R.I. native finds niche

Out of the “mouths of babes” often comes the greatest wisdom.

Such is the case with Patricia Keogh, who moved to our fair state because her two little grandchildren kept “wishing Gramma lived in Maine.” Her new personal journey, soon to begin.

It was mid-December when she landed in Bangor, all the while wondering if she was crazy to make this move.

“I had been a native Rhode Islander all my life, and loved my work,” said Keogh, 68. “I had 16 years of service to the Department of Children, Youth and Families as adoption specialist, and the last five years as clinical training specialist in the School of Social Work at Rhode Island College. Now I was retiring to Maine.”

But as unsettling as the move seemed to be, nothing was as important to Keogh as spending time with her grandsons, David and Max Miller.

And that, she has. From the Montessori school in Orono, which the children attend, to the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor, Keogh has seen it all.

And yet she wanted more.

“While this resting time has been good, I began to feel that it was time to really give something to my new community and find a volunteer opportunity that might be able to use what I had to offer,” she said. “I was reading The Weekly and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw in Senior Beat that the Eastern Agency on Aging was looking for a volunteer coordinator for their Matter of Balance program. I called immediately.”

And we’re glad she did. Matter of Balance is an important fall prevention program that teaches people everything from strengthening exercises – which will increase stability – to trip-proofing their homes. Each course consists of a two-hour session once a week for eight weeks. The program is portable and can be held anywhere. All that’s required is an interested group of seniors. One of our trained volunteers will lead the class.

This position is perfect for Keogh, as she knows firsthand the importance of being diligent about home safety.

Always very aware of her environment, Keogh recalls the day after Thanksgiving one year, when her cat knocked a grape off the kitchen counter.

The seemingly harmless piece of fruit went unnoticed by Keogh, who stepped on it while carrying a glass pitcher, and fell. She hit the floor, breaking her arm and shattering the pitcher.

Still in the dark as to what caused her fall, she mentioned to the paramedic that something must be wrong for her to “just go down like that.” As he examined her, the mashed grape turned up on the bottom of her shoe.

“That began my own personal journey,” said Keogh. “I realized I’m not 21 any more. That accident in the kitchen was a turning point and impressed upon me that no matter how conscientious we are, we still need to be more proactive.”

She considers herself lucky that, with all the broken glass, her injury was not more serious. And it seems everything happens for a reason.

“When I first called Roberta Macko [volunteer services director at EAA] about this opportunity, I just knew it was right for me, and she sounded like such a warm and caring person on the phone and that’s exactly what she turned out to be,” said Keogh. “I feel at home here now – just want to say thanks to David and Max for wanting me to live here and thanks to Eastern Agency for the opportunity of another wonderful life experience as the coordinator of the Matter of Balance program.”

No, Pat, we thank you.

To obtain more information on Matter of Balance or to volunteer, call Keogh or Macko at 941-2865.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at EAA. For information on EAA, call 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.