Media cover second annual Aging Initiative Workshop
The Bangor Daily News, WABI (Channel 5) and WVII (Channel 7) reported on the second annual Aging Initiative Workshop at the University of Maine. The workshop was hosted by UMaine’s Office of the Vice President for Research and the Center on Aging to connect faculty and staff across disciplines and professions from all seven University of Maine System campuses, and to help shape the future of aging-related research in the state. In Maine, which has the oldest population in the country, aging is an overarching issue that spans academic and political divisions, Carol Kim, UMaine’s vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, said in her opening remarks. Kim established the UMaine Aging Initiative in 2013, providing more than $400,000 in internal seed funding for 11 projects across the curriculum, according to the BDN. The conference provided an opportunity to showcase several of the projects by UMaine faculty, including developing a simple water purification device for use in homes or residential care facilities; exploring ways to use existing technology to prevent head injury and avoid hip fractures; and using wireless electronic tracking devices to help visually impaired seniors navigate their homes and alert loved ones if the wearer has stayed too long in the same place, the BDN reported. “Aging really affects everybody,” Kim told WABI. “So whether you’re aging yourself, or you’re a caregiver, you’re worried about mom and dad or your aunt or uncle, it really does affect everyone. So it’s something important for all of us to be involved in.”