On an overcast July morning, 83-year-old Janice Walker shows up for work at Birch Rock summer camp. She goes to the camp dining hall to begin folding all of the cloth napkins that will be used for lunch, which is her first chore of the day. She will later assist the kitchen prepare dinner, fold additional napkins, and tend to the flower beds.
She has been employed at this camp in Waterford with a view of McWain Pond for about 40 years, and she has no plans to retire anytime soon.
She says, “I like it here, and I don’t want to sit at home and do nothing.” It’s simply interacting with people.
Beyond the social component, however, the employment is also a vital source of revenue, supplementing her Social Security income. She claims that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy her level of autonomy without both.
I still live alone and drive. My employment here contributes to both my insurance and tax payments. Walker claims that without Social Security, he wouldn’t be here and couldn’t support himself.
She is not alone, either. According to Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging, the number of older Mainers working has grown dramatically over the last two decades. She claims that in order to counteract the insufficiency of Social Security income and pension options, many people must work later in age. She adds that older ladies have an even harder time living alone.
According to Maurer, poverty in Maine is concealed by Social Security. Women who live alone have a significantly higher chance of living at or below 150% of the federal poverty threshold. Additionally, at least half of Maine’s 75,000 single women lack the funds necessary to cover their essential expenses.
The 2025 Healthy Aging Data report states that 9.03% of Mainers over 65 live below the poverty level, while 18.84% of Mainers over 65 are employed.
Gloria McKee, 67, chops vegetables for lunch in the Birch Rock kitchen. She soon discovered she required a part-time job to have any extra cash after retiring from her TSA position in 2019.
“When you want the extras, Social Security checks don’t go far enough,” she explains.
Seon Browne is a cashier at Walgreens in Portland. He is 60 years old and has a few more years to make up his mind about retiring. Browne responds, “A need to survive, a need to make ends meet, to try to pay some bills, even though I’m way behind,” when asked what motivates him to work. I do my hardest to excel via hard effort.
According to Browne, he never sees himself completely retiring and doesn’t want to be confined to a nine-to-five work indefinitely. He says he needs to concentrate on the here and now, but he has aspirations of returning to school and eventually starting a food truck.
According to Walker, she intends to remain employed at Birch Rock for as long as possible. She claims that in addition to being the area where she feels the happiest, it also serves as a lifeline for her ongoing freedom.
She responds, “I just like it here.” My daughter always worries about me, but she claims that since I know you’re at camp during the summer, I don’t need to worry about you.
