NORWAY — The No. 1 issue facing older residents in Oxford County is transportation.

“Transportation always comes up,” said Connie Jones of SeniorPlus, the designated Agency on Aging for western Maine.

The agency is holding focus groups of residents 60 and older in Oxford and Franklin counties as part of its strategic plan that is updated every fours years.

This week, Jones and others sat down in Norway with nine Oxford County senior residents to discuss a wide range of topics including services necessary to stay in their homes and elder abuse.

“We have to create a strategic plan for the next four years how we will deliver services and how we can do it better. It all starts with needs assessment by people who actually live in the communities,” she explained.

The majority of the group described themselves as being active and independent but agreed that if the keys to their cars were taken away, their independence would be threatened because of a lack of public transportation in the area.

While Western Maine Transportation Services provides rides to the public on certain days in certain areas, Jones said. The participants worried about how they would get transportation at any time when they needed it to social events or medical appointments, particularly is they live in the rural sections of towns.

“It’s the number one problem,” said Jones.

Focus group participants said they were also worried about how to maintain their homes as they get older. Not only were they looking for people who can do simple things like shovel their roofs or mow their lawns, but they also want assurances the people they hire are trustworthy.

“This is a big issue, a good reason older peoples’ homes get run down,” said Jones.

Jones said they also discussed what would happen if a senior decided to sell his or her home. While low-income seniors can apply for housing, there is almost always a waiting list and there is very limited housing for those who don’t meet the low-income eligibility requirements, she said.

Jones said the SeniorPlus agency does not have the ability to provide housing or transportation but what they can do – and what they do – is advocate for legislation that will provide more funding for senior housing and more education about what resources are available to seniors.

Seniors were aware of elder abuse and many said they knew of and were themselves targets of financial abuse, even within their own families.

Dementia? The participants said they try not to think about it even though they all knew someone who struggles with it.

When asked to define what “old” is, Jones said the participants universally said old is when you can no longer live independently.

Jones said her favorite quote of the focus group came when she asked what they would do if something happened to them.

There was dead silence. Then an older gentleman who came with his wife said: “We live in assisted living. I assist her and she assists me.”

Jones said the sessions are always informative and revealing and will be the basis for the draft of the strategic plan that will be completed by early March. A public hearing will be held several weeks after that where more of the general public can come out and comment.

When the plan is completed it is sent to the state, which submits it to the federal government, which uses it as a basis for funding for senior services that come back to the state.

SeniorsPlus, established in 1972, is the western Maine designated Agency on Aging covering Franklin, Oxford and Androscoggin counties.

According to information from the agency, the overall program goal of SeniorsPlus, which is headquartered in Lewiston, is to assist older adults and adults with disabilities in Franklin, Oxford and Androscoggin counties to remain safely at home for as long as possible.

Its mission is to enrich the lives of seniors and adults with disabilities, and support their independence, dignity and quality of life.

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