Center on Aging - Kansas State University
Transcription
Center on Aging - Kansas State University
Kansas State University Center on Aging January 2014 Gertontology Update www.he.k-state.edu/aging Notes from the Director January has always been a time for new beginnings and that certainly is true for us at the Center on Aging. We’ve just moved to our new home in 253 Justin Hall. It feels like we are right where we belong. Our new furniture has not yet arrived but when it does we’ll put out an announcement for an open house and you can come by and celebrate with us. I thought this might be a good time to tell you about the strengths of our Center on Aging family. Many of you have already had an association with Pam Evans, our extraordinary advisor. She can make your life a whole lot easier. Laci Cornelison has been one of our Intro to Gerontology instructors but she’s taking time out to spearhead our contract work on PEAK, a program to help nursing homes provide person-centered care for their residents. Stephanie Gfeller is developing our gerontology program at Salina and coordinates our long-term care administration program. Dana Hunter teaches the Intro course and does anything related to our undergrad students. You can thank her and her compatriot in all things exciting, Heath Rath, for the fun stuff that happens here and with the gerontology club. Niki John is our newest instructor and she brings with her teaching awards and a dynamite attitude in the classroom. We fill out with PEAK consultants, Jackie Sump and Judy Miller, and several student assistants including Julie Otto, Dene’ Mosier, Madeline Appel and Daniel Collins. There’s never a dull moment in 253 where you’re always welcome. Have a great semester. - Gayle Inside the January Issue This entire issue revolves around being connected -connected with our staff, our faculty, our club, as well as those in our community. Read on about the power and benefits of intergenerational relationships. Be sure to tell your fellow students about how “Gerontology may be your secondary major but it will be your first LOVE.” 1 Advising Notes Recently I was thinking of all the students I have worked with in the gerontology program over the past 30+ years. Even though technology, fashions and fads change, our gerontology students have remained the same in one specific way -- passion about their field. I know that our gerontology students possess a high level of excitement about career plans to work with or on behalf of older adults. It's my job to see that you are able to move toward that goal. If it's been awhile since you have stopped by to see me, I'd love to visit with you. I can update you on where you stand with your gerontology studies, and perhaps direct you to resources within your specific field. I'd love to help whether you are trying to find answers to questions, need career specific information, or simply want to visit. Stop by, email or call -- I'm always available. Have a great semester. - Pam We are looking for our: 2014 - 2015 Ambassadors Be a leader. be the change. be an amabassador. Applications due: Friday, Feb. 7th at 4pm 253 Justin Current Ambassador Team: Misha Modiri, Ashley Ott, Lauren Graber, Casey Leister Interviews: February 10-13th Ambassadors Announced: February 14th Upcoming Events Scholarship Application due February 7th Ambassador Application due February 7th Spring Break March 17th - 21st Summer/Fall enrollment begins March 24th KSU Open House April 5th Careers in Aging Week April 6th - 12th The Amazing Careers in Aging Race April 7th Age of Champions April 9th Senior Prom 5K April 11th Personhood & Dementia April 24th Finals Week May 12th - 16th Graduation May 17th 2 Benefits of Intergenerational Relationships +Provide an opportunity for both to learn new skills +Give the child and the older adult a sense of purpose +Help to alleviate fears younger generations may have of the elderly +Help younger generations unerstand and later accept their own aging +Invigorate and energize older adults +Help reduce the likelihood of depression in the elderly +Reduce the isolation of older adults +Fill a void for younger generations who do not have grandparents available to them +Help keep family stories and history alive For the younger half of an intergenerational friendship, access to the broader perspectives that come with age can be enriching. “Older people are less inclined toward hype and trendiness,” says Tom McBride an English professor at Beloit College in Wisonsin. “As a result, they have a more enduring sense of what’s important.” Moreover, they’ve often experienced things younger folks simply haven’t yet. Silva-Collins witnessed an older friend’s coping with the death of a spouse, for example, and it prompted her to broach the subject with her own husband. “We started talking about ‘Where do you want to be buried, or do you even want to be buried?’ I’ve started a folder on it to help me later on.” It’s helpful to realize that older friends don’t have all the answers, though. Candelaria Silva-Collins writer and arts marketing professional in Boston was initially intimidated by the success of her older friend. When they grew closer, she saw that her friend still wrestled with her own share of questions. “She has a lot of wisdom, but she’s still figuring some things out, and that was comforting for me to see.”Hanging out with pals in a different phase of life can also offer fresh opportunities for relating. “With friends my own age, I’m more likely to poke and joust, and to call them out on their stuff,” says Eric Utne, 66, the founder of Utne Reader magazine. While this “sparring” dynamic can be fun, he says, it can also keep the relationship from growing deeper. With his younger friends, Utne says he feels less competitive and is more likely to really listen and offer the kind of genuine support that enriches a relationship.“One key to intergenerational friendship is that you’re not downloading your infinite wisdom, but lending an ear,” says Utne, who recently launched a group that aims to bring baby boomers and Millennials together to focus on environmental issues. For younger people, having an older friend listen closely helps them feel heard and respected, says Jon F. Nussbaum, PhD, professor at Penn State who researches intergenerational communication. For older people, having younger friends can help them better connect to the broader culture. “Young people are more invested in media and pop culture, so communication with them keeps an older person engaged,” says Nussbaum. There’s evidence, too, he notes, that friendships with younger people can speed brain activity in older individuals, literally stimulating the mind in a way peerto-peer communication doesn’t. Both parties benefit from this kind of engagement, says McBride. “Looking at things through the eyes of people who have very different experiences and assumptions than you do can be like food for the brain,” he explains. Theresa Carey, a screenwriter, agrees. Her friendships with both younger and older pals have given her deeper insight into her own experience. “My younger friends connect me to where I’ve been,” she says, “and my older friends connect me to where I’m going.” -The Value of Intergenerational Relationships by Joseph Hart, 2012 3 GERONTOLOGY Service Opportunity! Lucy Finocchiaro is the Program Coordinator at Manhattan Good Neightbors. This semester Manhattan Good Neighbors is hosting a new ongoing service project called the Senior Technology Advising Program. They are currently seeking dedicated volunteers! They would like to forma group of Senior Technology Advisers to help out on either a weekly or biweekly basis at the Riley County Senior center. Volunteers can help on either Tuesday or Thursdays during the week to help the elderly at the senior center with technology questions. You don’t have to know a whole lot about technology to help- most of the seniors will need help with things like Ipads, cell phones, sending e-mails, and using the internet. To learn more about this opportunity please visit: http://www.k-state.edu/leadership/programs/mgn/application. html You can also find the application at the link above which is due on January 31st. This is a great opportunity for Gerontontology majors! If you have any questions please e-mail Lucy at [email protected] or call her office at (785)532-3675. CLUB HAPPENINGS Careers in Aging Week (CIAW) All of the following events will occur during Careers in Aging Week (April 6-12, 2014): “Careers in Aging Week (CIAW) is an annual event intended to bring greater awareness and visibility to the wide-ranging career opportunities in aging and aging research. Universities and colleges across the world participate by sponsoring events at their schools or in their communities.” Visit: http://www.aghe.org to learn more. The Amazing Careers in Aging Race (Monday, April 7, 2014) We are hosting the third annual The Amazing Careers in Aging Race. The Amazing Careers in Aging Race is the Center on Aging’s version of the CBS show The Amazing Race where teams consisting of KSU students are pitted against each other to trek around campus in search of four destinations. At each destination, teams will compete in a challenge, some mental and some physical, learning about careers in aging along the way. (Sponsored by the Gerontology Ambassadors) Age of Champions Documentary (Wednesday, April 9, 2014) Filmmakers Christopher Rufo and Keith Ochwat have spoken at dozens of conferences, events, and film festivals around the world. Senior living communities have used Age of Champions speaking engagements to inspire residents, generate local media coverage, and achieve their marketing goals. We will be bringing them to campus to share their film about these fantastic successful agers. Age of Champions is the award-winning PBS documentary following five competitors who sprint, leap, and swim for gold at the National Senior Olympics. You’ll meet a 100-year-old tennis champion, 86-year-old pole vaulter, and rough-andtumble basketball grandmothers as they triumph over the limitations of age. To learn more about Age of Champions, visit http://ageofchampions.org. Senior Prom 5k Race (Friday, April 11, 2014) To play on the word “senior”, the Gerontology Club will be hosting a Senior Prom 5k Race on campus, under the stars. Competitors will be participating in this run with a lot of fun and engagement in mind. They will be challenged to run in prom attire: GIRLS: dresses and tiaras, GUYS: tuxes, suits, and/ or ties. Throughout the race there will be points where competitors will dance to [email protected] sounds of the past all the way to current music; big band, golden oldies, 80s, 90s, etc. The first male and female that cross the finish line will be crowned our Prom King and Queen. This race will be open to all ages to truly make it an intergenerational event. Interested in joining the Gerontology Club??? E-Mail Kansas state university Center on Aging 253 Justin Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-3501 785-532-5945 Kansas State University Notice of Nondiscrimination Kansas State University is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, ancestry, disability, military status, veteran status, or other non-merit reasons, in admissions, educational programs or activities and employment, including employment of disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era, as required by applicable laws and regulations. Responsibility for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries concerning Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, has been delegated to the Director of Affirmative Action, Kansas State University, 214 Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-0124, (Phone) 785-532-6220; (TTY) 785-532-4807. Revised April 22, 2008. 4