Rhonda Hanna, Community Life Director at Lincoln Home, is retiring after 13 years of dedicated service. Wednesday July 1, the residents and staff had an outside picnic lunch in her honor. Rhonda has been the heartbeat of the residents’ days, filling them with joyful and thoughtful activities to stimulate their minds and keep their bodies moving. She is the one who decks our halls for Christmas, creates parties, arranges music, plays games, and feeds our spirits daily with her laughter, kindness, compassion, patience, and good will. We thank Rhonda for all she has given so effortlessly and for being the residents’ cheerleader all these years. Happy Retirement to Rhonda, well earned. Staff, residents and members of the community will miss her dearly, but she will always be a member of our family.

Thanks to the creative thinking of Executive Director, Lynn Norgang, and the woodworking talents of Mike Knof and Kevin Benner, A “COVID-Safe” wall was constructed on our screen porch. Complete with a sliding door, our residents can now have their Feet attended to once again! Dr. Hilliary Pelletier, Podiatrist, normally sees our residents every 6 weeks, but due to our safety protocols, she has not been able to see us since March. The residents were thrilled to see her! The plexiglass topped wall has also allowed us to have family visits safely with our residents once again.

The Lincoln Home and Harbor View Cottage are pleased to welcome Brigit Cavanagh as a new staff member to our team. Brigit brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to her new role as Director of Community Outreach and Admissions. She has proven experience working in Senior Living with a commitment to insuring that every new resident joins the Lincoln Home family with personal attention to their individual wants, needs, and expectations. Her marketing and sales background also includes a number of community service appointments. She is currently President of the Bath Rotary Club at Rotary International, a past board member of the Mid Coast Area Chamber of Commerce and Brunswick Downtown Association. Brigit’s warmth, love of people, and strong listening skills will be a great fit to our family at Lincoln Home. Brigit can be reached at 207-563-3350 or brigit@lincoln-home.org.

Many of the staff members are reviving past talents and skills to provide extras for the residents at Lincoln Home and Harbor View Cottage. Decorating, Zoom computer gatherings, face time, and window visits with families, special meals, ice cream sandwiches,  hair appointments, foot soaks, and anything at all the staff can do to cheer a resident, they happily fit into their already busy schedule. Making a resident’s day, always makes a staff person’s day. “This is our job, our joy and our pleasure. It is why we are here.”

There have been some really fun happenings here this week in both the buildings. The Cottage had a fun Chinese Birthday Celebration that staff and residents so enjoyed. Lincoln Home had Danny Burns come to do his fabulous life size wood carvings of an eagle, 2 owls and a heart. Thursday a llama named Harry did a window visit as residents ogled at him face to face. Thanks so much to both Mr. Burns and Katherine Dunn and her llama  from Apiferia Farm for coming to share their talents and joys with us. 

, a wood carver came to carve a life size eagle to donate to Lincoln Home. He did his art carving outside in the back of our building where the residents had a bird’s eye view from the many large windows that face the river side. Very exciting!

Another week and gratefully all who live and work at Lincoln Home and Harbor View Cottage are safe and healthy. Each day that goes by with healthy staff and residents is a blessing. All of us are working hard to help this blessing continue. 

Thank you for keeping up your self- isolation and social distancing no matter what, it may save your life and the life of others.

Lincoln Home and Harbor View Cottage employees are grateful to have members of the community offer their creativity and support by making and donating cloth masks. These masks are for employees to wear for their home and essential shopping use . We extend our thanks to Sara Sandberg, Yvonne Lamoreaux, Erica St. Peter and Cathy Lane, the Lincoln County coordinator for “Sewing Masks for Maine.”

“Sewing Masks for Maine.” is a statewide network of volunteers who make and donate cloth masks to Maine’s healthcare organizations. Through their website, www.sewingmasksformaine.com, you can volunteer to sew, request masks, find drop-off locations, or get information and patterns to make your masks. In 30 days, the group effort has delivered 7,252 masks to healthcare and community organizations around Maine.

Erica St. Peter, Senior Commercial Loan Assistant for First National Bank, Damariscotta is helping businesses secure help through loan assistance by day. In her “spare” time, she created a business sewing weighted blankets to help children with anxiety in 2017, “St. Peter’s Sew Sweet Creations.” When COVID-19 hit Maine, she switched gears to making masks. “I am thrilled to donate 30 masks to Lincoln Home because of the support of the community in donating fabric and willingness to pay for masks when they can! I will keep sewing and donating for as long as people need them!” Order masks or weighted blankets through her St. Peter’s Sew Sweet Creations Facebook page.

The Lincoln Home and Harbor View Cottage employees are very grateful for the support and donations from this wonderful community effort. These masks will ensure that the employees are safer at home as they continue with the recommended self- isolation and social distancing measures to which they are committed. Each day that goes by with healthy staff and residents is a blessing. All of us are working hard to help this blessing continue.