The Disability and Aging Services Helpline (DASH) Network came out of a nation-wide Aging and Disability Resource Center Project. It’s a collaborative pilot project aimed to improve awareness of and access to long-term supports for older adults, adults with disabilities and caregivers.
The geographic location covered by this project is the area served by the BAT bus line, which includes the towns of Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Old Town, Orono and Veazie. The local coalition is coordinated by United Way of Eastern Maine and the pilot site is located at Eastern Area Agency on Aging.
The DASH Network is important because its intended result is to improve information and referral to formal and informal supports, to the elderly and disabled who are seeking long-term care so that people may live as independently as possible for as long as possible.
The DASH Network means that seniors and people with disabilities will have one place to call to get help finding the services they need. DASH can give them a list of services based on what their individual needs.
It can be difficult searching through the phone book or on a computer if a person doesn’t know the right keyword, that’s why the DASH Network has a trained resource specialist to help find the needed services.
Seniors and people with disabilities can be involved in this project by providing feedback about their experience, calling for assistance and reporting whether the information given was helpful or not. They can also be involved by joining the consumer advisory board that meets quarterly.
The DASH Network is so important for so many reasons that seniors and people with disabilities should be involved. This project was created to support them with their needs. If seniors and people with disabilities don’t voice their needs and give feedback about their experience, there is no way to know how to best serve them.
For more information about the DASH Network, call:
Val Sauda at Eastern Area Agency on Aging, 941-2865 or email vsauda@eaaa.org.
Eastern Area Agency on Aging 941-2865 or email info@eaaa.org.
How the DASH Network is funded
The DASH Network is being funded through the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the federal Administration on Aging and is being administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services/ Office of Elder Services. The center is housed at Eastern Area Agency on Aging, the local coalition is coordinated by United Way of Eastern Maine.
The following are partners in the DASH Network:
211 Maine
Acadia Hospital / Info Line
Advocacy Initiative Network
Alpha One
Amicus
Bangor Area Visiting Nurses
City of Bangor Health and Welfare
Community Health & Counseling Services
DHHS
- Adult Protective Services
- Office of Integrated Access and Support
Eastern Maine AIDS Network
Faith in Action Community Connection
Grace for Grace Ministries
Health Access Network
Iris Network
Kindred Healthcare
Maine Alzheimer’s Association
Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Able Network
New England Home Health Care
Penobscot Community Health Care
Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department
Penquis Community Action Program
Phillips-Strickland House
Rape Response Services
Rosscare – Senior Health Services
Sebasticook Family Doctors
Seniors Plus
Sylvia Ross Home
Technical Exploration Center
UMaine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies
UMaine Cooperative Extension – Senior Companion Program
UMaine Center on Aging RSVP
UMaine Center on Aging
United Way
Warren Center for Communication & Learning
WHCA |
