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9/9/2024
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Carson’s commission studying services for older Rhode Islanders to meet in Warwick Sept. 18
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Speaker Shekarchi to participate
STATE HOUSE – The House commission studying services and programs for older adults in Rhode Island, led by Rep. Lauren H. Carson, will meet at in Warwick Sept. 18 for a conversation on ageism. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi will take part, providing opening remarks.
The meeting, which is open to all members of the public, will take place Sept. 18 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Pilgrim Senior Center, 27 Pilgrim Parkway, Warwick.
The Special Legislative Commission to Study and Provide Recommendations Pertaining to Services and Coordination of State Programs Relating to Older Adult Rhode Islanders has been meeting since September to study the state’s resources and services for older adults and ways to improve them as the population of older Rhode Islanders increases. Currently, more than 240,000 Rhode Islanders are age 60 or older. That number is expected to increase to almost 265,000 by 2040.
At the Warwick meeting, the commission will present an update on its activities and hold a conversation about language, ageism and culture.
In addition to opening remarks from Speaker Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick), the event will include an overview of the study commission’s work by Warwick Senior Services Director and commission member Meg Underwood; a presentation on the Senior Fellows Program by James Burke Connell of Age-Friendly RI, also a commission member; and a presentation on language and aging by Dr. Phillip Clark, Director of Gerontology at University of Rhode Island.
“It’s very clear that the population of older Rhode Islanders is increasing rapidly, and we need to make sure our state has the services and resources ready to meet its needs effectively and efficiently. I’m excited to bring our commission around the state to talk about what we’ve determined so far, and to hear from the public, especially seniors, about what they believe would be most valuable in the future,” said Representative Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport). “At the Warwick meeting, we’ll be having a lively conversation about ageism, and how the words we choose when discussing age impact the perception we have of older people.”
This is the second of three on-location public meetings the commission is holding; one was held in Newport in July, and the other is planned Oct. 18 in South Kingstown at location yet to be determined.
Besides Chairwoman Carson, who sponsored the legislation creating the commission (2023-H 5224A), Underwood and Connell, the commission includes Rep. Thomas E. Noret (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick), Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung (R-Dist. 15, Cranston), Office of Healthy Aging Director Maria E. Cimini, Nancy Sutton of the Department of Health, AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor, Edward King House Executive Director Carmela A. Geer, Coventry Human Services Director Robert Robillard Jr., Paul Salera of the Rhode Island RI Association of Community Action Agencies, Paula McFarland of the Rhode Island Long Term Care Coordinating Council, Linda A’Vant-Deishinni of the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island, Robert Marshall of the Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council, former AARP RI Director Kathleen Connell and Maureen Maigret, chairwoman of the Aging in Community Subcommittee of the state’s Long Term Care Coordinating Council.
The commission is studying key statistics about services for older adults in Rhode Island, examining strengths, vulnerabilities, and demographic and financial statistics; assess the current state, federal and local services currently available, as well as any duplication of services; recommend ways to coordinate services within agencies and focus on better service delivery, including housing options and various living arrangements, health status and health care resources; provide recommendations for the creation of a portal to coordinate aging services in employment, education, independent living, accessibility and advocacy, as well as local older adult centers and services; provide recommendations on mental health, transportation, food access, and health care; provide recommendations for the funding of services through state, federal and private grants and for more efficient distribution and use of these dollars; and explore more regionalization of services.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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