What options exist for people to stay mobile in our area? What still needs to be done on a community level? Dwight Mengel and Ray Weaver will guide this important discussion about our evolving mobility choices, services, and strategies, and elicit participants' perspectives on how we can move ahead to improve mobility services in the area and promote lifelong safety. Click here for more information and to register for any workshop, including those on 10/31 and 11/14.

 

Wed., 10/31-"Evolving Health Care Models to Minimize Polypharmacy and Medication Errors in Aging Adults"

Wed., 11/14-"Aging with Disabilities and Quality of Life"

Pat Montanez and Edina Williams-Batar will discuss supporting people with disabilities as they age in their home environment, and helping seniors stay connected to their individual passions, to one another, and to the wider community.

The Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center at ICGI is one of several sponsors of this FREE one-day learning opportunity at the Tompkins County Public Library. (Registration starts at 8:30 am.) Bestselling author and syndicated advice columnist Amy Dickinson ("Ask Amy") will be the keynote speaker. To register, call David Bulkley, Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, 607.273.9250.

Recently Grace Goodhew, a senior aging studies major at Ithaca college, was interviewed by Shelby Smith, a fellow major and student assistant at the Gerontology Institute. Here's an excerpt:

Grace: "When I'm having one-on-one discussions with older adults, knowing that they feel heard and I'm honing my listening skills so that they can be heard makes me feel very happy."

To read the full interview, go here, where you'll also find out more about Josette, the black lab in the picture! 

In September, driving experts implemented a new safety program, CarFit, to help seniors find out how the "fit" of their personal vehicle affects their driving. At the Ithaca event, 12 individuals became certified to complete a 12-point checklist with each older driver. Among the items checked: Is the person positioned correctly in the driver's seat? Can the person reach the pedals easily? Does the person know how to adjust mirrors properly or have the flexibility to use the mirrors?

Among those certified were local and neighboring county mobility managers and five IC Occupational Therapy graduate students. (Students pictured, in front row, l-r: Amy Cardinale, Kaia Wiley, JulieAnne Butare, Kaela Banashefski, and Shari Kaplan.) For more about CarFit and Way2Go, go here or call 607.272.2292. 

When the NYSARH annual conference was held in September in Corning, NY, the ICGI sent two staffers: Denise Wells, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, and Chris Decker, FLGEC Program Coordinator. Below are a few highlights from the conference:

Rural Medical Scholars Program: This nationally acclaimed cilnical track for MD students at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse has, under the direction of David Kolva, MD, redirected its recruitment by focusing on rural community members who would wish to return to their home area to practice. This is vital, because a recent Area Health Education Center (AHEC) study found that 25% of primary physicians in rural areas are older than 65. Currently 3% are under 35. This program, and the Physician Assistant Program at Upstate, are trying to bridge the care provider gap by providing specialized seminars for the rural medical scholars, special rural placements, and internships for the students.

Care Transitions of Western New York: This program was recently formed to improve the transition from hospital to home in rural areas in western New York by providing help with Medication Self Management training for the patient, a patient-centered record for all care providers, primary care and specialist follow-up appointments, and training the patient in how to recognize which signs indicate their condition is worsening and how to respond. This goes far beyond the usual discharge plan a patient would receive at the end of a hospital stay, and when implemented, should provide better care for the patient upon his or her return home.

Aging in Place: Among the grassroots efforts presented was one stand-out--Academy Place, which finally opened in 2010 after nearly a decade of effort, spearheaded by one older woman with the vision to transform an empty school in Gowanda, NY, into a community for seniors.