Folks gather to discuss aging in Maine

It was the Fourth Annual University of Maine Aging Initiative Summer Workshop.

"Maine is the oldest state in the country and growing older and it's really wonderful to see the work happening at the local level to ensure that this is the place where older Mainer's can stay are retire and stay close to family and friends."

Aging experts and advocates from around Maine discussed ways in which to highlight the needs of Maine's seniors.

"This aging initiative actually started at the University of Maine around technologies that the University of Maine in collaboration with the Center on Aging, we started it there and now at the system level all seven campuses are collaborating to work on this challenge that the state is facing around aging."

"Particularly exciting is today we brought together not only academics from all seven campuses who are doing research on aging initiative projects but we brought together community professionals and so we have an awesome mix of both the community and academics coming together and talking about what it means to be in an aging Maine."

More than a hundred people attended the workshop in hopes of gaining insight on helping Maine's seniors.

The goal is to keep the older generation in the state.

"The University of Maine system wants to know what the community, what the state needs. We are doing what the public university system should be doing by trying to meet the needs of the state."