Forums offer seniors chance to voice opinions

Do you ever wish, as a senior, that you could get the government to really listen to you about the important issues that affect your life? When government policy is made, do you ever wonder if an actual elderly person had any input? After all, the elder policies in place affect seniors’ lives and therefore should be scrutinized by the seniors themselves.

Here is your chance to be heard.

“Eastern Agency on Aging is holding five forums in our four counties,” said Noelle Merrill, executive director of Eastern Agency on Aging. “These grassroots events are designed so elders and caregivers can review suggested topics and brainstorm any other ideas worthy of legislative effort in the future.”

So here is how it will work. The participants at these forums will be given a list of topics, about which they will hear explanations. There will be a question and answer period to ensure complete understanding. Smaller groups will then be arranged. There will be three key questions to be tackled for each topic. The questions are: What does this issue mean to you? What do you want to do about it? What needs to be done to make it happen?

“These forums are a great way for seniors to have their voices heard because we are certainly interested in their thoughts and opinions,” said Merrill.

The topics are:

. Healthy aging.

. Elder safety and protection.

. Creative housing and services.

. Caregivers of long-term care services.

. Transportation.

. Community involvement and volunteerism.

. Other important issues.

“Each of these smaller groups, after pondering the questions, will use their answers to develop their own set of resolutions which they will bring to the larger group,” said Merrill. “But it doesn’t stop there. The larger group will then choose the most important resolutions to present at the Blaine House Conference on Aging.”

Again, here is your chance to be heard.

“From the forums, delegates will be chosen to attend the Blaine House Conference on Aging which will be held on Sept. 21 at the Augusta Civic Center,” said Merrill.

“This all-day event will be a gathering of the state’s elders, care providers and others interested in the future of aging in the state of Maine,” she said. “The conference will provide the governor and the Legislature with resolutions that will help guide them in policy and funding decisions as the elderly population in the state of Maine rapidly increases. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this event and the importance of having seniors in attendance.”

The Bangor forum will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at Freese’s Assisted Living in downtown Bangor.

It is not often that people get to form policy that affects their lives. This is a golden opportunity to constructively supply lawmakers with an accurate and in-depth portrayal of what life is like for seniors in Maine, and what needs to be done to improve the quality of that life.

To obtain more information, or if you are interested in attending a forum, call Kelley Hamrick at Eastern Agency on Aging, 941-2865, or e-mail her at khamrick@eaaa.org.

“We welcome any and all ideas that should be discussed at these forums,” said Merrill. “Our goal, as always, at Eastern is to help seniors live well and age well and then have the best life possible. And we can’t do that without their input of what they need. While space is limited, I encourage people to come to a forum and perhaps be a delegate. Their voices need to be heard.”

For a list of dates and locations of other forums, visit www.eaaa.org.

Carol Higgins is director or communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865, email info@eaaa.org, or log on www.eaaa.org.