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.”
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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
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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
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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.
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