Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Conference offers information on healthy aging
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Contact for more information:
Betty Vawter Senior Editor, News & Information Services 812/480-1873 Presented by the College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging, the event will be held August 18-19 in the University Center. The conference features national and local speakers and offers sessions on topics ranging from healthy aging to coping with illness. Dr. Paul D. Nussbaum, a clinical neuropsychologist with 25 years experience in the care of older persons suffering dementia and related disorders, will present the keynote address "Brain Health across the Lifespan" on the opening day. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he is chair of the advisory board for Alzheimer's Prevention of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. His books include Save Your Brain and Your Brain Health Lifestyle: Application to the School, Library, Corporate Setting, and Home. Dr. Gregory Gramelspacher, director of the palliative care program at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis, will present the first-day closing session called "Is a Good Death Still Possible?" He will discuss the difference between hospice and palliative care and how palliative care is a bridge between hospital and home or extended care. Dr. Corinne Rieder, executive director and treasurer of the Hartford Foundation, is keynote speaker on the second day. She will identify barriers to improving the healthcare of older people and steps the social work and nursing communities, as well as other health professionals, need to take to provide better healthcare and social services for America's rapidly aging population. In a telephone interview, Rieder said the percentage of Americans age 65 or older is over 13 percent and will rise to 20 percent by 2030. She will address the greater need of older adults for healthcare services as well as the growing demand for healthcare professionals trained to care for older adults. She said the elderly experience higher rates of chronic illness. Eighty-six percent of people over 65 have at least one chronic condition and 50 percent have two or more. "Older adults make up 50 percent of hospital occupancy, 70 percent of home healthcare, and 90 percent of nursing home occupancy. Older adults with multiple chronic diseases make 37 visits to 14 different physicians who prescribe 50 separate prescriptions in the course of a year," she said. Previously associated with Columbia University, Rieder was named to her present role in 1998. The Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is dedicated to improving healthcare for older adults. Phillip Gulley, closing speaker on the second day, is an author and pastor of Fairfield Friends Meeting House in Danville, Indiana. His topic is "The Gift of Years." Gulley's books include Front Porch Tales, Hometown Tales, and For Everything a Season. The conference program is designed for older adults, family members, caregivers, nurses, social workers, employees working in long-term care settings, nursing home administrators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, dental professionals, and case managers. Concurrent sessions will offer topics such as brain health/fitness, community resources, yoga, tai chi, incontinence, guardianship, naturally occurring retirement communities, dental health, Medicare and Medicaid, dietary supplements, and discharge planning. The exhibit hall will feature representatives from more than 30 area organizations. For information on registration and costs, call USI Extended Services at 812/464-1989 or 800/467-8600, or go to http://health.usi.edu/maia2010/default.asp |
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