Maura Michael of Vinalhaven has been hired to be the Administrator of Boardman Cottage, Islesboro’s soon-to-open residential elder home built by The Beacon Project.

Michael is a licensed Residential Care Facility Administrator and her training in business management with her four years of experience in being the first administrator of Vinalhaven’s elder residence, the Ivan Calderwood Homestead, uniquely qualified her for the Islesboro job.

The Beacon Project organized two years ago, with the mission “To make it possible for our elders to remain here on Islesboro with dignity and comfort as members of the island community,” and began fundraising. The group quickly acquired property from the Boardman family near the center of town, and by the end of fall 2004, it had sufficient funds to begin construction. Over the winter, the Blane Casey Construction Company built Boardman Cottage, which is now receiving finishing touches.

Michael likes the excitement of new projects. “It is nice to feel helpful and needed. Ivan Calderwood is up and running and there are people there to keep it going. I don’t feel so much needed on Vinalhaven now.”

Michael led the Vinalhaven group from a six-bed home through the development of an elder daycare program, an expansion to eight beds, then to ten beds. In the spring of 2004, The Beacon Project invited Michael to Islesboro to speak about the Vinalhaven home at an informational session. While meeting the Islesboro community she detected the excitement about the new island project. In the following months, she often advised and answered questions from The Beacon Project, and gradually began to consider applying for the administrator’s job on Islesboro when it opened.

The Beacon Project will benefit tremendously from Michael’s extensive previous experience with the startup and operation of such a home. Her short-term goal is to help the Boardman Cottage become licensed; recruit and interview staff to work there, find residents and help them become established in the house. In the longer term, in four to five years, Michael foresees added services-home health care, meals on wheels, senior companions and transportation for elders. Her intention is to train someone to take over.

Michael’s experience with elder care began when as a high-schooler she volunteered at senior centers, “I played checkers, went for walks with them, the lighter side of care,” she said. She grew up near Boston, but her husband, Kevin, is a Vinalhaven native. After living in Florida for 13 years, the Michael family decided to move back to Maine. When the Ivan Calderwood home began to look for an administrator, Michael decided to apply, and they moved back to Maine to open the home as a couple. Her daughter is now a student at the Vinalhaven High School.

Michael particularly likes the homelike atmosphere of these residential facilities, and the opportunity for companionable one-on-one care. She also observed that islands bring a higher level of community involvement in the residents and their families.

“On islands it is more of a team effort,” she said. “Islanders really see the importance of keeping elders in their community. It is different with mainland residences, where there is a great deal of dedication to caring for elders, but with an island, the community is really committed to keep people on island as long as possible.”

Michael is presently working part-time for The Beacon Project and will live at the Boardman Cottage in the apartment provided as soon as it is available. She will begin working full-time in July, and her family will join her on weekends and for school vacations.