DEBUT! 10/20/21 50+ Aging in Rural Maine: “A View From Augusta”-What the Maine Legislature Did in 2021 for Older Mainers

Producer/Host: Suzanne Carmichael, AARP Maine volunteer

Issues that AARP Maine worked on during the 2021 Maine legislative session
-New retirement savings plan
-Prescription drug bills
-Internet bills
-Long-term family caregiver issues
-Relevance of voting laws to older Mainers
-New law protecting vulnerable road users

Guests:
Japhet Els, Advocacy and Outreach Director for AARP Maine
Bridget Quinn, Advocacy and Outreach Director for AARP Maine

About the host:

Suzanne Spitz Carmichael is a retired public interest attorney. She was the Executive Director/lobbyist for three state-wide Ralph Nader consumer groups (Ohio, New York & Maine). Another position was as Maine’s first state-wide ombudsman (for the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.) She has also been a freelance journalist writing primarily for the New York Times and other national publications. Other professional work included a stint as the Associate Producer of documentaries for the Seattle NBC affiliate for which she won a regional Emmy, and two jobs directing grant-making foundations. Suzanne has also offered public relations workshops and consulting services for non-profits and artists throughout the country. She notes that “My only background concerning issues facing older Mainers is that I’m 77, have lived in Deer Isle year ’round since 1997, and seem to always be analyzing issues as they happen to me or folks I know.”