Collins joins top 50 influencers in aging

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Susan Collins has been selected as one of Next Avenue’s top-50 Influencers in Aging for 2015 for her work as chairman of the Senate Aging Committee and as an advocate for seniors nationwide. Next Avenue is a national media service for America’s 50+ population that appears on PBS. Its mission is to “meet the needs and unleash the potential of older Americans through the power of media.”According to Next Avenue officials, as the chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, Collins has focused on three major priorities: investing in biomedical research targeting diseases that disproportionately affect older Americans, such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes; protecting seniors against financial exploitation and scams; and improving retirement security.Upon receiving this recognition, Collins was asked, “If you could change one thing about aging in America, what would it be?” She said, “I would change attitudes so that America’s seniors are afforded the dignity, safety and security they have earned through lifetimes of contribution.”Other leaders selected for this honor include: California’s former first lady, Maria Shriver, for her work as an advocate for change in the lives of America’s women, notably in the areas of unpaid caregiving and Alzheimer’s disease; Dr. Atul Gawande, for his role in pushing for patient-centered care for the terminally ill; and Music legend Glen Campbell, for his participation in documentary Glen Campbell … I’ll Be Me, the award-winning film depicting his final multi-city tour after his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis.