Maine

Jewish assisted living facilities in Maine are a fair amount more expensive that the average costs throughout the US, and by more we mean an average of $1,100+ more. Monthly rates start at $4,700 and climb to $6,600, with a statewide average of $5,169. Prices at the southern end of the state are higher than those further north.

Jewish Assisted Living Communities in Maine - Amenities

Given that we have been able to find only one Jewish assisted living center in Maine, we recognize that seniors may have to seek out alternatives. An assisted living center that is part of or close to a Jewish community may have a significant number of seniors that share the Jewish faith. Often, assisted living centers will make adjustment to accommodate larger groups with special or additional amenities. It could be that these living centers may have added kosher meals or religious activities that are specially focused on the faith. When they do this, they become a viable alternative to a focused Jewish assisted living facility.

Jewish Retirement Communities in Maine - Religious Amenities

To determine the extent to which faithful Jews are accommodated, seniors can start by asking at the local synagogue about the assisted living centers in their communities. If they are welcoming homes for Jews, they will know and very likely be actively involved in that community. They may even be able to introduce seniors to one another in order to gain more direct insights about each care center.

Whether it is a Jewish assisted living facility or one that is non-denominational, they will have a relationship with a Rabbi if they are working to accommodate Jewish seniors. Ask about who this person is, what the relationship is and where the Rabbi comes from. This will be a key resource in a senior’s effort to live faithfully so it will be important to learn as much as possible about this person.

Kosher dining may be a bit of a challenge as well. A proper Jewish assisted living center will have a kosher kitchen and a culinary team that is trained in preparing traditional kosher meals. In a non-Jewish home, these meals may have to be brought in from an outside service or seniors may need to prepare meals themselves. It will be important for seniors to understand what their options are.

Jewish Retirement Communities in Maine - Amenities

Life is one great adventure, made up of many smaller adventures and a series of challenges. That doesn’t change with age. The only thing that does change is the nature of the challenges and maybe the intensity of each adventure. Seniors do get slower. They do lose a step. There will be things that they can no longer do at all, or at least as well as they used to. It doesn’t mean that they are incapable of living a full and exciting life though, at least as long as they maintain a positive attitude.

Assisted living centers are designed to help seniors meet the challenges head-on so they can stay focused on living adventurously. It starts with providing a helping hand with things like bathing, toileting, grooming and dressing. There will be help eating if needed and most definitely a helping hand so seniors can get around from meals to activities, throughout the day. Seniors will benefit from medication management and regular health monitoring as well. Finally, housekeeping and maintenance will be done for them so they never have to worry about dealing with the drudgery and the risk.

If Alzheimer’s has become a challenge, these assisted living facilities are often able to offer memory care; a set of unique therapies and security arrangements that are uniquely suited to help these seniors function with a reasonable measure of normalcy.

Assisted living centers provide seniors with 3 meals a day and these are dishes you would find in most any really good restaurant. They are professionally prepared and served in grand dining rooms or brought to a senior’s private apartment. Sharing though is preferred by most since sitting around the table with good friends to enjoy a meal always make that meal more enjoyable.

The other thing that is shared are activities; offered in many shapes and sizes, including artisan classes, fitness programs, educational opportunities, games, social events, group outings and more. The goal is to ensure every senior has a long list of fun things to choose from so they never wind up being bored and feeling trapped in a life that is dull and uninteresting.

Privacy doesn’t stop being important when a senior transitions into an assisted living facility. The nature of their living space might with a potential move from a private house, into a group setting with private apartments, by it’s still private, and that is important. These apartments are fairly spacious and are most commonly configured as studio units, one-bedroom suites, and companion apartments that gave a common living space and two private bedrooms.

It will not be easy to find a Jewish assisted living solution in Maine but think just a bit outside the box, and there are plenty of suitable options.