Maine Council on Aging recognizes Singer and Oh
The Maine Council on Aging announced that Clifford Singer, research professor at the University of Maine, has received the 2023 Trailblazing Advocate Award, and Patricia Oh, senior program manager at the UMaine Center on Aging, received the Douglas O. Wilson Rising Tide Leadership Award.
The 2023 Trailblazing Advocate Award recognizes the sustained contributions of trailblazers whose passion, actions and advocacy have made Maine a better place to age with dignity, health, purpose and security. Singer, who is also the chief of the Center for Geriatric Cognitive and Mental Health at Northern Light Acadia Hospital, was recognized for his work to ensure older Mainers living with cognitive challenges can gain access to timely diagnosis, and support and care. Throughout his career, he has focused on growing collaborative support and care for people living with dementia, securing funding for research and treatment and training professionals to treat, support and engage people living with dementia. In recent years, he has built a research program to help find new treatments — and ultimately a cure — for dementia, and is working to make Maine a center for excellence when it comes to dementia care.
The Douglas O. Wilson Rising Tide Leadership Award, granted in partnership with Southern Maine Agency on Aging and Community Health Options, recognizes and celebrates the efforts of people who lift and inspire others to implement innovative solutions to challenges faced by older Mainers through collaborative partnerships, shared leadership and community building initiatives. Oh, who worked to make Bowdoinham Maine’s first World Health Organization-designated Age Friendly Community in 2014, has inspired everyday people to volunteer to build communities that work for a lifetime. She is the driving force behind the Lifelong Communities Fellows Program, an effort that places established leaders with developing communities, ensuring that thousands of older Mainers can live healthy, engaged and secure lives.
“Our annual awards shine a spotlight on Maine people who are quietly dedicating part or all of their careers to making Maine a healthier, safer, more inclusive place to live and work for older Mainers,” says Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging. “Combined these honorees have had an impressive impact on the lives of older Maines, and we honor them to ensure Maine people know about their important work and leadership.”
Singer and Oh will be honored for their work at the Maine Council on Aging’s Annual Meeting and Dinner on Sept. 26 and at its Wisdom Summit on Sept. 27. Summit registration information can be found here.