WABI, WVII cover 14th annual Clinical Geriatrics Colloquium

WABI (Channel 5) and WVII (Channel 7) covered the 14th annual Clinical Geriatrics Colloquium at the University of Maine on Oct 28. This year’s event focused on innovations in dementia care. “Maine is the oldest state in the nation based on median age, and we are the most rural state in the nation,” said Lenard Kaye, professor of social work and director of the UMaine Center on Aging. “So, folks as they grow older in Maine have a high risk of being isolated and disconnected from services and support from the community. For someone with dementia that can be extremely disastrous.” According to organizers, this has been the biggest conference yet with about 200 people in attendance. “The goal is to educate and ensure that the state of Maine is well informed and well aware of all of the issues that both challenge older adults as well as the opportunities that are available,” said Kaye. “The best way in which a policymaker can come to understand the implications of a public health challenge and issue is to hear those who are confronted with it day in and day out.”