LEWISTON – The 2023 Aging Well Living Well Expo presented by SeniorsPlus kicks off on Friday, September 29 with a breakfast keynote address by Mary Lou Ciolfi, JD, MS, a Senior Program Manager at the University of Maine Center on Aging. Featuring workshops and lectures, the day-long event is a learning opportunity, and will be held at the Grand Summit Hotel and Conference Center at Sunday River in Newry.
The Aging Well Living Well Expo is presented by the nonprofit SeniorsPlus, the designated Area Agency on Aging for Western Maine. Tickets for the Expo, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on September 29, are $35 per person and include breakfast and lunch, as well as entrance to workshops. Registration can be completed by calling 1-800-427-1241 or at seniorsplus.org/AWLW, where a complete schedule of programming can be found. Raffle tickets may be purchased at the event for an additional fee. Seats are limited; advance registration is strongly recommended.
Ciolfi is a Senior Program Manager at the University of Maine Center on Aging where she has recently directed a national project creating a Designation of Excellence in person-centered long-term care. The title of her presentation will be “Looking Forward to Our Own Aging? It Shouldn’t Be This Hard.” She will share insight into about the root causes of ageist ideas and attitudes such as “anti-aging” and “greedy geezer,” and what we can all do to support a positive shift in our beliefs about aging and older people.
The workshops and programs attendees choose from cover a spectrum of topics including law, health, exercise, cooking, and art. Workshop titles range from “Card Making” to “Lifelong Learning and the Brain,” to “Self Defense for Older Adults” and “Know Your Rights: A Primer on the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Workshops run 75 minutes each. In addition there will be a musical jam session, as well as a vaccination clinic offered by SeniorsPlus in conjunction with Northern Light Health. Flu and COVID vaccinations will be available to anyone over the age of 18. If interested, please be sure to bring your insurance card with you and check “interested” on the registration form. Exhibitor booths and displays provide an opportunity to learn about a variety of products, services, and information.
Almost 300 attendees attended the Expo in 2019, the last year it was held; 2023 will mark the thirteenth year that the event has been presented.
SeniorsPlus is grateful for the support of its sponsors of Expo: Turner Publishing, Inc., Healey & Associates, VRI & New England Emergency Response Systems, Aetna Medicare Solutions, Martin’s Point Healthcare, Richard Brothers Financial Advisors, and University Credit Union.
