Kaye speaks to Maine Monitor about Homeward Bound
Lenard Kaye, director of the University of Maine’s Center on Aging and professor at the School of Social Work, spoke to The Maine Monitor about Homeward Bound, a program which helps seniors and adults with disabilities transition from nursing homes and hospitals back to community-based care settings. Kaye said that programs like Homeward Bound offer an avenue for them to return to their homes and communities where they have support systems. “We know that 80-90% of older adults want to take their last breath in the familiar setting of their home in the neighborhood that they know all too well. … Isolation is a threat to one’s health and well-being. It’s been equated with smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It shortens your life,” Kaye said. The Bangor Daily News, Sun Journal and CentralMaine.com shared the Maine Monitor report.