Business leaders and health-care providers for the elderly are taking a look into the future and what impact the so-called “silver tsunami” will have in Maine. This silver tsunami is the latest name for the baby boomer generation, as it grows older.

On Thursday, Nov. 21, MemoryWorks will present an all-day conference and expo called “The Economics of Aging in Maine” to be held at the Abromson Center and Hannaford Hall on the University of Southern Maine Portland campus. It will focus on the economic impact anticipated as the population continues to age in Maine. Those expected to attend include businesses, elder care providers and the elder community. Anyone who wants to know more about this issue is welcome. (MemoryWorks is described as a new resource for the dementia-care community in Maine and was founded in the spring of 2013.)

Topics being addressed include demographics, trends in spending, changes in income, the workplace, shortages in personnel for elder care, long-term care and identifying seniors in need of dementia care.

“The most significant impact on Maine’s economy for the next 30 years will be the Silver Tsunami. It will impact our workforce. It will strain our health care and elder care dollars. For those who become caregivers of elder relatives, they will find their time and activities ever more limited. Who will be paying for end-of-life care for 350,000 seniors in the next 20 to 30 years? This conference is a start. It is the first in a series,” says MemoryWorks founder Ken Capron.

“We need to bring a lot of awareness to a lot of people in a very short span of time. Maine is already behind the timeline for addressing the impact of the Silver Tsunami.” For more information and registration, see http://memoryworks.org.

Kay Soldier welcomes reader ideas for column topics of interest to seniors. She can be reached by email at kso48@aol.com, or write to 114 Tandberg Trail, Windham, ME 04062.

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