Lori Parham has been interested in aging issues her entire life. Her childhood felt like growing up with the Golden Girls, she says, because she spent so much time with her grandmothers and their friends. “I work every day to show that age is just a number,” she says. “No one should be limited by age. I try to make the point to lawmakers, nonprofits, businesses, and others that people over 50 bring value to Maine in so many ways.” The state director of AARP Maine has worked for the AARP for over 13 years. Part of working with the aging population has been dealing with end of life issues. Parham previously served as a hospice volunteer and did her doctoral research on hospice care in nursing homes. To help cities and towns prepare for an aging population, she has helped almost 60 Maine communities join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, which provides resources so people can stay in their homes. “Across the country people over 50 tell us they want to age in place in their homes and communities,” she says. “Maine is the oldest state, so the need here is greater in the short term.” Parham says supporting people who want to age in place is possible because “Mainers are innovative, and in Maine change happens at the local level.”