Courtney Thorn, left, and Amanda Payne presented a poster in April at the On Aging conference in Atlanta. The presentation dealt with research on the beneficial effect of attendance at Project Independence on perceptions of loneliness among participants.

ATLANTA — Elderly Services Social Worker Amanda Payne and Health Educator Courtney Thorn attended the On Aging conference, hosted by the American Society on Aging, in Atlanta in April of 2026 on behalf of ESI and Project Independence.

During their time at the conference, Amanda and Courtney presented a poster on the data they collected on levels of loneliness among PI participants. Both staff members were also able to attend multiple seminars on various topics related to aging, providing them with helpful information and resources they were excited to bring back to our community.

The trip to the Atlanta conference was a follow-up to a presentation in October 2025 by Courtney and Middlebury College senior Claire Perry, who collaborated on a poster presentation at the fourth annual Health Equity Summit at the University of Vermont. They presented the preliminary results of the “Loneliness Survey” conducted at Project, which showed a statistically significant relationship between attendance at Project and a decrease in loneliness.

Perry worked with Elderly Services as a fellow for the New Perennials at Middlebury College, a community outreach initiative that pairs students with local organizations for experiential learning.