Professional Development | Center for Aging and Translational Research

Past Offerings

2018-2019

Social Isolation and Connection: Opportunities for Communication Technologies

Social Isolation and Connection: Opportunities for Communication Technologies

Instructor: Erin Ruppel, PhD

Friday, June 14, 2019 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

As they age, people often experience declines in hearing, vision, and mobility, putting them at increased risk for social isolation. Alleviating social isolation can help improve physical and mental health outcomes in older adults. One way in which social isolation might be addressed is through the use of newer communication technologies such as text messaging and video calls (e.g., Skype). In this session, we will examine emerging research on communication technology use and explore how that research can be used to improve social connection among older adults.

The session will cover four primary topics. First, we will review how communicative difficulties such as hearing, vision, and mobility loss can result in social isolation and poor physical and mental health. Second, we will discuss how and why communication technologies might improve social, mental, and physical outcomes for older adults. Third, we will examine potential barriers to effective communication technology adoption and use among older adults. Finally, we will consider how professionals and practitioners in aging and related fields can use this knowledge to improve social connection and health among older adults.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Explain the associations between communicative difficulties, social isolation, and health.
Describe the mechanisms through which communication technologies can facilitate social connection for older adults.
Summarize factors that can encourage or discourage use of communication technologies in older adults.
List at least two strategies for increasing effective communication technology use in older adults.

Instructor
Erin Ruppel, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at UWM and an Affiliated Scientist for the UWM Center for Aging and Translational Research. She received her PhD in Communication with a minor in Family Studies from University of Arizona. Her research centers around the intersections of health, interpersonal communication, and communication technologies. Some of her recent projects have investigated such topics as how older adults use communication technologies in their close relationships, how this use relates to well-being, how texting with parents can alleviate stress in first-year college students, and how romantic conflict processes differ in mediated and face-to-face interactions.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

It is also appropriate for caregivers, case managers, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and speech-language pathologists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care
18740 W. Bluemound Road
Brookfield, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
There is free parking directly in front of the building.

Agenda
8:30 am Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00 am Introductions
9:30 am Presentation: An Introduction to Communication Technologies for Social Connection in Older Adults
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Presentation: Improving Outcomes for Older Adults Using Communication Technologies
12:00 pm Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Social Isolation and Connection: Opportunities for Communication Technologies.

The Importance of Health Literacy When Working with Older Adults

The Importance of Health Literacy When Working with Older Adults

Instructor: Kris Barnekow, PhD, OTR/L, IMH-E

Friday, April 26, 2019 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Health literacy affects the ability of older adults to make health decisions and actively participate in health related activities. Persons with inadequate health literacy are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes, morbidity and mortality. While individuals who possess adequate health literacy achieve better health outcomes, an estimated 87 million U.S. adults have low health literacy, with higher rates among the older adult, minority populations, and people with low incomes or education levels.

Health literacy not only includes the abilities or skills of older adults; it also includes professional communication skills and the context or environment with which the information is being disseminated. When all three aspects (person, professional, and environment) are considered, health literacy promotes participation, empowerment, and control over daily life.

During this workshop, participants will learn important information about the role of health literacy in healthy aging and the use of technology to promote health with older adults. Discussion and activities to facilitate professionals’ understanding and competence in health literacy strategies and principles will be presented.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of health literacy, telehealth, and mobile health.
Identify challenges faced with addressing health literacy among older adults.
Identify strategies for promoting health literacy with older adults.

Instructor
Kris Barnekow, PhD, OTR/L, IMH-E is an Occupational Therapist and Associate Professor for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the College of Health Sciences. She has served families of children enrolled in services through Milwaukee County’s Birth to 3 Program and currently supports the interdisciplinary autism diagnostic team through the UWM LEND:Link clinic. Her special interests include health literacy, early intervention, social-emotional screening for parents and children with special health care needs, and infant mental health.

Barnekow’s clinical experience has provided her with an understanding of the importance of family empowerment and navigation through systems of care. Barnekow aims to collaborate with scholars who have a shared interest in investigating the relation between health literacy concepts, early identification of social-emotional disorders, and promotion of optimal outcomes for children with special health care needs. Her interest in promoting health literacy for all ages has led to the development of a special topics course for occupational therapist students at UW-Milwaukee focused on health communication with an emphasis on health literacy, telehealth, and mobile health.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Milwaukee Catholic Home – Residence Building
2462 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Agenda
8:30 am       Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00 am       Introductions
9:15 am       Presentation: An Introduction to Health Literacy, Mobile Health and Telehealth
10:15 am       Break
10:30 am       Presentation: Application of Health Literacy Principles and Strategies with Older Adults
12:00 pm       Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for The Importance of Health Literacy When Working with Older Adults.

Connecting to the Future: Using the Power of the Mind and Relationships to Positively Impact the Aging Process

Connecting to the Future: Using the Power of the Mind and Relationships to Positively Impact the Aging Process

Instructor: Lynda Markut, LSW, MS

Friday, May 17, 2019 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Alzheimer’s Association

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

What are you expecting from life as you age? Are you aware of how you can impact your aging? Come and find out what you need to know to age well. During this session, we will utilize Gene Cohen’s book, The Mature Mind, to better understand the positive power of our mind as we age. We will also review how we develop throughout our lifespan, especially later in life. Dr. Cohen reminds us that late life is the time to tell our stories, redirect our energies, and reflect on our contributions.

This session will also highlight the work of Dr. Amy Banks and her book, Wired to Connect. We will discuss her C.A.R.E. program, an innovative way to build and improve relationships in your life. We will also explore the impact of relationships and social supports on our emotional health and well-being. We will look at the importance of adapting to change and remaining engaged in life. You will hear from panel members, who could become your role models for aging. They will share their life stories and suggestions for keeping engaged in life and connected to others. Come and join us on this journey!

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the connection between the brain and healthy relationships.
Identify three stages of development as one ages.
Identify the components of the C.A.R.E. program.
Identify three strategies to promote healthy aging.

Instructor
Lynda A. Markut, LSW, MS, is a Licensed Social Worker in both Illinois and Wisconsin, has counseled individuals with various mental health diagnoses and/or dementia and provided services to their families for over 30 years. She facilitates Alzheimer’s disease/dementia support groups with a wellness focus. She has extensive clinical, educational, personal, and practical experience.

Lynda has presented on various aspects of aging, caregiving, and innovative approaches to dementia care needs of seniors and their families on local, state, national, and international levels. She has been interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio a number of times. She co-authored “Dementia Caregivers Share Their Stories: A Support Group in a Book,” published by Vanderbilt University Press. She is currently serving as the Education and Family Support Coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Wisconsin and is a frequently requested conference speaker.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Wisconsin
620 South 76th Street, Suite 160
Milwaukee, WI 53214

Use this address in GPS for Parking Lot: 7475 Main Street (between 76^th & 70^th)
Get directions here.

Parking
A large parking lot is located to the south of the building. Enter off Main Street. Parking is free.

Agenda
8:30 am Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00 am Introductions
9:15 am Presentation: Connecting to the Future: Emphasizing Gene Cohen’s Work
10:30 am   Break
10:45 am   Presentation: The Care System and Relationships
12:00 pm   Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Connecting to the Future: Using the Power of the Mind and Relationships to Positively Impact the Aging Process.

Effects of Tai Chi Exercise on Motor Function in Older Adults

Effects of Tai Chi Exercise on Motor Function in Older Adults

Instructor: Saira Talwar, MS

Friday, March 1, 2019 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese martial-art-type of low-intensity exercise. It has been studied in older adults and has shown to improve strength, cardiovascular function, balance, and flexibility. Practicing Tai Chi has also been linked to reducing falls and the fear of falling. According to the United States Census Bureau, by 2060, one in four people will be over the age of 65. Aging is an inevitable process. It is described as the gradual deterioration of the body’s ability to respond to environmental stimuli. The rate we age is dictated by our genetics, acquired disease, selected nutrition, activity level, and intoxicant use.

Fine and gross motor function help us complete activities of daily living. Dexterity, depth perception, prehension (or grasp), proprioception (sensation or body awareness in space), balance, and locomotion are all factors that make up motor function. One or more of these factors may decline as we age and, in turn, may compromise our ability to complete everyday simple tasks such as dressing, eating, ambulating, or even bathing, all of which promote independence. This loss of independence forces older adults to rely on healthcare providers or assistive devices to maintain an optimal quality of life.

This session will take a look at the motor skills needed for daily living activities. Recent research about the benefits of using Tai Chi exercise with older adults will be shared. An overview of Tai Chi will be presented and the movements required to perform both Tai Chi exercise and the game of Bingo will be compared. Ideas will be shared about how to incorporate Tai Chi and/or Bingo into routines so that older adults can maintain an optimal quality of life and reduce the need for long-term care.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Identify the properties of fine and gross motor skills required for daily living activities.
Compare and contrast the benefits of Tai Chi and the game of Bingo on fine and gross motor skills.
Develop strategies for incorporating Tai Chi into the routines of older adults.

Instructor
Saira Talwar, MS, is a PhD student at UW-Milwaukee in the Kinesiology Department in the College of Health Sciences and works in the Center of Aging and Translational Research. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree from UW-Madison, she worked as a medical scribe in the Emergency Department of various hospitals in Milwaukee, WI. Her interest redirected from treatment medicine to preventative care, which led her to complete a Master’s degree from Mississippi State University in Exercise Physiology. While at MSU, her research primarily involved improvement of motor function in older individuals through physical activity intervention. She is excited to continue working with the older adult population under Dr. Scott Strath’s advisory in the Physical Activity and Health Research Lab while at UWM.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Milwaukee Catholic Home – Residence Building
2462 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Agenda
8:30 am        Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00 am        Introductions
9:30 am        Presentation: Effects of Tai Chi Exercise Versus Bingo on Motor Skills in Older Adults
10:30 am       Break
10:45 am       Tai Chi Exercise Presentation/Activities to Incorporate in Older Adult Daily Life
11:15 am Q&A/Open Discussion
12:00 pm       Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Effects of Tai Chi Exercise on Motor Function in Older Adults.

Advocating for Older Adults as They Navigate the Complex World of Healthcare

Advocating for Older Adults as They Navigate the Complex World of Healthcare

Instructor: Holly Wesley, MSW, CISW

Friday, January 11, 2019 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

The health care system is a constantly changing maze of options and decisions. Shorter lengths of stay force many older adults to make complex life decisions in short time spans. Choices made for post-hospitalization care can have long-term effects on older adults’ physical, mental, and financial well-being. Problems with dementia, behaviors, or limited financial resources can all impact what services are available. In the midst of a medical crisis, older adults can become vulnerable to being misguided or taken advantage of.

This session will help providers and caregivers understand some of the services available and how to access them. Learning to connect with an interdisciplinary medical team and asking the right questions can aid families and older adults to find the most appropriate setting for after-hospital care. This session will also help providers remain focused on older adults’ individual goals which can often be lost in the fast-paced hospital environment. Pre-planning and proper support can extend older adults’ independence and overall health. Finally, older adults are often presented with conflicting opinions on goals of care and their right to autonomy. Information will be shared about how you can help support them, so they can express their wishes and preserve their right to make their own decisions.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the unique complexities of the older adult population in the healthcare setting.
Gain a general understanding of the common options and supports available post-hospitalization and in the community.
Identify strategies to support older adults and families with decision-making and long-term planning.

Instructor
Holly Wesley, MSW, CISW has been involved in healthcare for over 18 years. She has earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is certified in Wisconsin as an Independent Social Worker. She has worked for Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center since 2000 as a Medical Social Worker on a variety of nursing specialty units. Holly has been a guest faculty speaker for the Marquette University Physician Assistant program for the last 11 years. She also provides on-call social work for Ascension. In the past, she has volunteered with the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team. In her spare time, she is an active member of Syrena Polish Folk Dance Ensemble of Milwaukee where she interacts with people across generations.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus
3800 N. 92^nd Street
Milwaukee, WI 53222
Get directions here.

Parking
There is free parking available in the front of both of the St. Anne’s entrances on 92^nd street.

Agenda
8:30 am      Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00 am      Introductions
9:15 am      Presentation: Hospital Transitions & Decision Making
10:00 am      Community Resources
10:30 am      Break
10:45 am      Presentation: Legal Considerations
11:05 am      Presentation: Independence & Quality of Life
11:45 am      Questions
12:00 pm      Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Advocating for Older Adults as They Navigate the Complex World of Healthcare.

Ethics and Boundaries for Hospice and Palliative Care

Ethics & Boundaries for Hospice and Palliative Care

Instructor: Jeanne L. Wagner, MSW, LCSW

Friday, November 9, 2018 I 8:30 am to 12:30 pm I Tudor Oaks Senior Living Community

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

The management of ethics, boundaries, and confidentiality is especially challenging for human service professionals who provide services for older adults in hospice and palliative care programs. This workshop will address the unique issues encountered when providing these services, including a framework for ethical decision-making.

Participants will be introduced to the numerous ethical issues present in end-of-life care and in-home services. The complicated nature of professional boundaries as well as the range of ethical dilemmas and professional boundaries in regard to the use of technology and social media will be discussed. Participants will gain a better understanding of the models for the ethical decision-making process. Policies, procedures, and protocols that are necessary to address the ethical and boundary concerns in participant’s specific organization will also be addressed. A PowerPoint presentation will be used to guide the interactive discussion. Case examples will be provided by the presenter and will be solicited from the participants for a lively discussion and problem-solving process.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Identify the numerous ethical issues present in older adult hospice and palliative care services.
Develop a model for ethical decision-making.
Understand the complicated nature of professional boundaries.
Identify risks that may affect professional liability.
Identify the intersection of social work and technology, the benefits and risks.

Instructor
Jeanne Wagner, MSW, LCSW is a Clinical Associate Professor and the Director of Field Education Programs for UWM’s Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with extensive clinical, management, and administrative experience. She has worked in a variety of social service settings prior to her appointment with UWM which include: child welfare, adoption, mental health, cognitive disabilities, geriatrics, substance abuse, and private practice. In her leadership roles, she has addressed numerous issues related to professional liability and conflicts within programs including staff complaints and a variety of legal matters. She has served in the role of Ombuds for UWM since 2007 and has ten years of experience in Quality Assurance. She currently teaches courses in social work and develops and presents continuing education programs covering social work ethics and boundaries, leadership and supervision, case management, and safety in the field.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
4.0 CEHs, .4 CEUs (4 clock hours)

Price
$100

Location
Tudor Oaks Senior Living Community
S77 W12929 McShane Drive
Muskego, WI 53150
Get directions here.

Parking
There is free parking available in both the front and the back of the building.

Agenda
8:00 am       Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
8:30 am       Welcome and Introductions
8:45 am       Presentation: Ethical Dilemmas in Hospice and Palliative Care
9:45 am       Break
10:00 am     Presentation: Ethical Decision Making Process
11:00 am      Break
11:15 am      Presentation: Ethical and Boundary Considerations in the Use of Technology
12:15 pm     Questions and Answers
12:30 pm     Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Ethics and Boundaries for Hospice and Palliative Care.

LGBTQ+ Populations and Aging

LGBTQ+ Populations and Aging

Instructor: Jen Murray, MPH

Friday, December 7, 2018 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Saint John’s On the Lake

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

There are an estimated 1.5 million adults over age 65 who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. By 2030, the estimates rise to nearly 3 million. And while no precise data exists on the number of transgender older people nationwide, it is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of older adults who are transgender—with many more likely to identify as transgender over the next few decades. How is aging as an older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender adult different from aging as a heterosexual and/or non-transgender adult and how might we reflect and honor these differences?

This workshop will give attendees a look into the world of older adults who identify as LGBTQ+. We will cover some of the experiences and challenges that are unique to LGBTQ+ older adults and how experiences over a person’s lifetime can affect the aging process. We will talk about some of the obstacles LGBTQ+ seniors face in accessing and trusting their caregivers. Finally, we will give all attendees tools and competency tips to best serve LGBTQ+ clients in an inclusive environment.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of LGBTQ+ cultures, people, experiences, and identities.
Speak with knowledge on methods of being culturally competent with LGBTQ+ aging older adult populations through discussion and scenarios.
Explore personal preconceived beliefs about the LGBTQ+ older adult communities through interactive questions and discussion.
Gain an understanding of various challenges uniquely faced by LGBTQ+ older adults accessing medical and mental health services.

Instructor
Jennifer (Jen) Murray, MPH has been involved in LGBT+ work in higher education settings since 2004. She currently serves as the director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center. Prior to assuming the role of Director in September 2007, she worked as the assistant director for the UWM LGBT Resource Center. As Co-Chair of the UWM Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for LGBT+ Advocacy and a leader of the UWM LGBT Resource Center, she engages in learning as well as sharing about LGBT+ identities, people, communities, and experiences. Using the framework and lens of her lived experience with the Social Justice Training Institute (SJTI), she participates in advocacy, facilitation of trainings, and policy development intentionally focused on inclusion with attention to the interconnected nature of identities. She served two consecutive terms as Recorder with her professional organization, the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals Executive Board. Prior to her time in higher education, Jen served in the United States Peace Corps as a community health volunteer dedicated to sustainable change possibilities within international development work.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Saint John’s On The Lake – Cultural Arts Center
1840 N. Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
Due to construction at Saint John’s, parking information will be provided closer to the scheduled session.

Agenda
8:30 am         Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00 am       Introductions
9:30 am       Presentation: An Introduction to the LGBTQ+ Older Adult Community
10:15 am       Break
10:30 am       Presentation: Expanding LGBTQ+ Older Adult Cultural Competency
12:00 pm      Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for LGBTQ+ Populations and Aging.

Stress Reduction for Older Adults, Healthcare Workers, and Caregivers: A Pathway to Healthy Aging Using Mindfulness Based Activities

Stress Reduction for Older Adults, Healthcare Workers, and Caregivers: A Pathway to Healthy Aging Using Mindfulness-Based Activities

Instructor: Cari Terry, BSE, CYT

Friday, October 26, 2018 I 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm I Tudor Oaks Senior Living Community

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Managing daily stress can be challenging during any stage of life, but it can be especially challenging as one faces the natural changes that occur due to aging. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), in 2012 adults 67 years and older reported levels of stress higher than what they considered healthy. They also found that adults 48 years and older reported that health issues affecting their family and themselves were sources of stress. Prolonged levels of stress can impact the quality of one’s life. Learning strategies to manage stress can lead to a healthier lifestyle. This session will teach practical hands-on mindfulness-based activities for stress reduction in older adults and those who provide care for them. A basic explanation of the physiological effects of stress on mind and body will precede a participation-based exploration of mindful breathing, meditation, chair yoga, and yoga nidra.

Participants will learn about the mechanics of breathing and its effect on physical health and wellness. Attendees will be guided through three different types of mindful breathing. Meditation will be introduced as another technique to counter the three major stress hormones: adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine. Attendees will participate in a short session of both guided meditation and metta (loving kindness) meditation. Suggested resources for breath-work and meditation will be provided. A sample chair yoga class, with a focus on functional daily movement, will provide tips to increase range of motion and cultivate balance. The session will conclude with a presentation on yoga nidra, a companion practice to meditation that systematically induces relaxation. Participants will gain several useful tools for countering the effects of stress in their lives and the lives of the older adults they serve.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the basic mechanics of breathing.
Explain the correlation between the mechanics of breathing and quality of health.
Identify mindful breathing practices to improve the quality of breath.
Gain an understanding of the benefits of using yoga nidra to counter the effects of trauma and insomnia.
Identify gentle movement techniques to stretch muscles and maintain functional range of motion.

Instructor
Cari Terry, BS, CYT, has been studying and practicing mindfulness-based practices for over 20 years. She started her career as an elementary school teacher. In 2011 she combined her background in teaching with her love for yoga and became a yoga instructor. She completed her 200-hour yoga certification through YogaFit and is currently working toward a 500-hour certification. She teaches mindfulness based activities to all ages throughout southeastern Wisconsin and is currently implementing yoga classes for the residents at Tudor Oaks Senior Living Community in Muskego. Cari is also the founder of Simple Joy Yoga, which is focused on facilitating positive growth in the lives of others through teaching breathing techniques, yoga, meditation, and reflective practices.

Special Note
This is a hands-on workshop, so participants should come prepared to participate in both meditation and chair yoga experiences. Comfortable clothing is suggested, although exercise level will be light.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

It is also appropriate for activity coordinators, caregivers, case managers, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, speech-language pathologists, and yoga instructors.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Tudor Oaks Senior Living Community
S77 W12929 McShane Drive
Muskego, WI 53150
Get directions here.

Parking
There is free parking available in both the front and the back of the building.

Agenda
12:30 pm      Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
1:00 pm      Introductions
1:15 pm       Presentation: Mechanics of Healthy Breathing
1:35 pm       Presentation: Meditation, Mindfulness, and Connection
2:20 pm      Presentation: Yoga Nidra: A Companion Practice to Meditation Part 1
2:40 pm      Break
2:55 pm      Presentation/Sample Class: Senior Chair Yoga
3:30 pm      Presentation: Yoga Nidra: A Companion Practice to Meditation Part 2
4:00 pm      Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Stress Reduction for Older Adults, Healthcare Workers, and Caregivers: A Pathway to Healthy Aging Using Mindfulness Based Activities.

The Importance of Speech-Language Pathology as Part of the Rehabilitation Process for Older Adults

The Importance of Speech-Language Pathology as Part of the Rehabilitation Process for Older Adults

Instructor: Julie Lenkiewicz MS, CCC-SLP

Friday, October 12, 2018 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Jewish Home and Care Center

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) reports that the incidence of aphasia with older adults triples between the ages of 65 to 85 years of age and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s doubles every five years starting at the age of 65 years. Conservative estimates indicate that 15% of the older adult population is affected by a swallowing disorder or dysphagia. Speech-language pathologists play an integral role in providing care for older adults during the rehabilitation process. Gaining a better understanding of the role of the speech-language pathologist can add to the quality of care provided. Support from the healthcare team as well as the family, can ease the anxiety that patients experience during and after rehabilitation. Learning about natural changes that occur with communication, cognition, or swallowing as part of the aging process as compared to changes from a health crisis, will ultimately enhance practioners’ skills.

This session will provide an overview of the main roles of a speech-language pathologist and deficit areas targeted by a speech-language pathologist in the older adult population. It will outline evaluations, interventions, and education provided to patients/clients and caregivers during the rehabilitation process. The session will highlight common acute illnesses, chronic diseases, and common health concerns prevalent in the older adult population and conditions that may arise that require a speech-language pathologist’s involvement. Strategies and techniques to aid with targeted deficits will be introduced to provide tools in the inter-disciplinary team member’s toolbox. Information for family caregivers about supporting healthy aging after speech-language rehabilitation goals are met will also be shared.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Define the role of a speech-language pathologist in the older adult rehabilitation process.
Summarize deficits a speech-language pathologist evaluates and provides intervention for when working with older adults.
List strategies an inter-disciplinary team member may incorporate into their therapeutic intervention based upon speech-language pathologist’s goals.
Identify strategies family caregivers can utilize to support speech-language healthy aging.

Instructor
Julie Lenkiewicz, MS, CCC-SLP, has worked in the healthcare field for over twelve years. She has her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Julie started her career at Columbia-St. Mary’s Hospital, primarily located at Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute’s Coma Recovery and Brain Injury Unit. She has resided in Chicago, Illinois since 2010 where she has worked in acute rehabilitation hospitals including Schwab and Alexian Brothers as well as in medical-surgical care at Rush University Medical Center. Julie is currently employed at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where she is located in the Brain Innovation Center. She has treated adult patients across the life span and has a special interest in patients with acquired neurological deficits as a result of stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and progressive diseases.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Jewish Home and Care Center
1414 N. Prospect Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

*Kosher Facility*
The Jewish Home and Care Center is a Kosher facility. Food from outside vendors or brought in by visitors is strictly prohibited. Refreshments will be provided by the facility.

Agenda
8:30am         Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00am        Introductions
9:10am        Presentation: Meet Your SLP!
9:30am        Presentation: Stroke and Aphasia in the Older Adult
10:30am       Break
10:45am       Presentation: Dysphagia in the Older Adult
11:30am       Presentation: What Can You Do to Aid with the Aging Process?12:00pm         Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for The Importance of Speech-Language Pathology as Part of the Rehabilitation Process for Older Adults.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity: Building Background Knowledge to Create Personalized Care for Older Adults

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity: Building Background Knowledge to Create Personalized Care for Older Adults

Instructor: Lynn Sedivy, MA-ESL

Friday, September 21, 2018 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Jewish Home and Care Center

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Milwaukee is home to an aging population rich in linguistic and cultural diversity. As the older adult population continues to increase, so does the importance of understanding the diverse backgrounds of the population. In order for older adults to be partners in their own care, they must understand and utilize the health information involved in their care. For older adults acquiring English proficiency, health literacy presents unique challenges and family members are often called upon to be interpreters. Understanding the backgrounds of families and older adults from various countries can help build a better understanding of how cultural views and language influence health decisions and management.

This session will provide attendees with background knowledge about various cultural groups in Milwaukee. Information will also be shared about refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma. Through the sharing of personal stories and videos, participants will gain a better understanding of the unique challenges that older adults who are acquiring English proficiency face when out in the community. Participants will also learn different strategies that can be used to communicate important information when an interpreter isn’t available.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge about the linguistic and cultural diversity in Milwaukee.
Understand how cultural views and language impact health decisions.
Identify specific challenges of the aging refugee populations.
Identify strategies to make communication comprehensible when interacting with older adults who are acquiring English proficiency.

Instructor
Lynn Sedivy, MA-ESL, has 22 years of experience working with linguistically diverse populations in both school and community settings. Her areas of interest include culturally responsive pedagogy, working with refugee families in Milwaukee, and serving as an advocate for English language learners of all ages. Lynn earned a Master’s in English as a Second Language from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Kansas. Throughout her career, Lynn has studied six languages and has developed curriculum focused on language acquisition. She has experience teaching both nationally and internationally.

Lynn’s work with refugee families includes working with refugees from Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, and Syria. Lynn utilizes the knowledge gained from working with refugees to help increase the awareness for schools and community agencies to meet the changing linguistic needs in Milwaukee. Previously, Lynn worked at the International Learning Center of Milwaukee where she learned firsthand about the linguistic challenges that older adults face when navigating through the community and the healthcare system.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.

This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Jewish Home and Care Center
1414 N. Prospect Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

*Kosher Facility*
The Jewish Home and Care Center is a Kosher facility. Food from outside vendors or brought in by visitors is strictly prohibited. Refreshments will be provided by the facility.

Agenda
8:30 am         Registration/Complimentary Refreshments
9:00 am       Introductions
9:15 am       Presentation: Cultural and Language Backgrounds in Milwaukee
10:30 am       Break
10:45 am       Presentation: Stories of Elder Refugees Navigating the Healthcare System
11:15 am       Presentation: Strategies for Communicating with Linguistically Diverse Adults
12:00 pm      Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Linguistic and Cultural Diversity: Building Background Knowledge to Create Personalized Care for Older Adults.

2017-2018

Healing or Harming: Prescription Drug Use in Older Adults

Healing or Harming: Prescription Drug Use in Older Adults

Instructor: Nancy Shea RPh, BCGP

Friday, June 8, 2018 I 8:30 am to 12:30 pm I Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

As the population ages, use of both prescription and non-prescription drugs is on the rise. In fact, individuals 65 years and older account for one-third of all medications prescribed, which is disproportionate to the percentage of the population that they represent, approximately 13% of the population in the United States. Drug misuse and abuse in the older adult population is of special concern because it can cause cognitive and physical impairment — putting this population at greater risk for falls and motor vehicle accidents and making them generally less able to care for their daily needs.

As we age, our bodies change along with our ability to metabolize and utilize medications. Attention must be paid to correctly prescribing and using drugs. Fortunately, there are tools to assess medication regimens for safety and efficacy. This session will explore the trends in prescription drug use, misuse, and abuse in older adults as well as strategies for ensuring that medications are used for healing rather than harming.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the trends in prescription drug use, misuse and abuse among the elderly
Identify risk factors associated with prescription drug misuse and abuse
Identify strategies for minimizing risk of misuse or abuse
Identify strategies for addressing misuse and abuse

Instructor
Nancy Shea, RPh, is a Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist with a passionate interest in the safety of seniors and helping older adults maintain independence. This translates into her engagement in medication safety and falls prevention. She is currently a pharmacist at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital working primarily with geriatric inpatients. She is also a facilitator for the Stepping On program, a high-level, evidence-based program proven to reduce falls and build confidence in older people. She received her pharmacy degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is currently completing the Graduate Certificate in Applied Gerontology at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Required Course Materials
None

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.
This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.
It is also appropriate for MDs, nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, and family and professional caregivers.

Continuing Education
4.0 CEHs, .4 CEUs (4 clock hours)

Price
$100

Location
Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care
18740 W. Bluemound Road
Brookfield, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
There is free parking directly in front of the building

Agenda
8:30 am Introductions
8:45 am Presentation: Overview of the Prescription Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse in Older Adults
9:45 am Break
10:00 am Presentation: Strategies for Minimizing Risk of Misuse and Abuse
11:15 am Break
11:30 am Presentation: Misusing and Abusing: What can be done?
12:30 pm Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Healing or Harming: Prescription Drug Use in Older Adults.

Aging Well: Yoga in Later Life to Connect the Mind, Body and Spirit

2017-2018

Aging Well: Yoga in Later Life to Connect the Mind, Body and Spirit

Instructor: Paul Mross, E-200 RYT, LMT

Friday, May 11, 2018 I 8:30 am to 12:30 pm I Alzheimer’s Association

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Association

Yoga is a large part of the complementary and integrative health care landscape. New evidence-based research is coming out weekly that explores the benefits of yoga. Yoga not only improves health-related quality of life, but also enhances walking and balance, muscle strength, cardiovascular health, blood pressure, sleep, and functioning of other systems. Yoga also has psychosocial benefits through prevention and control of common health and emotional problems linked with aging.

Over 15 million Americans practice yoga. Roughly 18% are over the age of 55. The healthy aging population is utilizing complementary medicine at an increasingly higher rate. Therefore, it is important for yoga teachers, yoga practitioners, and health care facilitators to be aware of the risks and benefits unique to yoga, especially for this population.

This workshop will highlight major concerns and challenges on the topic of healthy aging and yoga, including pain management, COPD, fall prevention, dementia, and current research. It will introduce safe and effective ways to incorporate yoga as a potential wellness tool.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand what yoga is and what it is not
Identify the current research related to yoga and healthy aging
Identify safe and effective yoga techniques for an older adult population experiencing a wide range of medical and/or emotional challenges

Instructor
Paul Mross, RYT, LMT, has taught over 3500 hours of yoga classes to roughly 400 individuals in the past fourteen years (E-RYT 200). His education in yoga is alignment based (Anusara). He also has many hours of continuing education, including a certificate in Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors from Duke University. As a licensed massage therapist for almost twenty years, Paul has experience and knowledge in the areas of pathology, kinesiology and anatomy.
Paul is currently serving as project manager and yoga consultant for a research project studying yoga’s effect on fall risk factors in the rural, older adult population. The project is a collaboration between UW-Madison: Family Practice of Medicine, Aging and Disability Resource Center of Southwest WI and Wisconsin Institute on Healthy Aging. Paul has also developed fidelity-training tools for research projects, including a teacher’s manual and video, and has established and designed the yoga curriculum for Lands’ End. He is the founder of Happ:y (Healthy Aging Preventative Programs: Yoga), an organization whose main goal is to provide the healthy aging population access to yoga.

Paul has presented on the topics of healthy aging and yoga (including fall prevention) at multiple conferences, including: Wisconsin Institute on Healthy Aging: Healthy Aging Summit, Catholic Charities: Healthy Aging Conference, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Morgridge Institute for Research: Celebrating Healthy and Purposeful Aging, and the International Association of Yoga Therapists: Symposium on Yoga Research. He has also adapted a yoga curriculum for the deaf and hard of hearing community with Aging and Disability Resource Center of Dane County and Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Required Course Materials
None

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.
This workshop meets continuing education requirements for social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and yoga instructors and therapists.
It is also appropriate for MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, activity and family and professional caregivers.

Continuing Education
4.0 CEHs, .4 CEUs (4 clock hours)

Price
$100

Location
Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Wisconsin
620 South 76th Street, Suite 160
Milwaukee, WI 53214
Get directions here.

Parking
A large parking lot is located to the south of the building. Enter off of 76th Street. Parking is free.

Agenda
8:00 AM Registration
8:30 AM Welcome and Introductions
9:15 AM Presentation: Yoga: What Is It and What It Is Not
10:15 AM Break
10:30 AM Presentation: Current research: Yoga’s Relationship to Specific Challenges of Aging
11:30 PM Presentation: Yoga Techniques for Older Adults
12:30 PM Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Aging Well: Yoga in Later Life to Connect the Mind, Body and Spirit.

Supporting Caregivers: The Art of Connection

Supporting Caregivers: The Art of Connection

Instructor: Lori Stahl, BM

Friday, April 20, 2018 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Jewish Home and Care Center

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association
Alzheimer’s disease is called a family disease because the chronic stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects everyone. An effective treatment will address the needs of the entire family. Caregivers must focus on their own needs, take time for their own health, and get support and respite from caregiving regularly to be able to sustain their well-being during this caregiving journey.
The role of the professional is key in helping families cope with a loved one’s diagnosis of dementia. Most professionals working with older adults and their families love their job. Yet, it’s common to feel burnt out from time to time. What’s the best way to recharge? Are some forms of rejuvenation better than others?
This program will provide insight into the importance of making connections with families by listening, reflecting, taking time, and using touch. The necessity for the professional to care for himself or herself will also be explored. In addition, there will be discussion about different residential settings and services, as well as tips for making the decision to move from home to alternative living arrangements.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the family’s needs as the needs of the person with dementia change
Realize the importance of maintaining self-care as the professional providing services to families.
Have insight into residential choices and definitions.

Instructor

Lori Stahl, BM, has been involved in health care for the past thirty years. She has a degree in Music Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and is credentialed as a Grief Management Specialist through Grief Inc. Lori is currently a Family Services Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association. She also serves as an Aftercare Consultant for Mueller Funeral Homes in Cedarburg and Grafton, where she conducts ongoing bereavement support groups. Previously, Lori was a Grief Counselor for Horizon Home Care & Hospice and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and a Case Manager for Interfaith Older Adult Programs.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Jewish Home and Care Center
1414 N. Prospect Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
Limited parking is available in the Jewish Home parking garage. Enter by turning right at the stoplight at Prospect & Curtis. Be sure to pick up a token from the receptionist before leaving; you will need it to exit the garage. Limited free and metered street parking is also available.
Special Note Regarding Food & Beverages
The Jewish Home and Care Center is a Kosher facility. For this reason, food from outside vendors or brought in by visitors is strictly prohibited. Beverages, breakfast pastries and fruit, and a healthy snack will be provided by the facility, available before and during the training.

Agenda
8:30 am Registration
9:00 am Introductions
9:15 am Presentation: Understanding the Needs of the Family
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Presentation: Strategies for Caring for the Professional Caregiver
12:00 pm Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Supporting Caregivers: The Art of Connection.

Expanding Awareness: Mindfulness Based Techniques for Aging Well

Expanding Awareness: Mindfulness-Based Techniques for Aging Well

Instructor: Marietta Pucillo, CYT, RYT

Friday, March 09, 2018 I 8:30 am to 12:30 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

*Note: This session is being offered a SECOND time, since some could not attend the first session due to the snow. If you were registered for the Feb 9 session and did not attend, you may attend this one instead. New registrants are also welcome.

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

The belief in the connectedness of the mind, body, and spirit is common to Eastern, ancient and traditional cultures. Western medicine, on the other hand, tends to treat the connection between these three elements as separate and unrelated. Recently, however, there has been a shift to paying more attention to the integration of the whole person. Just a few of the recent findings include:

Regular practice of yoga can benefit mood and physiological response to stress.
Meditators often fare better than their nap-taking counterparts in mitigating the effects of sleep deprivation.
Aromatherapy can affect mood, physiology and behavior.
Animal assisted therapy can decrease behavioral and emotional problems and increase social engagement and communication in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

How can we incorporate techniques often referred to as ‘complementary’ or ‘alternative’ into our work with older adults? This workshop will explore mindfulness-based practices and ways to integrate these practices into the lives of older adults. We will discuss the emotional and physical benefits of non-medicinal, life-enhancing activities such as yoga, mindfulness, deep breathing, aromatherapy, mediation, and animal therapy. There will be demonstration and discussion describing practical ways to use these activities with older adults including those showing memory/cognitive decline.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the connections between the mind, body, and spirit
Define the range of mindfulness-based practices
Identify the benefits of mindfulness-based practices to older adults and their caregivers
Identify strategies for integrating mindfulness-based practices in various older adult settings

Instructors
Marietta C. Pucillo, CYT, RYT, is the owner and founder of Yama Yoga in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward. She has instructed public and private yoga classes for over fifteen years including a 200-hour yoga teacher-training program approved by Yoga Alliance and the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board. She has worked with mindful movement designed for Alzheimer’s and dementia clients in a variety of nursing facilities for over nine years. She is trained in the use of aromatherapy and animal therapy to boost memory and cognition and reduce stress for memory-impaired clients.

Required Course Materials
None

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.
This workshop meets continuing education requirements for yoga teachers and therapists, social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.
It is also appropriate for health care professionals, case managers, and family and professional caregivers.

Continuing Education
4.0 CEHs, .4 CEUs (4 clock hours)

Price
$100

Location
Milwaukee Catholic Home
2462 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
When you approach on Prospect Ave., enter at the second driveway marked as 2462 N. Prospect Ave. Park in the rear/east lot in spaces that do not say reserved. Limited street parking is also available.
Agenda
8:30 am Introductions
8:45 am Presentation: Connecting: The Mind, Body and Spirit
9:45 am Break
10:00 am Presentation: What are Mindfulness-Based Techniques and their Impact on Aging?
11:00 am Break
11:15 am Presentation: Integrating Mindfulness-Based Care with Older Adults
12:15 pm Questions and Answers
12:30 pm Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Expanding Awareness: Mindfulness Based Techniques for Aging Well.

LGBTQ+ Populations and Aging

LGBTQ+ Populations and Aging

Instructors: Jen Murray, MPH, and Jeanette Martin, MAEd

Friday, March 2, 2018 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Saint John’s On The Lake

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research
There are an estimated 1.5 million adults over age 65 who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. By 2030, those estimates rise to nearly 3 million. And while no precise data exists on the number of transgender older people nationwide, we estimate that there are hundreds of thousands of older adults who are transgender—and many more over the next few decades. How is aging as an older lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender adult different from aging as a heterosexual and/or non-transgender adult, and how might we reflect and honor these differences?
This workshop will give attendees a look into the world of older adults who identify as LGBTQ+. We will cover some of the experiences and challenges that are unique to LGBTQ+ older adults and how experiences over a person’s lifetime can affect the aging process. We will talk about some of the obstacles LGBT+ seniors face in accessing and trusting their caregivers. Finally, we will give all attendees tools and competency tips to best serve LGBTQ+ clients in an inclusive environment.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of LGBTQ+ cultures, people, experiences and identities.
Speak with knowledge on methods of being culturally competent with LGBTQ+ aging older adult populations through discussion and scenarios.
Explore personal preconceived beliefs about the LGBTQ+ older adult communities through interactive questions and discussion.
Gain an understanding of various challenges uniquely faced by LGBTQ+ older adults through accessing medical and mental health services.

Instructors

Jennifer (Jen) Murray, MPH has been involved in LGBT+ work in Higher Education settings since 2004. She currently serves as the director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center. Prior to assuming the role of Director in September 2007, she worked as the assistant director for the UWM LGBT Resource Center. As Co-Chair of the UWM Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for LGBT+ Advocacy and a leader of the UWM LGBT Resource Center, she engages in learning as well as sharing about LGBT+ identities, people, communities, and experiences. Using the framework and lens of her lived experience with the Social Justice Training Institute (SJTI), she participates in advocacy, facilitation of trainings, and policy development intentionally focused on inclusion with attention to the interconnected nature of identities. She served two consecutive terms as Recorder with her professional organization, the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals Executive Board. Prior to her time in higher education, Jen served in the United States Peace Corps as a community health volunteer dedicated to sustainable change possibilities within international development work.

Jeanette Martín, MAEd, is a first generation Chicana, born and raised on Milwaukee’s Southside. Driven by her lived experience as a child of economic refugees from México, her personal journey has been one of using art and cultural organizing as a healing tool with and for her community. A painter and printmaker in training, she has an unyielding passion for accessibility to cultural arts, social justice, and transformation, which moves her to co-create sustainable and dignified projects and cultural spaces. She is currently the assistant director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center.

Required Course Materials
None

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
St. John’s On The Lake – Cultural Arts Center
1840 N. Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
Parking is available on both sides of St. John’s On the Lake property at no charge. Street parking is also available.

Agenda
8:30 AM Registration
9:00 AM Welcome and Introductions
9:30 AM Presentation: An Introduction to the LGBTQ+ Older Adult Community
10:15 AM Break
10:30 AM Presentation: Expanding LGBTQ+ Older Adult Cultural Competency
12:00 PM Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for LGBTQ+ Populations and Aging.

Caring, Living, and Laughing: Helping Caregivers Have a Life While Caring

Caring, Living, and Laughing: Helping Caregivers Have a Life While Caring

Instructor: Lynda Markut, MS & Former Wisconsin Governor Martin Schreiber

Friday, January 19, 2018 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Alzheimer’s Association

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association
In 2015, more than 15 million family members and friends provided care for a person with dementia. The average caregiver is a 49-year-old woman, caring for a 69-year-old mother who does not live with her. She typically provides 24 hours of care each week. However, the number of males providing care is growing, now representing 40% of unpaid caregivers.
Caregivers of people with dementia have an elevated risk for stress and its related health problems. They experience more negative interactions with, and provide more emotional support for, their care recipients than other caregivers. Additionally for some caregivers, the demands of caregiving may cause a decline in their own physical health. Evidence suggests that stress increases caregivers’ susceptibility to disease and health complications.
Lack of caregiver self-care can also play a role in increasing caregiver stress. Oftentimes, caregivers of persons with dementia believe they do not have the time to care for themselves. When they do find the time, an increase in self-care activities is associated with a reduction in caregiver stress.
Through the sharing of caregiving stories, research, and interactive exercises as well as videos, participants will gain a better understanding of the challenges caregiving can pose and a range of options that can be considered. Participants will also consider the importance of maintaining a balance between living and caring.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Identify the primary challenges of being a caregiver and/or a care receiver and better understand the differences between spousal caregiving vs adult/child caregiving.
Recognize the common stress factors in life and caregiving and how best to respond.
Understand the benefits of using humor as a strategy for self-care.

Instructors

Martin Schreiber, former Wisconsin Governor, is an award-winning crusader for Alzheimer’s caregivers and persons with dementia. Reaching audiences nationwide at live events and through various forms of media, Marty incorporates humor and compassion as he shares lessons from his decade-plus journey as a caregiver. Prior to writing his acclained book My Two Elaines – and while still caring for his wife at home – Marty collaborated with Wisconsin state government and various business groups to help create the online Dementia Friendly Employers Toolkit, an important resource for human resources and employee assistance programs. Schreiber has committed significant resources to help the Alzheimer’s Association launch Operation Stronger Together in 2015, which has reached caregivers and families throughout Southeast Wisconsin, helping them learn, cope, and survive the heroics of caregiving. Marty’s work on behalf of seniors goes back decades to his 16 years in public service as a state senator, lieutenant governor and governor when he focused on elder concerns, nursing home care, and development of the in-home Community Care Organization. Moving into the private sector, Marty became a successful insurance executive and publisher before starting his own government relations firm, Martin Schreiber & Associates Inc., (now Schreiber Government Relations Group) in 1988.

Lynda A. Markut, MS, a Licensed Social Worker in both Illinois and Wisconsin, has counseled individuals with various mental health diagnoses and/or dementia and provided services to their families for over 30 years. She facilitates Alzheimer’s disease/Dementia support groups with a wellness focus. She has extensive clinical, educational, personal, and practical experience. Lynda has presented on various aspects of aging, caregiving, and innovative approaches to dementia care needs of seniors and their families on local, state, national, and international levels. She has been interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio a number of times. She co-authored “Dementia Caregivers Share Their Stories: A Support Group in a Book,” published by Vanderbilt University Press. She is currently serving as the Education and Family Support Coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Wisconsin and is a frequently requested conference speaker.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Wisconsin
620 South 76th Street, Suite 160
Milwaukee, WI 53214
Get directions here.

Parking
A large parking lot is located to the south of the building. Enter off 76th Street. Parking is free.

Agenda
8:30 am Registration
9:00 am Introductions
9:15 am Presentation: The Stresses of Caregiving
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Presentation: Strategies for Caring for the Caregiver
12:00 pm Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Caring, Living, and Laughing: Helping Caregivers Have a Life While Caring.

As Life Wanes: Hospice Basics and the Ethical Challenges at End of Life

As Life Wanes: Hospice Basics and the Ethical Challenges at End of Life

Instructor: Megan Federighe, BA and Dimitri Mills, PhD

Friday, December 1, 2017 I 8:30 am to 12:30 pm I Alzheimer’s Association

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research in collaboration with VITAS Healthcare
Studies have shown that, all other things being equal, patients receiving the comfort care provided by hospice tend to live longer and die more peacefully than those who continue to get intensive care for their disease when treatment has ceased to help. With hospice, death assumes a more natural trajectory, unencumbered by frightening machines and sometimes grotesque interventions of modern medicine that do little, if anything, to prolong life and often make dying more painful for patients and families, as well as costlier for society. So, how do we ensure the best of care as life wanes?
This session will include three distinct but related components:

Hospice Basics – Ms. Federighe will provide an overview of palliative care, the Medicare Hospice Benefit, and the value of end-of-life conversations for patients and their families.
Fundamentals of Ethics at the End of Life – Dr. Mills will discuss the ethical fundamentals underpinning high quality hospice care.
Ethical Challenges in End-of-Life Care of Dementia Patients – Dr. Mills will address the ethical challenges inherent in end-of-life care including those related to self-determination, self-control, and maintaining quality of life.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Describe the history and philosophy of the hospice movement.
Define both hospice and palliative care.
Identify criteria for the hospice-appropriate patient and common diseases typically seen at end of life.
Understand Medicare reimbursement for hospice care.
Identify the role of Advance Directives and DNR in hospice.
Define ethics, bioethics, and the differences between moral and legal ethics.
Define ethical conflicts and bioethical principles used to resolve end-of-life ethical issues.
Discuss how to predict prognosis in end-stage dementia patients.
Discuss ethical challenges related to quality of life for end-stage dementia patients.
Reviews treatment issues and the importance of recognizing caregiver needs.

Instructors
Megan Federighe has worked and volunteered for several years within the healthcare community in Southeastern Wisconsin, primarily with VITAS Healthcare as a hospice care consultant. She also has experience working in the Homecare and Respiratory Care Industry. Ms. Federighe is an active member of the Milwaukee Aging Consortium, Continuing Care Coordinators, and is a volunteer for Interfaith Senior Programs of Waukesha County and Interfaith Milwaukee – Family Caregiver Support Network, “Caring for the Caregiver.” Megan earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Sociology with an emphasis in Geriatrics.

Dr. Dimitri Mills has devoted his professional career to advocating for various communities in Southeastern Wisconsin to have access to resources, safety, healthcare and education. He has earned his Master of Science in Business Management from National Louis University and his Ph.D. in International Business from Stanford University. Dr. Mills has served as the Multicultural Outreach Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association SE Wisconsin chapter, Case Manager for the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, and Director of Social Services for Unicare Health Facilities. He is an Associate Professor for the University of Phoenix Milwaukee, past Adjunct Professor for Lakeland College Milwaukee, and Professor for the Milwaukee Theological Institute. Dr. Mills works at VITAS Healthcare as a community liaison, working to educate underserved populations about hospice services, Medicare benefits, and dispelling myths about end of life care.

Required Course Materials
None

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult, particular those at the end of life and those with dementia.
This workshop meets ethics and boundaries continuing education requirement for social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.
It is also appropriate for MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, and family and professional caregivers.

Continuing Education
4.0 CEHs, .4 CEUs (4 clock hours)

Price
$100

Location
Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Wisconsin
620 South 76th Street, Suite 160
Milwaukee, WI 53214
Get directions here.

Parking
A large parking lot is located to the south of the building. Enter off 76th Street. Parking is free.

Agenda
8:30 am Introductions
8:45 am Hospice Basics
9:45 am Break
10:00 am Presentation: Fundamentals of Ethics at the End of Life
11:00 am Break
11:15 am Presentation: Ethical Challenges in End of Life Care of Dementia Patients
12:15 pm Questions and Answers
12:30 pm Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for As Life Wanes: Hospice Basics and the Ethical Challenges at End of Life.

A Delicate Balance: Yoga’s Effect on Fall Prevention

A Delicate Balance: Yoga’s Effect on Fall Prevention

Instructor: Paul Mross, E-200 RYT, LMT

Friday, October 20, 2017 I 8:30 am to 12:30 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Falls are common in later life. In fact, one in four people over the age of 65 will fall each year. Even more distressing, every eleven seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall and every nineteen minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
The key risk factors contributing to falls include poor balance, muscle weakness and unsteady gait. Research has shown that attention to these risk factors can significantly reduce rates of falling.
Studies have shown that even people in their 80s and beyond can make rapid gains in function when they adopt a regimen to build muscle. Yogic practices not only strengthen muscles but also improve flexibility, balance, and gait.
Dr. David Reuben, Director of the geriatrics program at the UCLA School of Medicine, often advises patients with gait abnormalities to practice yoga to strengthen core and leg muscles via held poses. Holding poses can also help improve balance.
This workshop will explore fall prevention, where yoga fits in the current research landscape, and how yoga teachers, health care providers, and health educators can incorporate yoga and fall prevention information into their profession.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the impact of fall prevention on the older adults.
Understand what yoga is and its effect on fall prevention.
Identify the current research related to yoga and fall prevention.
Identify safe and effective yoga techniques for an older adult population which may help facilitate fall prevention.

Instructor

Paul Mross, RYT, LMT, has taught over 3500 hours of yoga classes to roughly 400 individuals in the past fourteen years (E-RYT 200). His education in yoga is alignment based (Anusara). He also has many hours of continuing education, including a certificate in Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors from Duke University. As a licensed massage therapist for almost twenty years, Paul has experience and knowledge in the areas of pathology, kinesiology, and anatomy.

and Wisconsin Institute on Healthy Aging. Paul has also developed fidelity-training tools for research projects, including a teacher’s manual and video, and established and designed the yoga curriculum for Lands’ End. He is the founder of Happ:y (Healthy Aging Preventative Programs: Yoga), an organization whose main goal is to provide the healthy aging population access to yoga.

Required Course Materials
Yoga mat (if available) and comfortable clothing.

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.
This workshop meets continuing education requirements for yoga instructors and therapists, social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.
It is also appropriate for MDs, nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, and family and professional caregivers.

Continuing Education
4.0 CEHs, .4 CEUs (4 clock hours)

Price
$100

Location
Milwaukee Catholic Home
2462 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Agenda
8:00 AM Registration
8:30 AM Welcome and Introductions
9:15 AM Presentation: Overview of the Prevalence of Falls and Contributing Factors
10:15 AM Break
10:30 AM Presentation: Current Research on Yoga’s Impact on Fall Prevention
11:30 PM Presentation: Yoga Techniques for Preventing Falls in Older Adults
12:30 PM Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for A Delicate Balance: Yoga’s Effect on Fall Prevention.

Activities and Dementia Care: Engaging with Rhythm

Activities and Dementia: Engaging with Rhythm

THIS SESSION HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Instructor: Diane Baughn, MA and Tom Gill

Friday, October 6, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association

Music memory appears to be more resistant to Alzheimer’s disease than other memories. Music has also been found to calm agitation in late-stage Alzheimer’s. Drumming is particularly effective because it is so elemental.

If you have two grandfather clocks in a room and they are out of sync, eventually they will synchronize, and it seems that the human body has the same kind of way of doing it. Jazz musicians call it ‘in the groove’ or ‘in the pocket’ when you’re playing together. So Alzheimer’s patients with advanced disease, they start drumming, they start tapping together and it’s very powerful to see that eventually they start playing together. It’s a dramatic thing to see.

– Al Bumanis, American Music Therapy Association

This program will provide basic information about adopting a community-oriented approach to working with people coping with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Techniques for integrating rhythm as a communication tool, a means of expression, and a calming influence will be demonstrated, practiced, and explored. This program is highly interactive and requires no musical experience.

Come ready to experience!

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Grasp the potential of rhythm-based activities to engage all participants in an experiential, meaningful exchange that cultivates and celebrates each person’s contribution and importance as part of a group.
Explore leadership opportunities to facilitate participants and receive feedback on what is effective. Focus on how low-cost or homemade instruments can be used for facilitating a hands-on rhythm circle.
Understand how low-cost or homemade instruments can be used to facilitate hands-on rhythm circle.
Understand the basics of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Instructor
Diane Baughn, MA, works for the Alzheimer’s Association, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter, and has been with the Chapter since 2005. She has a BA from Ripon College and an MA from Marquette University. She has developed and presented programs, trainings and events in the voluntary health organization field since 1998. Diane currently creates curricula for and presents education programs to the general public, family caregivers, health care professionals and emergency first responders. She lives in Milwaukee and enjoys life to the fullest.

Tom Gill started Rhythm For Unity in 1998 and has shared the drum circle experience with over a thousand groups of all ages and abilities. He is active in the health care field working in nursing homes, hospitals and health care organizations to provide drum circle/rhythm experiences for both staff and residents. For the last two years, he has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to provide rhythm programs for the professional caregiving community. These opportunities teach staff how to facilitate drum circles and other rhythm-related activities for the residents in their own care communities. Additionally, for the last twelve years, Tom has conducted a Drum Circle workshop at the annual Wisconsin Network Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. This evening get-together, now a solid tradition at the conference, allows attendees to connect through the power of rhythm.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care
18740 W. Bluemound Road
Brookfield, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
When you approach on Prosepct Ave., enter at the second driveway marked as 2462 N. Prospect Ave. Park in the rear/east lot in spaces that do not say reserved. Limited street parking is also available.

Agenda
8:30 am Registration
9:00 am Introductions
9:15 am Presentation: Overview of Dementia and the Potential of Rhythm Based Activities
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Presentation: Demonstration, Practice and Exploration of Uses
12:00 pm Adjournment

Registration: THIS SESSION HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Standing Together to Prevent Falls: Strategies for Fall Prevention in Older Adults

Standing Together to Prevent Falls: Strategies for Fall Prevention in Older Adults

Instructor: Nancy Shea RPh, BCGP

Friday, September 22, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Saint John’s On The Lake

Description
Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research
September 22 is the first day of fall. It also happens to be Falls Prevention Awareness Day, a national event to raise awareness about how to prevent fall-related injuries among older adults.
As the population ages and people live longer the number of older Americans who fall and suffer serious, even fatal, injuries is soaring. The dangers are real. The number of people over 65 who died after a fall reached nearly 27,000 in 2014, the most recent year for which fatality numbers are available — double the number ten years earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many older adults do not, or refuse to, recognize their own gradual deterioration, leaving them vulnerable despite efforts to protect them. At the same time, a growing number of older adults admit to having a fear of falling and, as a result, limit their activities and social engagements. The end result: further physical decline, depression, social isolation, and feelings of helplessness.
Falling is not an inevitable result of aging. This workshop will identify causes of falls and present strategies for minimizing risk factors to help older adults retain their independence.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants should be able to:

Understand the incidence and consequence of falls in the United States
Identify preventable risk factors.
Identify interventions for minimizing risk factors.
Identify fall prevention resources available to the public.

Instructor
Nancy Shea, RPh, is a Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist with a passionate interest in the safety of seniors and helping older adults maintain independence. This translates into her engagement in medication safety and falls prevention. She is currently a pharmacist at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital working primarily with geriatric inpatients. She is also a facilitator for the Stepping On program, a high-level, evidence-based program proven to reduce falls and build confidence in older people. She received her degree in pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is currently completing the Graduate Certificate in Applied Gerontology at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Required Course Materials
None

Target Audience
This workshop is appropriate and encouraged for anyone working in the field of aging or caring for an older adult.
This workshop meets continuing education requirements for architects, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and yoga instructors and therapists.
It is also appropriate for MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, and family and professional caregivers.

Continuing Education
3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price
$75

Location
St. John’s On The Lake – Cultural Arts Center
1840 N. Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Get directions here.

Parking
Parking is available on both sides of St. John’s On the Lake property at no charge. Street parking is also available.

Agenda

8:30 am        Registration
9:00 am      Introductions
9:15 am      Presentation: Overview of the Prevalence, Risk Factors and Impact of Falls on the Older Adult Populations
10:30 am      Break
10:45 am      Presentation: Prevention and Resources
12:00 pm      Adjournment

Registration: Click here to register for Standing Together to Prevent Falls: Strategies for Fall Prevention in Older Adults!

2016-2017

Aging Well: The Power of Yoga

Instructor: Paul Mross, E-200 RYT, LMT

Thursday, September 08, 2016 I 8:30 am to 12:30 pm I Saint John’s On The Lake

Registration: Aging Well: The Power of Yoga

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Yoga is a large part of the complementary and integrative health care landscape. New evidence based research is coming out weekly that explores the benefits of yoga. Over 15 million Americans practice yoga. Roughly 18% are over the age of 55. The healthy aging population is utilizing complementary medicine at an increasingly higher rate. Therefore, it is important that yoga teachers, yoga practitioners, and health care facilitators are aware of the risks and benefits unique to yoga, especially for this population. This 4-hour workshop will highlight major concerns and challenges on the topic of healthy aging and yoga, including pain management, COPD, fall prevention, dementia and current research. It will introduce safe and effective ways to incorporate yoga as a potential wellness tool. Health care educators or facilitators, along with yoga teachers and students are encouraged to take this workshop.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will

Understand what yoga is and what it is not
Identify the current research related to yoga and healthy aging
Identify safe and effective yoga techniques for an older adult population experiencing a wide
range of medical and/or emotional challenges

Instructor

Paul Mross has taught over 3500 hours of yoga classes to roughly 400 individuals in the past 14 years (E-RYT 200). His education in yoga is alignment based (Anusara). He also has many hours of continuing education, including a certificate in Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors from Duke University. As a licensed massage therapist for almost 20 years, Paul has experience and knowledge in the areas of pathology, kinesiology and anatomy.

Paul is currently serving as project manager and yoga consultant for a research project studying yoga’s effect on fall risk factors in the rural, older adult population. The project is a collaboration between UW-Madison: Family Practice of Medicine, Aging and Disability Resource Center of Southwest WI and Wisconsin Institute on Healthy Aging. Paul has also developed fidelity training tools for research projects, including a teacher’s manual and video, and has established and designed the yoga curriculum for Lands’ End. He is the founder of Happ:y (Healthy Aging Preventative Programs: Yoga), an organization whose main goal is to provide the healthy aging population access to yoga.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, athletic trainers, yoga instructors, massage therapists, psychologists, gerontologists, case managers, family and professional caregivers

Continuing Education

4.0 CEHs, .4 CEUs (4 clock hours)

Price

$85

Location

St. John’s On The Lake
1840 N. Prospect Ave.
Cultural Arts Center
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Directions can be found at: http://www.saintjohnsmilw.org/contact-us/map-directions/

Parking

Parking is available on both sides of St. John’s On The Lake property at no charge. Street parking is also available.

Agenda

8:00 AM – Registration

8:30 AM – Welcome and Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Yoga: What is it and what it is not

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Presentation: Current research: Yoga’s relationship to specific challenges of aging

11:30 PM – Presentation: Yoga techniques for older adults

12:30 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Aging Well: The Power of Yoga

Communicating with Older Adults

Instructor: Caroline Bergeron, MSc, DrPH

Thursday, September 22, 2016 I 9:00 am to 4:00 pm I Jewish Home and Care Center

Registration: Communicating with Older Adults

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Effectively communicating with older adults requires an understanding of many variables. This session will provide an overview of the most significant issues in health communications, as well as explain the importance of effectively communicating with older adults.

The session will discuss key communication settings – interpersonal, media, cross-cultural, institutional vs. non-institutional, and rural. In addition, communication differences within key relationships will be noted, such as patient-provider or with and between family members and other caregivers. Specific topics to be discussed in relation to health communication with older adults include: (1) ageism, (2) falls, (3) cancer, (4) living with dementia, and (5) emergency situations.

This practical session will help anyone engaging with older adults to improve his/her interactions with them, using tools and strategies to improve their health outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will

Describe the importance of effectively communicating with older adults.
Understand how communication with older adults varies by medium, setting, and audience/relationship.
Retain at least one key fact about effectively communicating with older adults for each of the specific topics introduced, i.e., ageism, falls, cancer, dementia, and emergencies.
Learn important communication tools that can be used to enhance communication with older adults.
Develop a list of concrete strategies that can be used to improve their personal and/or professional communication with older adults.

Instructor

Dr. Caroline D. Bergeron has her doctorate in public health from the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina, a master’s in communications from the University of Montreal, as well as a bachelor’s degree in communications and one in spanish from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Bergeron’s work focuses on health communication with older adults. Her doctoral dissertation, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, examined how independent older women residing in continuing care retirement communities and non-institutional homes make decisions about their health and independence after a fall. She specifically explored how this post-fall decision-making process is shared with family members and health care providers.

Dr. Bergeron has worked in the Department of Public Information at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, in both aging and communication at the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa, in healthy aging in the Division of Non-communicable Diseases and Health Promotion at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as with AARP International.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, MDs, nurses, public health, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, athletic trainers, speech language pathology, audiology, psychologists, gerontologists, case managers, family and professional caregivers

Continuing Education

6.0 CEHs, .6 CEUs (6 clock hours)

Price

$145

Location

Jewish Home and Care Center
Directions can be found at: http://mapq.st/1NSGmeA
1414 N. Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Parking

Limited parking is available in the Jewish Home parking garage. Enter by turning right at the stoplight at Prospect & Curtis. Be sure to pick up a token from the receptionist before leaving; you will need it to exit the garage. Limited free and metered street parking is also available.

Special Note Regarding Food & Beverages

The Jewish Home and Care Center is a Kosher facility. For this reason, food from outside vendors or brought in by visitors is strictly prohibited. Beverages, breakfast pastries and fruit, and a healthy snack will be provided by the facility, available before and during the training.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Challenges and barriers in health communication with older adults

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Presentation: Challenges and barriers in health communication with older adults (continued)

12:15 PM – Lunch on your own

1:00 PM – Presentation: Special circumstances in working with older adults

2:30 PM – Break

2:45 PM – Presentation: Strategies for improving personal and professional communication

4:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Communicating with Older Adults

Oops, I forgot. Does that mean I have Alzheimer’s?

“Oops, I forgot. Does that mean I have Alzheimer’s?”

Instructor: Nancy Smuckler, PhD

Friday, October 14, 2016 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

Registration: Oops, I forgot. Does that mean I have Alzheimer’s?

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging and Translational Research

Being able to function in everyday life would be difficult, if not impossible, without the ability to remember. In fact, most of us are greatly defined by our memories. Perhaps for this reason older adults feel threatened when they experience lapses in memory. Researchers have found that some types of memory hold up well with age, which suggests that certain memory structures and processes are more vulnerable than others to the effects of aging (Nyberg & Backman, 2011). How do we process information and how does this change as we age? What is normal and what is cause for concern? This session will focus on memory, intellectual functioning and major impairments in cognition.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will:

Develop an understanding of how information is processed and how processing changes as we age.
Understand normal declines in memory as we age and why they occur
Explore techniques to work with these changes and potentially prevent some of them.

Instructor

Nancy Smuckler, PhD, has her undergraduate degree with honors in psychology and her master’s in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her doctorate is from UWM. Since graduating, her major focus has been on university teaching with some stints as a researcher. She has continuously taught at UWM, and has also instructed at Marquette University.

Having taught in the Schools of Social Work and Education, as well as the Colleges of Health Science and Nursing, has broadened her own perspective on aging and contributed to her awareness of the inter-relationship of the domains. She previously served as the Associate Director and Research Scientist at the Center for Aging and Development at the Medical College of Wisconsin with a focus on successful retirement.

Although Dr. Smuckler primarily teaches life span development, she has also taught developmental courses in every stage of the life cycle from infancy through death and dying. This has contributed to her view of the importance of continuity vs discontinuity in our development as helping to explain why some individuals encounter more problems in cognition as they age.

Finally, her desire to understand cognition as we age has been influenced not only by her background in educational psychology, but also by having a mother who developed dementia at age 70 and declined until her death at age 97.

Required Course Materials

Pen or pencil and paper

Target Audience

Social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, family and professional caregivers

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Milwaukee Catholic Home

2462 N Prospect Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53202

Directions can be found at:

https://www.milwaukeecatholichome.org/contact-us/

Parking

When you approach on Farwell Ave., enter at the second driveway marked as 2462 N. Prospect Ave. Park in the rear/east lot in spaces that do not say reserved. Limited street parking is also available.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Information processing: how it changes and effects memory as we age

10:30 AM – Break

10:45 AM – Presentation: Can we influence how memory changes as we age?

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Oops, I forgot. Does that mean I have Alzheimer’s?

Your Caregiving Team Companion: The Importance of Environment in Demetia Care

Your Caregiving Team Companion: The Importance of Environment in Dementia Care

Instructor: Yavuz Taneli, BArch, MArch, PhD

Friday, November 4, 2016 I 9:00 am to 4:00 pm I School of Public Health

Registration: Your Caregiving Team Companion: The Environment and its Impact on Dementia

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging and Translational Research

There is ample evidence that environments affect people. The impact of the environment is much more pronounced when the inhabitant is an older individual with compromised cognitive and physical skills. The outcome of a mismatch of person/environment is usually agitation. Agitation, if not managed or acknowledged, is a burden on caregivers, and other residents within the long-term care environment.

This session aims to describe the relationship between living environments for cognitively impaired elderly and behavioral outcomes, and offers a set of criteria to assess, as well as modify those environments.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will:

Identify basic theoretical positions that describe the person/environment relationship.
Assess cognitive and physical functioning of those with dementia.
Develop a set of criteria for successful living arrangements for those with dementia.
Evaluate and critique living environments for elderly for appropriateness of fit.
Identify changes within the environment to benefit the health of older individuals.

Instructor

Yavuz Taneli, BArch, MArch, PhD, is an architect and an environment-behavior researcher with a focus on environments for the elderly. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul-Turkey and a PhD in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Dr. Taneli is an Associate Professor at Uludağ University in Bursa. Turkey. He is the managing principal and lead consultant at Taneli Architecture and Design LLC. Dr. Taneli has made Milwaukee his home since September 2014. He is Visiting Professor at the College of Nursing at UWM as well as Instructional Specialist with UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research (CATR).

Required Course Materials

If you currently work with elderly individuals, please bring several photographs (in digital format) of the various spaces within which you interact with elderly dementia sufferers. Please make sure you either have permission to share photographs of both the spaces and the elderly individuals with other workshop participants for educational purposes. If you are unable to obtain permission, make sure that the individuals are either not identifiable, or that they are not shown in photographs. Photographs will not be published or printed, and will only be used in in-class discussions.

Target Audience

Architects, Social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, family and professional caregivers

Continuing Education

6.0 CEHs, .6 CEUs (6 clock hours)

Price

$145

Location

UWM’s Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health

1240 North 10th Street

Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413

Parking

Interstate’s Brewery parking structure is located at 1213 North 9th Street. It has big yellow PARK letters on the east side. The structures NW door is just across from the east entrance to the School of Public Health.

Parking is $3.50 for the duration of the session.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Overview of the environment/behavior studies field

10:30 AM – Break

10:45 AM – Presentation: behavioral and environmental assessment tools in old age

12:15 PM – Lunch on your own

1:00 PM – Workshop: Review and development of criteria for living environments for elderly

2:30 PM – Break

2:45 PM – Workshop: Evaluation and design of living environments for elderly with dementia

4:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Your Caregiving Team Companion: The Environment and its Impact on Dementia

Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors

Instructor: Diane Baughn, MS

Friday, November 11, 2016 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

Registration: Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as the ability to use language is lost. However, some behaviors can present real challenges for caregivers to manage. Join us to learn to decode behavioral triggers and learn strategies to help intervene with some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

This session aims to provide participants with strategies to intervene in common behavioral challenges encountered in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will:

Understand the changes that occur in someone with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
Learn to understand the needs of someone with Alzheimer’s and related dementias dealing with the loss of language.
Understand how to intervene in behavioral challenges in Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Instructor

Diane Baughn, MS, works for the Alzheimer’s Association, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter, and has been with the Chapter since 2005. She has a BA from Ripon College and an MA from Marquette University. She has developed and presented programs, trainings and events in the voluntary health organization field since 1998. Diane currently creates curricula for and presents education programs to the general public, family caregivers, health care professionals and emergency first responders. She lives in Milwaukee and enjoys life to the fullest

Required Course Materials

“Alzheimer’s from the Inside Out”, Richard Taylor, PhD

Target Audience

Architects, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, case managers, family and professional caregivers

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Milwaukee Catholic Home

2462 N Prospect Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53202

Directions can be found at:

https://www.milwaukeecatholichome.org/contact-us/

Parking

When you approach on Farwell Ave., enter at the second driveway marked as 2462 N. Prospect Ave. Park in the rear/east lot in spaces that do not say reserved. Limited street parking is also available.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Practical information and resources to decipher behaviors and how best to respond; learn the four-step process

10:30 AM – Break

10:45 AM – Presentation: Apply the four-step process to the five most common behaviors encountered by caregivers

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors

Transition and Change in Later Life:
Grief and Loss as We Age

Instructor: Instructor: Marilyn Bonjean, EdD, MS, LMFT

Thursday, December 8, 2016 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

Registration: Transition and Change in Later Life: Grief and Loss as We Age

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

In 2014, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel wrote a controversial essay for The Atlantic entitled “Why I hope to die at 75.” His premise: people live longer by enduring greater illness rather than longer, healthier lives. He prefers to die while still vital. Shortly thereafter, NYU professor, Oliver Sacks, age 81, wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times sharing his perspective on his recent terminal cancer diagnosis. The news gave him “sudden clear focus and perspective” and the resolve to only engage in those activities and relationships that give him pleasure. These two men illustrate radically different responses to the losses and transitions that can occur as we age.

Older adults confront more physical losses and social stressors than individuals in any other life phase. These losses and stressors can be opportunities for growth and development or disrupt our equilibrium. How can we help older adults manage these changes? How does the aging process influence our perspectives on loss and grief? And, why do some people grow and some wither? This workshop will explore these questions as well as identify strategies for helping older adults to be resilient.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the presentation, participants will:

Understand the variety of losses that may occur in older adulthood and how they differ from adult losses in other life phrases.
Describe how the developmental tasks of older adulthood influence how an older adult might cope with grief and loss.
Identify strategies for helping older adults heal from grief and loss.

Instructor

Dr. Bonjean, president and co-founder of ICF Consultants, Inc., is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and an approved supervisor of The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She is certified in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and is a member of the EMDR International Association. Over the past thirty years, Dr. Bonjean has developed internationally utilized educational modules for professionals and families to improve counseling services for individuals, couples, and families.

Dr. Bonjean utilizes a strength-based and solution-focused approach to help people of all ages experiencing depression, anxiety, couple communication problems and family relationship issues. An area of particular expertise is her work with the emotional aspects of physical illness, the impact of being a patient in the health care system and the stress of caregiving families. She assists individuals after invasive medical treatment, violent episodes or other traumatizing experiences. Dr. Bonjean has written numerous publications related to medical illness and caregiving. She provides supervision and training regarding complex cases, and often speaks as an advocate for the chronically ill and their families. She has received the “Therapist of the Year” award from Wisconsin Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Milwaukee Catholic Home

2462 N Prospect Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53202

Directions can be found at:

https://www.milwaukeecatholichome.org/contact-us/

Parking

When you approach on Farwell Ave., enter at the second driveway marked as 2462 N. Prospect Ave. Park in the rear/east lot in spaces that do not say reserved. Limited street parking is also available.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Losses as we age

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Presentation: Strategies for helping older adults heal from grief and loss

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Transition and Change in Later Life: Grief and Loss as We Age

Importance of the Life Story

Instructor: Diane Baughn, MS

Friday, January 13, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Jewish Home and Care Center

Registration: Importance of the Life Story

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

Knowing about a person’s life can drastically improve the effectiveness of connecting and communicating. Those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias may be challenged by the possibility of not being able to communicate as they had before. Learn about how to gather information about the person’s life, how to use this information in a variety of different approaches, and why this information is the key to successful interaction and relationship building.

This session aims to provide attendees with the tools needed to effectively use the life story to communicate with and better understand the person with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will:

Understand changes that occur when a person develops Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia
Understand and discuss the challenges facing someone with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia and how the life story can improve communication and understanding
Understand the impact of personal and socio-cultural assumptions and how the life story can help bridge these gaps.

Instructor

Diane Baughn, MS, works for the Alzheimer’s Association, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter, and has been with the Chapter since 2005. She has a BA from Ripon College and an MA from Marquette University. She has developed and presented programs, trainings and events in the voluntary health organization field since 1998. Diane currently creates curricula for and presents education programs to the general public, family caregivers, health care professionals, and emergency first responders. She lives in Milwaukee and enjoys life to the fullest.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Jewish Home and Care Center
1414 N. Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Directions can be found at: http://mapq.st/1NSGmeA

Parking

Special Note Regarding Food & Beverages

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Basics of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; why the life story is important for communication and understanding; building the life story

10:30 AM – Break

10:45 AM – Presentation: How to use the life story; case studies and group work

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Importance of the Life Story

Transition and Change in Later Life:
Retirement and Reinvention

Instructor: Marilyn Bonjean, EdD, MS, LMFT

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Milwaukee Catholic Home

Registration:Transition and Change in Later Life: Retirement and Reinvention

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

A wave of boomers is careening toward the second half of life. As they hit retirement age, they have far more choices and far more years in retirement than previous generations. And, those years will likely be healthier and more active than their parents. The whole post-midlife period is simply new territory, and those flooding into this phase constitute a phenomenon unique to the twenty-first century. With close to 10,000 women and men a day crossing the midlife divide, its time to embrace life beyond retirement as a distinct period characterized not only by change and loss, but new perspectives and new priorities.

About one third of retirees have difficulty adjusting to certain aspects of retirement. Although transition and change generally breeds uncertainty, retirement is unsettling because change happens on many fronts. What happens to our identity when we retire? How do our relationships change? Do we matter anymore? And, how can we find a new sense of purpose? This session will focus on exploring the losses and opportunities of retirement and strategies for helping people to address the uncertainty that comes with change.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the presentation, participants will:

Examine the losses and opportunities experienced during retirement and reinvention
Identify techniques for helping older adults address anxiety and uncertainty that come with the changes that occur before and after retirement.

Instructor

being a patient in the health care system and the stress of caregiving families. She assists individuals after invasive medical treatment, violent episodes or other traumatizing experiences. Dr. Bonjean has written numerous publications related to medical illness and caregiving. She provides supervision and training regarding complex cases, and often speaks as an advocate for the chronically ill and their families. She has received the “Therapist of the Year” award from Wisconsin Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Milwaukee Catholic Home

2462 N Prospect Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53202

Directions can be found at:

https://www.milwaukeecatholichome.org/contact-us/

Parking

When you approach on Farwell Ave., enter at the second driveway marked as 2462 N. Prospect Ave. Park in the rear/east lot in spaces that do not say reserved. Limited street parking is also available.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Losses and opportunities and retirement

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Presentation: Addressing anxiety and uncertainty with older adults

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration:Transition and Change in Later Life: Retirement and Reinvention

Mindful Movement for Memory

Instructor: Marietta Pucillo, CYT, RYT

Thursday, February 10, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Jewish Home and Care Center

Registration: Mindful Movement for Memory

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging & Translational Research

This three-hour workshop provides an overview of the causes and hardships central to cognitive and memory impairment due to illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, strokes, Parkinson’s and traumatic brain injury. We will explore some of the positive emotional and physical effects of non-medicinal life enhancing therapies to delay the progression of the disease, improve memory and cognition, and ease the stress and depression that often occurs after diagnosis.

Through the use of yoga-like physical activities, breathing techniques, anger management, and meditation, we can bring a calming and more fulfilling experience to those dealing with the ravages of these conditions. We will also explore the use of memory enhancing aromatherapy and the nurturing benefits of animal therapy. These are all techniques that yoga teachers, PTs, social workers, and so many others can use to bring comfort and relief to their clients, students, patients, and loved ones suffering from memory/cognitive decline.

This workshop is appropriate for anyone in close contact with or giving care to individuals dealing with memory impairment.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will:

Define the nature of memory impairment and how it affects the life of friends, family and caregivers.
Summarize the various physical, mental and emotional limitations/challenges faced by these individuals and become familiar with modifications that can be made through mindful movement and breath for memory enhancement.
Learn the basics of a chair yoga class designed to spark alertness, improve circulation and motor control, gain body and core strength and energize mood.
Explore the use of other alternative modalities like essential oils and animal therapy.

Instructor

Marietta C. Pucillo is the owner and founder of Yama Yoga in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward. She has instructed public and private yoga classes for over 15 years including a 200-hour yoga teacher training program approved by Yoga Alliance and the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board. She has worked with mindful movement designed for Alzheimer’s and dementia clients in a variety of nursing facilities for over nine years. She is trained in the use of aromatherapy and animal therapy to boost memory and cognition and reduce stress for memory-impaired clients.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Jewish Home and Care Center
Directions can be found at: http://mapq.st/1NSGmeA
1414 N. Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Parking

Special Note Regarding Food & Beverages

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Memory impairment and its impact

10:30 AM – Break

10:45 AM – Presentation: Chair yoga, essential oils and animal therapy

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Mindful Movement for Memory

Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning

Instructor: Jung Kwak, MSW, PhD

Friday, March 3, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care

Registration: Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging and Translational Research

Death is hard to face and having discussions about the unfamiliar territory of death can be uncomfortable. Adding to the discomfort are all the documents and legalese associated with advance care planning. Yet, the end-of-life can be an amazingly rich time and talking about this time can make a rich ending more likely.

Research has found that 90% of adults say they would prefer to receive end-of-life care in their home if they are terminally ill, yet data show that only about one-third age 65+ died in their home. Starting in 2016, Medicare will begin covering advance care planning as a separate and billable service.

Dr. Kwak will answer the tough questions that surface when deciding what end-of-life care best suits you, your family member or someone in your care. What are the best ways to broach the topic of planning for the end-of-life? What issues need to be considered? What is a living will, a durable power of attorney and a health care proxy? And, once discussions are had and decisions are made, what are the best ways to document and share these decisions with those that need to know?

Note: This session was offered in 2014. Content has been updated to reflect the changes in Medicare coverage and latest research on advance care planning. This is the first of a three-part series. Feel free to register for one, two or all three sessions.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the presentation, participants will:

Identify tools for initiating end-of-life discussions
Increase their level of comfort in initiating end-of-life discussions
Know the laws related to advance care planning
Know different advance directives and forms required to document end-of-life decisions

Instructor

Dr. Jung Kwak is Assistant Professor of Social Work in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Before joining UWM, Dr. Kwak received her doctorate in aging studies from the University of South Florida and completed her post-doctoral training as a fellow at the Center on Age and Community at UWM.

Dr. Kwak’s primary research areas focus on surrogate end-of-life care decision-making and developing caregiver support interventions at the end of life. In 2010, she was selected as a Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar. With grant support from the Hartford program and the Parkinson Research Institute at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, she is completing a study to identify caregiving and decision-support needs among caregivers of people with advanced dementia or Parkinson’s disease. Her follow-up study focuses on developing decision-support coaching programs for these caregivers.

Dr. Kwak is committed to conducting translational research with community agency partners to promote evidence-based, patient-focused, family-centered support interventions and practice by health professionals. Dr. Kwak’s scholarly work on end-of-life care and caregiving has been published in journals including American Journal of Nursing, The Gerontologist, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Journal of Gerontology, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, and Research on Aging.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care
18740 W. Bluemound Road
Brookfield, WI 53202

Directions can be found at:
https://www.fivestarseniorliving.com/communities/wi/brookfield/brookfield-rehabilitation-specialty-care

Parking

There is free parking directly in front of the building.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Overview of advance care planning

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Presentation: Tools for initiating conversations about end-of-life care

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning

Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning with
Diverse Ethnic Groups

Instructor: Miriam Oliensis-Torres, MSW, LCSW

Friday, April 7, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care

Registration: Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning with
Diverse Ethnic Groups

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging and Translational Research

Starting in 2016, Medicare began covering advance care planning as a separate and billable service. Currently only one-third of adults prepare an advance care plan. This change in Medicare coverage will eliminate a barrier for some in making decisions about end-of-life. Cultural differences can be another barrier. Researcher Amber Barnato, MD, MPH, and colleagues have reported differences in the distribution of preferences for end-of-life medical treatment by race/ethnicity even after controlling for potentially mediating or confounding demographic and sociocultural variables (Barnato, 2007). Cultural factors can strongly influence reactions to serious illness, end-of-life care and death. As our society becomes increasingly diverse, professionals are challenged with understanding the importance of a client’s world view, values, spirituality, and relationship dynamics in developing rapport and providing the best care possible, particularly at the end-of-life.

Ms. Oliensis-Torres will discuss the dimensions of end-of-life treatment that may vary culturally including views about death and dying, communicating “bad news,” locus of decision making, and attitudes toward advanced directives and end-of-life care. In addition, she will provide concrete tools for having culturally sensitive discussions about advance planning.

Note: This session was offered in 2014. Content has been updated to reflect the changes in Medicare coverage and latest research on advance care planning. This is the second of a three-part series. Feel free to register for one, two or all three sessions.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will:

Understand various cultural transitions, norms and values and how they related to end-of-life issues
Identify culturally sensitive strategies for guiding decisions about advance planning
Identify resources appropriate for various ethnic groups to aid in the process of advance planning

Instructor

Ms. Oliensis-Torres is currently employed at Stowell Associates and has over 30 years experience in a variety of settings with older adults, adults with developmental disabilities and neuro-muscular diseases, and their families. She also has expertise in family counseling, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and geriatric psychiatry/mental health services. Ms. Oliensis-Torres holds a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Education from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Care Manager.

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care
18740 W. Bluemound Road
Brookfield, WI 53045

Directions can be found at:
https://www.fivestarseniorliving.com/communities/wi/brookfield/brookfield-rehabilitation-specialty-care

Parking

There is free parking directly in front of the building.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Cultural norms and values in end-of-life planning

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Presentation: Tools for working with various ethnic groups

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning with
Diverse Ethnic Groups

Tough Conversations: End-of-Life Decision Guide for Persons with Dementia

Tough Conversations: End-of-Life Decision Guide for
Persons with Dementia

Instructor: Miriam Oliensis-Torres, MSW, LCSW

Friday, May 5, 2017 I 9:00 am to 12:00 pm I Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care

Registration: Tough Conversations: End-of-Life Decision Guide for Persons with Dementia

Description

Sponsored by UWM’s Center for Aging and Translational Research

This topic is especially timely given the 2016 changes allowing Medicare coverage for advance care planning as a separate and billable service. People with dementia make up a high proportion of all those needing end-of-life care each year. Unfortunately, there are many barriers that impact the quality of end-of-life care especially for those with dementia. Many die with feeding tubes in place despite research suggesting little or no benefit. Those with dementia also have an increased risk of inadequate pain treatment. And, while hospice use is increasing, dementia patients are less likely to receive hospice care.

Ms. Oliensis-Torres will discuss the most important and persistent challenges to providing excellent care for patients with dementia and how to ensure the wishes of persons with dementia are clear and respected.

Note: This session was offered in 2014. Content has been updated to reflect the changes in Medicare coverage and latest research on advance care planning. This is the third of a three-part series. Feel free to register for one, two or all three sessions.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the presentation, participants will:

Identify issues to consider in making decisions about the end-of-life care
Learn an effective process for making decisions

Instructor

Required Course Materials

None

Target Audience

Social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, case managers, family and professional caregivers

Continuing Education

3.0 CEHs, .3 CEUs (3 clock hours)

Price

$75

Location

Brookfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Care
18740 W. Bluemound Road
Brookfield, WI 53045

Directions can be found at:
https://www.fivestarseniorliving.com/communities/wi/brookfield/brookfield-rehabilitation-specialty-care

Parking

There is free parking directly in front of the building.

Agenda

8:30 AM – Registration

9:00 AM – Introductions

9:15 AM – Presentation: Working with families and persons with dementia

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Presentation: Tools for having compassionate end-of-life discussions

12:00 PM – Adjournment

Registration: Tough Conversations: End-of-Life Decision Guide for Persons with Dementia

2015-2016

Resilience: Strengths and Mental Well-Being as We Age

Tuesday, April 5, 2016
9 am – 12 pmThe first myth is that old age is a disease, a terrible disease that you never admit that you’ve got, so you lie about your age. Well, it’s not a disease. It’s a triumph, because you survived failure, disappointment, sickness, loss, you’re still here – Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray PanthersOverview: Resilience is a hot topic in the field of gerontology. We need resilience to negotiate hardship and adversity over the course of our lives. And as the years accumulate, so do adversities and age-related losses requiring us to hang tough and bounce back again and again. Why is it that some people, when faced with a setback, spiral into hopelessness while others triumph after a brief period of malaise? How can you tell who will take which route? And, can those who become paralyzed in the face of hardship learn strategies that build their resilience?In this introductory workshop, Dr. Bonjean will examine the role of resilience and its impact on emotional well-being, particularly in the face of threatened or actual loss in cognition, health status, and well-being with increasing age.Learning Outcomes: At the end of the presentation, participants will –

Define resilience and its significance in the aging process
Determine the core elements and determinants of resilience in the face of loss
Explore the concept of post traumatic growth
Develop strategies in resilience to support older adults who are experiencing adversity

Instructor: Marilyn Bonjean [Ed.D., MS, LMFT], president and co-founder of ICF Consultants, Inc., is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and an approved supervisor of The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She utilizes a strength-based and solution-focused approach to help people of all ages experiencing depression, anxiety, couple communication problems and family relationship issues. Dr. Bonjean has numerous publications related to medical illness and caregiving. An area of particular expertise is her work with the emotional aspects of physical illness, the impact of being a patient in the health care system and the stress of caregiving families. She assists individuals after invasive medical treatment, violent episodes or other traumatizing experiences, and provides supervision and training regarding complex cases, often speaking as an advocate for the chronically ill and their families.

Dr. Bonjean is certified in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and is a member of the EMDR International Association. Over the past thirty years, Dr. Bonjean has developed internationally utilized educational modules for individuals, couples and families to improve counseling services, and has received the “Therapist of the Year” award from Wisconsin Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Target Audience: Social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, athletic trainers, case managers, family and professional caregivers.

CEHs: .3 (3 clock hours)
Price: $65

Location: Jewish Home and Care Center, 1414 North Prospect Avenue, Milwaukee – 53202

Registration: http://ow.ly/Ular5

Owning your Power: Interfacing with the Legal System on Behalf of Older Adults

Friday, May 13, 2016
8:30 am – 12:30 pmThe difference between the way we operate in this world when we know we count and when we don’t know we count is staggering – Susan JeffersOverview: Informed consent, elder abuse, guardianship, advance care planning – these are all legal issues that affect older adults and their caregivers. How can we, as professional caregivers, navigate the legal system in a way that is powerful and of service to both ourselves and those we care for?This workshop will focus on the ethical and boundary-related challenges that exist when working with older adults and the legal system. Learn how to access your personal power to advocate for older adults and influence legal and care outcomes that are ethical, compassionate and person-centered. The topic will be addressed through lecture and a series of case-based discussions and vignettes.Learning Outcomes: At the end of this workshop, participants will –

Identify ethics- and boundary-related issues related to older adults in the legal system
Define advocacy and identify factors that act as barriers or facilitators to patient/client advocacy
Examine their current level of power and the extent you are using your power to ethically and compassionately advocate for clients/patients in the legal system
Develop powerful professional practices for advocating for clients/patients.

Instructor: Robert (Rock) Pledl J.D., is a partner at Pledl & Cohn, SC., in Milwaukee. He graduated from the UW-Milwaukee social work program in 1976 and from the John Marshall Law School in 1980. His state-wide practice focuses on serving individuals with disabilities and their families in a variety of settings. Mr. Pledl handles civil commitment, guardianship, and protective placement cases as either counsel or guardian ad litem. He also practices special education law and has a particular interest in school-to-adult transition issues and supported employment. Mr. Pledl was lead class counsel in a Federal ADA case that addressed systemic problems in the Wisconsin Family Care program. He also represents disability service providers in NIMBY zoning cases.

This program fulfills the ethics and boundaries licensing requirements for licensure.

CEHs: .4 (4 clock hours)
Price: $65

Location: Milwaukee Catholic Home, 2462 North Prospect Avenue, Milwaukee – 53202

Registration: http://ow.ly/UlaFU

Loneliness: An Invisible Epidemic

Tuesday, May 24, 2016
9:00 am – 12:00 pmAs you get older, you see the world writing you off, so you tend to become passive and think, ‘I don’t want to bother anybody.’ You lose contact with your own kind, your tribe. And before you know it, you’re feeling bad. It’s kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Your eyes start to fasten on the sunset, and you start walking toward it – Barbara Dane, an 85-year-old jazz and blues singer from Oakland, CADescription: Loneliness is a sense of not having meaningful contact with others, resulting in feelings of isolation, not belonging, or lacking companionship. In a large-scale study conducted in 2012, researchers found that loneliness in older people can have serious health consequences, raising the risk of an earlier-than-expected death and the loss of physical functioning. Of the 1,604 adults age 60 and older interviewed for the study, a disturbing 43% reported feeling lonely, (Perissinotto, Cenzer, and Covinsky, 2012).What can be done to help older adults stay connected and reduce persistent feelings of loneliness?In this introductory workshop on the topic, Dr. Bonjean will explore the impact of loneliness and social isolation on our physical and mental health as we age. Strategies will also be discussed to tackle the epidemic of loneliness in our older adult population.Learning Outcomes: At the end of the presentation, participants will –• Understand the prevalence and reasons for social isolation and loneliness in older adults
• Understand the impact that social isolation has on mental and physical health
• Develop strategies for assessing and reducing social isolation and loneliness in older adultsInstructor: Marilyn Bonjean [Ed.D., MS, LMFT], president and co-founder of ICF Consultants, Inc., is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and an approved supervisor of The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She utilizes a strength-based and solution-focused approach to help people of all ages experiencing depression, anxiety, couple communication problems and family relationship issues. Dr. Bonjean has numerous publications related to medical illness and caregiving. An area of particular expertise is her work with the emotional aspects of physical illness, the impact of being a patient in the health care system and the stress of caregiving families. She assists individuals after invasive medical treatment, violent episodes or other traumatizing experiences, and provides supervision and training regarding complex cases, often speaking as an advocate for the chronically ill and their families.Dr. Bonjean is certified in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and is a member of the EMDR International Association. Over the past thirty years, Dr. Bonjean has developed internationally utilized educational modules for individuals, couples and families to improve counseling services, and has received the “Therapist of the Year” award from Wisconsin Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.Target Audience: Social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, MDs, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, athletic trainers, case managers, family and professional caregiversCEHs: .3 (3 clock hours)
Price: $65Location: Jewish Home and Care Center, 1414 North Prospect Avenue, Milwaukee – 53202Registration: http://ow.ly/UlaWa

Past Offerings

2018-2019

2017-2018

2017-2018

2016-2017

Aging Well: The Power of Yoga

Communicating with Older Adults

“Oops, I forgot. Does that mean I have Alzheimer’s?”

Your Caregiving Team Companion: The Importance of Environment in Dementia Care

Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors

Transition and Change in Later Life: Grief and Loss as We Age

Importance of the Life Story

Transition and Change in Later Life: Retirement and Reinvention

Mindful Movement for Memory

Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning

Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning with Diverse Ethnic Groups

Tough Conversations: End-of-Life Decision Guide for Persons with Dementia

2015-2016

Transition and Change in Later Life:
Grief and Loss as We Age

Transition and Change in Later Life:
Retirement and Reinvention

Tough Conversations: Advance Care Planning with
Diverse Ethnic Groups

Tough Conversations: End-of-Life Decision Guide for
Persons with Dementia