Anna Bryan at the 33rd Annual Maine Geriatrics Conference

In May 2026, I attended the Maine Geriatrics Conference in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Maine Geriatrics Conference is an annual conference which brings together health and social practitioners, third-sector organisations, governmental organisations, and academics from across my home state. 

It was my second year attending this conference, which is one of my favourite conferences that I’ve attended during my PhD. I particularly enjoyed how community-based the presentations were – particularly in how they demonstrated successful methods for implementing research into practice. By having the focus be on initiatives in Maine – one of the ‘oldest’ (by median age) states in the US – I could really see the importance of considering context when working to make meaningful change. 
 

In addition to the Maine-specific presentations and workshops, there were also several inspirational keynote lectures, including ‘There’s no expiration date on healing and transformation: what most resilient older adults teach us about aging’ by Regina Koepp, a clinical psychologist in Vermont, USA. Regina spoke about the capacity for mental resilience throughout the lifespan, opening with a personal story that led her to her professional goals. I was particularly touched by Dr. Koepp’s insights on post-traumatic growth at any age. 

I was also inspired by Joseph Skrajewski’s talk: ‘Advancements in education on addiction: finding hope and healing in recovery’. Similar to Dr. Koepp, Mr. Skrajewski intertwined his own personal story in with his presentation, help facilitating a strong emotional connection to the importance of his work in addiction recovery. Both Dr. Koepp and Mr. Skrajewski’s presentation left a message of hope: it’s never too late to heal. 

As I hope to work in Maine following my PhD, attending this conference provided me with valuable networking connections and contributed to my insights on work being done in the state. The talks and exhibits also made me think about how there are topics currently brought the forefront of Maine ageing discussions – such as ageism – that could be explored more in Scotland. By speaking about my research to attendees who worked in care homes, I was also able to consider which elements of my work are useful and/or transferrable to care home contexts in Maine.