July 12, 2021 - LEBANON’S MAGGIE LEA DEVOTES HER LIFE’S WORK TO ‘AGING WELL’
Business, Community Leader Encourages Gifts to Upcoming Give65 Campaign
LEBANON, Tenn., – Maggie Lea is a true believer in “aging well.” So much so, that helping older adults stay in their homes in those “late September years” is what her business, Home Instead Senior Care, is all about.
“Years ago, I saw a need for a company that offered our aging adults options related to their care versus selling their home and going into a skilled-care facility. Not everyone needs that level of care – and most certainly don’t want to leave their home. Our services range from helping with grooming to chronic-health care, such as arthritis to hospice care,” said Lea, who opened her franchised business in Wilson County in 2009. The first Home Instead location was in Omaha, Nebraska, started in 1994 and now with more than 1,200 franchise locations around the globe.
Today, Lea’s Home Instead serves aging adults and their families in the Old Hickory and Hermitage areas of Davidson County, along with Wilson, Smith, and DeKalb counties.
“It’s true that today’s older adult is not your parents or grandparent’s version of what it meant to be older in our society. These are individuals who want to remain as active as possible, but they might face some challenges, so we come in and help them get ready for their day or they might be diabetic and need some help managing their chronic illness,” said Lea, who lives in Lebanon and serves on the board of AgeWell Middle Tennessee, a nonprofit that is the region’s trusted resource for information, advocacy and champions positive aging.
That’s why Lea feels so strongly that her friends, neighbors, and colleagues participate in the upcoming Give65 campaign, the online national fundraising event that is for organizations serving aging adults and AgeWell participates in annually. The 65-hour Give65 Event begins at 8 a.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 13, and concludes at 1:00 a.m. CDT on July 16. Gifts can be made online to AgeWell here: https://www.give65.org/AgeWellTN
Grace Smith, executive director of AgeWell Middle Tennessee said a successful Give65 online campaign is critical to the organization’s ability to continue to champion positive aging.
“The past year has been difficult for all nonprofits; fundraisers had to be canceled, programs were delayed. As we go forward through 2021, we need the support throughout our 13-county service areas to be able to continue our work addressing unmet needs and developing new, collaborative solutions that were put on hold due to the pandemic. No matter the size of the contribution, a $10 contribution supports our efforts, and a $1,000 contribution helps us to realize our vision of helping older adults and the next generation be able to age well,” said Smith.
Aging well to Lea means helping clients with whatever they need to live a full and complete life as older adults.
“We work every day to make sure our older adults are living the best life possible, no matter their age,” Lea said. “Our work at AgeWell connects people and organizations – a resource for all of Middle Tennessee. Contributing to AgeWell through Give65 enables us to continue to do that great work.”