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Bethel Age-Friendly Community Initiative (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
└ Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
The Town of Bethel's Age-Friendly Community Initiative created four displays featuring adaptive tools, as well as a catalog with descriptions of each tools and information about where to buy them. One display has been deployed at community outreach events attended by hundreds of residents. Two others are available for nearby communities to borrow for their own events. A local hardware store provided a home for the third display to make adaptive tools available to Bethel residents. In addition, project organizers engaged an occupational therapist to conduct home assessments to help residents determine their risk of falls. Grant funds also supported the local smoke alarm installation and fire escape plan program, conducted in partnership with local fire departments and the Maine Red Cross, as well as the National Fire Protection Association's Be Safe in Your Home initiative.
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Banner Elk, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: In rural North Carolina, older adults faced unsafe steps and entryways that left them isolated and at risk of falls. Carolina Cross Connection mobilized nearly 600 youth campers to complete dozens of projects, building ramps, steps and handrails and improving yards for safety. These repairs restored independence and reduced isolation. One neighbor returned home from rehab after volunteers built a ramp, while another said, "These handrails are a blessing... now I can feed my cats and feel safe," showing how the effort transformed daily life.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Portland, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: As Portland's housing costs climb, hundreds of households living in manufactured housing parks are at risk of losing their homes. To help residents with home upkeep, Verde provided critical home repairs to seven mobile homes in the Cully neighborhood. The repairs addressed health and safety issues impacting low-income older adults, people with disabilities and families with children. Additionally, the work provided an opportunity for experienced volunteers to share their skills with residents who are new to home repair.
Dalton, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: This project contributed to the City of Dalton Housing Authority's larger efforts to renovate its properties. The Authority hoped to give public housing residents more access to outdoor gathering spaces, so it installed picnic tables in several locations. To increase accessibility, organizers also provided ramps to residents unable to climb stairs. Finally, the Authority updated its laundry rooms. Project organizers say the improvements give residents updated, clean and safe areas to interact with each other, which helps combat social isolation and depression.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Bethel Region, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To provide residents with places to sit and gather, the Bethel Age-Friendly Community partnered with local artists and craftspeople to create benches and picnic tables. As a thank-you to organizations that have supported age-friendly work in the region, organizers gave the seating to partner organizations who assist with age-friendly programming, events and volunteer efforts. The benches and tables now sit in each of the six towns that make up the Bethel region. Each table is adorned with a chess board and each bench features decorations that pay homage to the town where it sits, with volunteers chipping in to paint the furniture. Organizers say they hope the project demonstrates the value of simple public space enhancements.
Berlin, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Transportation Other
Description: Older adults in the region often had to walk along fast, complex roadways to reach food and medical care. Many lacked access to a vehicle, making unsafe intersections a daily barrier. The Council used new traffic calming equipment to stage a pop-up at a busy Jackson intersection They temporarily converted a confusing Y-shaped layout into a clearer T-intersection with added crossings, lane markings and reclaimed space for public use with benches and tables. The demonstration helped residents and leaders visualize safer designs and showed how reducing conflict points can improve comfort for people walking or cycling. The project has increased interest in similar pop-ups across the region, and the reusable equipment will support ongoing demonstrations that inform future planning and possible capital improvements.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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