Dr. Allan “Chip” Teel from Damariscotta, Maine will be coming to Belfast to speak about his new book, “Alone and Invisible No More,” and his new approach for revolutionizing elder care in America. Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP) is sponsoring the event, which will be free for the public. The talk will focus on how grassroots community action and 21st century technologies can empower elders to stay in their homes and lead healthier, happier lives.


Dr. Teel is a graduate of of Dartmouth College and The University of Vermont Medical College. He trained at the Family Medicine Residency at Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, PA and returned to Maine where he has been a family physician in private practice in Damariscotta since 1988. He has a Certificate in Geriatrics and has been a Medical Director and provided patient care at Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities.


In 1995, Dr. Teel co-founded the non-profit The Elder Care Network of seven small assisted living homes in Lincoln County, Maine. In the mid-1990’s, he was an original incorporator of the multi-speciality Miles Medical Group and then a founding partner of Full Circle Family Medicine in 2003. He started a for-profit company, LincMe / Elder Power in 2006, to find ways to celebrate the lives of elders and help them stay at home connected to family, friends, community, and personal interests, using existing technology while emphasizing the non-medical aspects of living. He continues a very active practice of office and hospital medicine.

On the television program 207, Dr. Teel shared data from his research, stating that by the year 2030, there will be 21 million individuals over 85 in the U.S. and by the year 2050, there will be 88 million over 65 and 1 million over 100 years old. “I think the most profound thing is that when you talk to anybody 85 to 105, they have the same interests as anyone younger. They want to have a reason to get up in the morning. They want to have a purpose and that purpose isn’t just to take their pills,” he said. “They want to be engaged in the life around them and that life is family, pets, community, personal interests…. and also to do something for somebody else.” Dr. Teel’s method for keeping elders in their homes uses technology such as Skype and community volunteers and involvement to keep seniors out of nursing homes, which can cost families and communities $5,000-$15,000 a month.


To hear how Dr. Teel believes a grassroots community in Maine (which has the highest average age in the nation) can make a difference for its elderly community members and their families, come the auditorium at the Hutchinson Center on Rte. 3 in Belfast on August 25th from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Admission is FREE and everyone is welcome!