My great-grandmother celebrated her 102nd birthday in the home where she and her husband raised their six children — the home with a ‘dragon’ living in the basement, beautiful paintings on the walls and hand-woven rugs on the brick floors.

Lilli, the doll given to me by her home care nurse, serves as a reminder of how much it meant to my great-grandmother and to her descendants that she was able to stay in her home when she needed more assistance than her family could provide.

I want my grandparents to have access to home care so that I can continue to visit them in the house that holds so many memories for me, my siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents: holiday dinners with my grandmother’s pumpkin pie and peach cobbler, piano lessons, horse-riding …

I know I will want the same for my parents, too, when that time comes.

I urge people to vote “yes” on Question 1 so that their family members will be able to receive in-home care, regardless of their income, ability and veteran status.

Amelia Keleher, Lewiston