Kaye to testify before U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, BDN reports
The Bangor Daily News reported Lenard Kaye, director of the University of Maine Center on Aging and professor in the UMaine School of Social Work, will urge D.C. lawmakers to support programs that help seniors stay social in order to stem the far-reaching effects of loneliness and isolation. Kaye will be one of four experts testifying Thursday before the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, according to the article. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the committee, sought out Kaye’s expertise on the issue and asked that he address the committee, the BDN reported. “We’ve never been a more isolated society than we are now,” Kaye said. “It used to be we had extended families living under the same roof or at least in the same neighborhood or community.” Kaye said he plans to persuade lawmakers to support community programs that help seniors stay social and connected to their neighbors, such as the UMaine Center for Aging’s Senior Companion Program, which has volunteers spend time with seniors who live alone.