It's a funny thing, at least for people who are parents, how as you get older, the tables can turn. The child you lovingly watched over may now be doing the same to you, which can be rather disconcerting at times. Especially if your children are telling you that they don't think your home is safe anymore and you are determined to stay in it as long as possible — the term used these days is aging in place. Read more.

Shalom House will celebrate Forty Years of Giving Hope with a gala event and charity auction Thursday, October 11 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, at Ocean Gateway Terminal on the Portland waterfront.

Guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, along with a silent and live auction. Among the featured auction items are an original work of art by artist Charlie Hewett, New England Patriots tickets, a Boston package that includes Cheers and trolley tours, one week in Vermont, one week in Sanibel Island, Florida, and lunch with Mayor Michael Brennan at Sonny’s Restaurant.

Shalom House provides community-based support services and safe, affordable housing for people with serious mental illness. When it opened in 1972, the organization operated one halfway house in Portland. Today, it offers nearly two-dozen housing choices, from independent apartments to group homes and rooming houses throughout southern Maine.

Kids First is offering support groups for children.

• 6-week after school groups facilitated by mental health professionals
• limited to 8 participants
• group levels determined by grade in school
• changes brought on by separation & divorce can affect a child’s relationship to family members, peers and other adults; the way a child feels about him/herself; and school success or setbacks
• kids benefit from group settings where they can discuss their mutual experiences
• groups focus on their developmental, emotional and relational needs

$60/child; $45/ea if siblings 222 St.