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3/11/2025
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Carson appointed to Advisory Commission on Aging; Her commission studying services for older Rhode Islanders to meet at Senior Agenda Coalition forum Friday
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STATE HOUSE – Rep. Lauren H. Carson has been appointed by Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi to the Office of Healthy Aging’s Advisory Commission on Aging.
The Speaker appointed Representative Carson to the 25-member commission that advises the governor and the director of the Office on Healthy Aging on policies because of her leadership in developing policy to strengthen services to Rhode Island’s growing older population.
Since 2023, Representative Carson has been leading a special House commission studying services and programs for older adults in Rhode Island.
That commission will hold its next meeting in conjunction with a Senior Agenda Coalition Forum Friday, offering an opportunity for Senior Agenda members and others to participate.
Before her commission’s meeting, Representative Carson will take part in the forum, offering remarks on behalf of the House of Representatives, alongside Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence), who will represent the Senate. The two legislators will also participate in the forum’s question-and-answer session. The Senior Agenda Coalition Forum is scheduled Friday, March 14, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza hotel, 801 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick.
Representative Carson’s legislative study commission on services for older Rhode Islanders will hold its meeting following the question-and-answer session, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The commission’s agenda includes opening remarks by Chairwoman Carson; an overview of the study commission by member and Coventry Director of Human Services Robert Robillard Jr., and a presentation on a University of Massachusetts Study on Older Adults in RI by gerontology professor Beth Dugan. Public testimony will be taken at this meeting as time allows.
The meeting will be televised on Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.
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 for over a year 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.
Besides Chairwoman Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport), the commission includes Rep. Thomas E. Noret (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick), 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, Warwick Senior Services Director Meg Underwood, 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, James Burke Connell of Age-Friendly RI, Carol Anne Costa 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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