Bonnie and Edward Wynne admire the view of the Damariscotta River through the window of their soon-to-be home, one of four brand-new Damariscotta River Suites at The Lincoln Home in Newcastle. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
It was with a certain amount of pride that Arlene Cowan cut the white ribbon spanning the entrance to the recently completed Damariscotta River Suites at The Lincoln Home in Newcastle in the early evening of Wednesday, April 27. After all, Cowan is both a Lincoln Home resident and a founding member of the Twin Village Woman’s Club, which has been a supporter of The Lincoln Home since the club’s inception in 1946.
“She was a charter member of the Twin Village Woman’s Club,” said Lynn Norgang, executive director of The Lincoln Home. “And the club has always supported The Lincoln Home … We still rely on their goodwill and support.”
Cowan’s ribbon-snipping opened the way for the appreciable crowd in attendance to tour the facility’s four new independent-living apartments featuring full kitchens.
Two of the units have eye-catching views of the Damariscotta River.
Lynn Norgang (left), executive director of The Lincoln Home, assists Arlene Cowan in cutting the ribbon across the entrance to the facility’s new independent-living units, the Damariscotta River Suites, on Wednesday, April 27. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
The spacious apartments are “for couples that want to stay together,” said Steve Raymond, The Lincoln Home’s director of community outreach. “Their care needs may be different, but they can stay together.”
Residents will be able to live independently – or assisted, as their care needs progress, said Raymond. Apartment rentals are not limited to couples; two or three friends or family members could live together as well.
A number of people who are aging may “have been living in a 2,500-square-foot home with a barn for years, and they don’t want (to move into) a little space,” Raymond said. The one- and two-bedroom Damariscotta River Suites offer both ample space and appropriately evolving care for residents as they age in place, he said.
Additionally, The Lincoln Home assists suite residents in “coordinat(ing) with local officials psychologically, emotionally, and logistically to meet their needs,” such as the sale of their house, he said.
One of the four new units – a two-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath apartment with a river view – was recently rented to a local couple, the Rev. Edward Wynne and his wife Bonnie, and Edward Wynne’s sister Janet, who has lived with them for the past 19 years.
“We’ve been in Damariscotta for 18 years, so we don’t have to make (all) new friends,” said Bonnie Wynne, who attended the event with her husband.
“And we can keep the same doctors,” said Edward Wynne, who pointed out that their May move from their Bristol Road home will be only “about a mile and a half maybe.”
During the evening, event attendees – which included a number of residents of The Lincoln Home – lingered and chatted around an invitingly well-stocked food table offering a tasty spread of drinks and treats, including deviled eggs and dainty cucumber sandwiches.
Raymond, in the spirit of his job as community-outreach director, was available throughout the evening to answer questions. On the subject of how soon the remaining three apartments might be snapped up, he said, “I have a heck of a lot of interest (from people). I don’t think they’re going to sit around that long.”
For more information, call Raymond at 563-3350.
