By Susan E. Bouchard (Photographs by Susan E. Bouchard) Building senior power through organizing was the focus of the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island’s tenth annual conference and expo at the Crowne Plaza on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. Keynote speaker Jaime Estades encouraged the more than 300 gathered to learn to organize their power…

By Susan E. Bouchard (Photographs by Susan E. Bouchard) Bringing together people of all faiths to help older adults stay connected was the central theme of The Third Age: The Role of Faith-Based Communities in Elder Care conference at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. Maureen Maigret, chair of the Aging…

Building an Age-Friendly Rhode Island requires advocacy on many levels – with members of Congress, the state legislature and executive branches, municipal leaders, businesses and importantly, those who will benefit from age-friendly activities. While our focus is on making our state more age-friendly for older persons, age-friendly initiatives also benefit persons in all age groups…

By Susan E. Bouchard (Photographs by Susan E. Bouchard and Lynda Read) “I felt like the outside didn’t match the inside. I still felt young, but suddenly other people didn’t always see me that way.” Hannah Slachek, 71, of Pawtucket, R.I., recalls thinking she was too young for the “senior” center, but she decided to…

By Susan E. Bouchard (Photographs by Susan E. Bouchard and Lynda Read) Sometimes people use the phrase “being on an island” as a metaphor for isolationism, being alone and cut off from the rest of the world. But on the small island of Jamestown, R.I., this couldn’t be further from the truth. Quickly becoming one…