Schedule - Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Session Schedule

Keynote Speaker: Wendy Lustbader, MSW
Author, Teacher and Therapist
Life Gets Better: The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Older
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                                  Go to Thursday Sessions

Creative Responses to Depression
People coping with illness and dependency tend to report symptoms of sleeplessness, diminished appetite, poor concentration, and low energy upon awakening.  Do these symptoms stem from grief or depression? Those contending with the multiple losses may be experiencing several griefs at once: lost physical powers, altered relationships with loved ones, relinquishment of favorite activities, and diminished self-esteem.  This workshop will explore both depression and grief in depth, examining the distinctions between them and the difference responses they require.

Wendy Lustbader, MSW

Sharon Denham, RN, DSN

Kidney Disease in Older Adults: an Unrecognized Epidemic or Normal Aging?
Approximately one-third of adults over age 70 have chronic kidney disease. Despite the clear existence of a decline in kidney function with age, it is unclear if this is due to normal aging, or an increase in age-related risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure.

Michelle Odden, PhD

Patient-Centered to Person-Directed Care: Journeys to Self-Determination
The past 25 years have seen growing emphasis on quality of life and self-determination in all aspects of health care and support services. This includes the Planetree model that began in acute care, person-centered planning pioneered by advocates working with people with developmental disabilities, and efforts by the Pioneer Network in a variety of long-term care settings. Similar efforts are seen through the Aging & Disability Resource Centers which support options counseling to support self-determination for those needing long-term services and supports. This session will identify the common threads that run through these efforts, explore the challenges in implementing, evaluating, and sustaining practices that promote self-determination, and consider next steps.

Diana White, PhD

Carolyn Mendez-Luck, PhD

Video Series Summary

Understanding the Effects of Hunger on Seniors and the Barriers in Using SNAP
Senior hunger is a local as well as a national concern. Currently, only one out of every three qualifying seniors receives the nutritional assistance they need and deserve. This presentation will outline what hunger looks like, the effects of hunger on the body and life of a senior. Through interactive group work, participants will glimpse the barriers that many seniors and disabled face in attaining the nutrition they need. 

Judith Auslander, MA

Cognitive Training and Rehabilitation: Best Practices to Maximize Memory Ability in Older Adulthood
Millions of older adults are suffering from impaired memory and attention. These deficits can affect where someone can live, how much support they will need, and their quality of life. Although recent research has found that memory enhancement interventions are effective at preventing further decline and improving memory abilities, these resources are not widely available to professionals who work with older adults or people who have experienced traumatic brain injury. In this cutting edge course, participants will learn up-to-date information about memory, aging, and dementia. They will learn how to implement evidence-based interventions to slow or even reverse memory problems. Participants will be provided access to approximately 20 cognitive stimulation activities that are adaptable to a wide range of abilities.

Rob Winningham, PhD

Diet and the Older Adult
Unlike many disease factors, such as genetics, gender and age, diet is a risk factor that can be changed positively (or negatively) to reduce (or increase) the risk of disease. Nutritional health throughout a lifetime influences how a person will age; in turn, the process of aging affects nutrition. By the end of this presentation, participations will be able to describe the unique nutritional needs of older adults, examine the importance of psychosocial factors that contribute to weight loss or obesity and describe key strategies clinicians can use to assist seniors with healthy weight management and optimal nutrition.

Kimberly La Croix, MPH, RD

Dealing with Difficult People
Certain personality traits can make quality relationships difficult to maintain.  Caring for individuals who are demanding, manipulative or resistive make a caregiving situation even more stressful.  Understanding such behaviors and how to cope with them is the focus of this workshop.

Wendy Lustbader, MSW

The Human-Animal Bond and Older Adults
In this presentation the role that companion pets play in the lives of older adults will be highlighted.  Research on specific benefits regarding emotional and physical health will be presented.  The impact of pet relinquishment, illness and death of companion pets on older adults and resultant grief will also discussed.

Tamina Toray, PhD

Video Series:  
10:00 - 11:30 - Young @ Heart

Noon - 1:00 - Keynote Speaker -  Wendy Lustbader, MSW

Life Gets Better: The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Older
Our national conversation about aging is still laden with negative stereotypes and disparaging attitudes. This session demonstrates how life improves as we get older in ways having nothing to do with the body. Becoming aware of these advantages, acknowledging them in ourselves and others, and finding the words to name them is a great boon in later life. Identifying the gains of growing older can be an exciting process of se1f-awareness, as well as the genesis of pleasurable and productive exchanges with others. Practitioners in the field of aging who develop their own self-awareness in this regard tend to project an ever-deepening respect for the elders they serve.

Therapeutic Touch for the Older Adult
Workshop on Therapeutic Touch: Presentation will include brief history of its development, an overview of the steps, current research studies, clinical applications, benefits to practitioner and clients, and a short demonstration of modality as well as participant exercises to experience energetic field and cues.

Cordy Anderson, RN, BSN

Implications of the Federal Deficit and Debt on Older Americans and Their Services
After briefly reviewing where things stand with the federal budget and deficits and debt, we will consider how the constant fiscal pressure may alter core programs for the aged.  While fiscal pressures are unavoidable, the actual policy effects for the aged are not so clear.  Politics and the possibilities of state variation may lead to more creativity than simple math suggests.

Mark Henkels, PhD

Guardianships and Conservatorships:  Basics for Healthcare Workers
In Oregon, a Guardian is appointed when someone is needed to make decisions about health care and other personal matters. A Conservator is appointed when someone is needed to manage money and property. This panel presentation will look at the fiduciary responsibilities of both, and review case studies for situation identification, problem solving and resolution.

Hospice Care for Older Adults
The Clinical Management Team from Benton Hospice Service will discuss who qualifies for hospice care, how to get started with a hospice program, what hospice care has to offer and how hospice care is paid for. The presenters will present a few examples of the effectiveness of hospice care by sharing examples from their work in the field. The audience will also have an opportunity to learn about community supports through hospice: transitions, grief counseling, caregiver education and support.

Dana Evans, LCSW

Reenie Schwallie, RN, BSN, CHPN

Extraordinary Case Management: Focus on the Individual
This seminar will focus on the importance of “case management”, a term not completely understood or agreed upon, but used in a variety of settings in different ways! Session will focus on the different aspects of case management and care management, with an emphasis on comprehensive assessment and creating a “life care plan”.

Gail Haskett, MA, CMC

In Home Technology and its Implications for Persons with Dementia and Their Families
Newly developed home monitoring and assistive technologies are being used to enhance the health and independence of older adults, to identify early changes in behavior, and to facilitate adaptations to those changes. The deployment of these technologies in homes of persons with dementia is an area of burgeoning research interest, with implications for both diagnostic and caregiving activities. After attending this session, participants will: understand how in-home technologies are being used to monitor changes in behavior in persons with dementia; understand the role of such technologies in aiding caregivers; and understand how perceptions and attitudes toward technology affect acceptance by older adults.

Katherine Wild, PhD

Way Finding for Older Adults in Health Care Facilities
This presentation will discuss wayfinding strategies focusing on facilities for the elderly. Information based on various research results will be shared. Various wayfinding aids will be introduced to help elderly people’s wayfinding.

Seunghae Lee, PhD

Gail Hand

Geezer Gallery: Art for the Older Adult
The National Center for Creativity and Aging, and other countless researchers have conducted ground breaking research about the profound physical, emotional, mental, and social benefits that participation in the arts has on older adults. Rarely do you hear from the artists themselves, the art teachers, and community leaders involved in innovative high quality arts programming that produce profound results! Here is your chance to experience interactive presentations and dialog from these individuals.

This session is designed to inspire and provoke the courage to become a generation of dedicated individuals that are “beyond bingo”. It is about creating a new paradigm of healthy aging initiatives and recognizing the power of the arts.

Amy Henderson, MS
Panel:
Harriet Levi
Cheryl  Rogers
Janet Holt
Ashlea Starns

Parkinson's Disease: It's Not Just About the Tremor, Cognitive and Mood Changes
Parkinson's Disease is a clinical diagnose based on a number of motor symptoms which are often the most overt symptoms in this illness. This presentation will review the many non-motor common and QOL challenging symptoms seen in those with Parkinson's Disease as well as reviewing treatment approaches. There will also be information provided about Lewy Body Disease which has great overlap with Parkinson's Disease.

Maureen Nash, MD