Caring For The Elderly

May 14, 1998

The Vicarage Tries A New Approach
By Jon Pataki
Originally Published by The Coastal Journal May 14, 1998 Vol. 32 No.20

In today’s world, finding a home or living residence for the elderly is increasingly costly and difficult. When a parent or loved one reaches the age when it is difficult to care for them it is often tough to find a place they can be happy. Luckily, here in the midcoast, there are many places that house and take care of the elderly and a new adult family care home is just opening up in Harpswell. The home is located at The Vicarage By The Sea home, formerly a bed and breakfast. The home, which is set to open Friday, the 15th of May, will be run by Johanna Wigg, whose mother ran The Vicarage By The Sea bed and breakfast until her death.

The Vicarage sits on Curtis Cove in Harpswell and when it is licensed by the state, which should happen by the 1st of July, it will be able to house five residents. Until licensing occurs, it can take two people. The state, two years ago, started support of these homes in a desire to get more intimate care for the elderly. The idea is called “edenized care” a term which was coined by William Thomas, a Harvard doctor. The idea of edenized care is to bring the person into an environment with plants, animals and birds, where they are in a less sterile environment. Here they will feel more at home, relaxed and able to enjoy life. Professor Thomas first tried edenized care in a home in upstate New York with great results.

Mrs. Wigg will run the house with two other staff members who have backgrounds in home care and caring for the elderly. Mrs. Wigg has spent 10 years in the human services field and has a sociological background in work wiht the dementia of aging.

Of the five residents the home can house, there is handicapped accessibility for two of them, both in a double bedroom on the first floor. There is another bedroom on the first floor and two more on the second floor.  Mrs. Wigg hopes to put in a lift for the second floor, but, until then, the residents need to be adept at stairs, as the staircase is rather steep.

Mrs. Wigg is opening this home because she believes that this is the best way for people to be cared for.  In The Vicarage, residents will get meals cooked in the dining room and have the opportunity to garden and enjoy the outside as well as be given rides into town to take care of their shopping and entertainment needs.  Mrs. Wigg is also certified to be able to give out prescriptions, so she can handle medication and give them to the residents as needed.

In a home where pets and plants abound and with the beautiful setting on the ocean, people can feel more alive and have more freedom as they grow old.  This is a step away from sterilized living and a big step in the right direction that Mrs. Wigg is very excited about beginning in the midcoast.

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