"Mindfulness-Based Elder Care"
with Lucia McBee as Gerontology Institute's Distinguished Speaker

 

Lucia McBee is a licensed clinical geriatric social worker who has worked with elders and their caregivers for 30 years. She received her M.S.W. and M.P.H. from Columbia University and her yoga certification from Kripalu. For the past 15 years she has integrated mindfulness, gentle movement, aromatherapy, hand massage, and other complementary therapies into her practice with frail elders in nursing homes, with homebound elders, and with their caregivers. McBee's work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Her book describing these practices, Mindfulness-Based Elder Care, was published in 2008 and will be available for sale.

 

This year's Distinguished Speaker is presented in partnership with the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center and Ithaca College's Departments of Health Promotion and Physical Education, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Recreation and Leisure Studies. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the Gerontology Institute at 607-274-1607 or treinemann@ithaca.edu as much in advance of the event as possible.  

"Mindfulness in Elder Care: Practical Tools for Stress Reduction" will be held Tuesday, February 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Kendal at Ithaca auditorium. Long-term care leaders, staff, and other caregivers are invited to this free training with Ms. McBee, an internationally known expert in applying mindfulness-based stress reduction in the field of aging. Ms McBee will lead participants with lecture, discussion, meditation techniques, and the reminder that "taking care of ourselves is also taking care of others." Participants will leave with hands-on skills they can apply immediately to improve their own quality of life as well as those they serve. A low-cost lunch will be available afterwards in the Kendal at Ithaca dining room.

Registration is required for this free event, and space is limited. This training is funded by the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute's Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center, and is offered in collaboration with Kendal at Ithaca.

You just may see some familiar faces in the December 2013/January 2014 issue of AARP The Magazine! On page 12, to be exact, where four Longview residents are pictured with their favorite Ithaca College football player and fellow quilter, Christopher Friedlander '15.

When AARP editors contacted the Gerontology Institute about arranging a photo shoot to help illustrate the college's relationship with the retirement community, "of course we thought of the quilters' group and Chris," said Christine Pogorzala, IC/Longview Coordinator. The quilters got to know the Bomber football player through a service learning project in faculty member Elizabeth Bergman's class, "Age Matters: Discovering the Possibilities beyond Midlife." They quickly bonded with Chris, who plans to continue his relationship with the quilters' group even though his service learning project has been completed. Quilters pictured with Chris include Charlotte Young, Ardie Bennett, Marilyn Aigen, and Marie Witzel. (The college is still seeking usage rights for the photo, so we are unable to reproduce it here.)

Rachel Klumpp, '14, a speech-language pathology major and aging studies minor, received in October the State Society on Aging NY award for best undergraduate paper, "Nutrition Programs and Policies for Elders." Although extenuating circumstances precluded her being able to attend the annual conference in Saratoga Springs, the award included free registration and hotel accommodations. Congratulations, Rachel! Read Rachel's abstract of her award-winning paper.

Two faculty members of the Aging Studies department presented at this year's annual State Society on Aging NY conference in Saratoga Springs in October 2013. Associate professor and chair Mary Ann Erickson moderated a panel and also presented in the Walter Beattie Symposium on "The Role of Gerontology Education Centers in Capacity Building." Assistant professor and IC/Longview coordinator Christine Pogorzala presented a poster session, "What's That There? Experiential Learning Opportunities in an Undergraduate Memory Loss and Aging Course." 

Out of Many, One: Uniting the Changing Faces of America, the new report from Generations United and The Generations Initiative, challenges traditional approaches to changing demographics and elevates intergenerational solutions that strengthen our families and communities. It includes the results of a new public opinion survey on how Americans of all ages feel about the changing faces of their community and makes recommendations to capitalize on our growing demographic diversity.

The Ithaca College Gerontology Institute provides high quality education to students and professionals, empowering them to positively impact the lives of older people.