Have you ever had this experience? You need some help – could be anything from heating assistance to handicapped-accessible transportation to finding an adult day program for a disabled loved one. You’re not really sure who to call, so you get out the phone book and start flipping through pages.

It can be like a scavenger hunt, usually without the prize at the end. And often, people give up the search in frustration.

Well, all that is about to change. The Bangor Aging and Disability Resource Center is here.

“This project, known locally as the DASH Network – Disability & Aging Services Helpline – is designed to improve the awareness of, and access to, long-term support systems for older adults, adults with disabilities and caregivers, and to make it easier for them to navigate the variety of community services that are available to help support their independence in the community,” said Val Sauda, director of outreach at Eastern Agency on Aging where the network is based.

“This means that these individuals will have one place to call to get help finding the services they need,” she added. “No longer will they make a variety of calls to different agencies hoping to hit the right one in the search for help. The DASH Network will be able to give them a list of services based on what their exact need really is.”

Sometimes, trying to explain what we need is a challenge. DASH has already thought of that.

“We have a trained resource specialist who will be able to discern a person’s particular need and then help them,” said Sauda. “And we’d like seniors and people with disabilities to be involved in this project by providing feedback about the experience they had when calling for assistance, and whether the information given was helpful or not. They also can be involved by joining the consumer advisory board – comprising seniors, people with a variety of disabilities and caregivers – that meets quarterly.”

Danny Burke, 46, who has Williams syndrome, rarely misses a meeting. In the majority of cases, this disease results in varying levels of mental retardation and medical problems.

But that hasn’t slowed Danny down any. He works part-time at a local motel along with being involved with DASH.

“Danny helps speak for his friends who may not have the same skill level that he does,” said Paula Butera, community life program director at Amicus, where Danny is a client. “He lives independently, and is a good advocate for himself and others.”

And for Danny, being able to give his opinion at meetings is everything.

“I wish [people running programs for mentally and physically challenged people] had asked us to do something like this years ago, but I don’t think they did because we were mentally challenged and we didn’t get to go to meetings. I like to be treated like a person, instead of just a disability,” he said.

Making just one phone call when help is needed will improve Danny’s quality of life and that of his peers.

“We also want the project to identify gaps in available services and make recommendations for addressing those gaps,” said Sauda. “Through this project, a group of more than 40 service providers and consumers, and a partnership with the United Way of Eastern Maine, have been working for the past two years to make this service a reality for the greater Bangor area.”

DASH is funded through the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the federal Administration on Aging and is being administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Elder Services.

Don’t throw out your phone book, but for a social services referral, call DASH at Eastern Agency on Aging. Help is just a phone call away.

For further information about the project, call Valerie Sauda at 941-2865, or Jamie Comstock at the United Way, 941-2800.

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