Tom Meuser co-authors letter on aging and health published in the Portland Press Herald
Tom Meuser, Ph.D., founding director of the Center for Excellence in Aging and Health (CEAH), co-authored a letter with Heather DiYenno, director of the Institute for Integrative Aging at Saint Joseph鈥檚 College, that was recently published in the .
In the letter, titled 鈥淐oronavirus offers lessons on aging and health,鈥 Meuser and DiYenno comment that the wellbeing of older adults is front and center in our public consciousness during the coronavirus outbreak, creating a cultural shift.
They write, 鈥淎merican culture tends to emphasize youth, vitality, beauty, and accomplishments of body and mind. These terms can be applied at any age, of course, but our discourse on aging often leans to the negative. Inaccurate and often harmful 鈥榦ld person鈥 stereotypes pale in the present crisis, replaced by honest valuing and care for our aging neighbors.鈥
They go on to thank readers by saying, 鈥淎s Maine faces one of its biggest public health challenges, we are struck by the deep commitment and shared purpose uniting our communities. This mobilization is both astounding and gratifying to witness.鈥