Content and Structure Subject to Change

Sunday • April 16, 2000

5:00-6:00pm     Early Registration
6:00-7:30pm     President’s Early Bird Reception (free to all conference registrants)

Monday • April 17, 2000

8:00-9:00am       Registration, beverages served
9:00-11:15am     Keynote Opening Session

• John Q. Hammons, philanthropist, developer and one of Springfield’s favorite octogenarians, Mr. John Q. Hammons welcomes Mid-America Congress on Aging to one of his many hotels.

• Jeanette C. Takamura, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Aging, US Administration on Aging, will open the conference with an update on The National Family Caregiver Support Program.

• State and local officials

• Conference Preview Panel

11:15-11:30am	Break
11:30-12:30pm	Lunch with Don Lambert, “The Legacy of Elizabeth Layton’s Fresh Start” Don will explore the legacy of a gifted elder artist who addressed social issues through her art.
12:30-12:45pm	Break
12:45-1:00pm	Opening of the Elizabeth Layton exhibit, underwritten by Merrill Lynch, in cooperation with SMSU Gerontology Program. Exhibit will remain open throughout conference.
1:00-1:30pm	Don Lambert author of :  The Art &Life of Elizabeth‘Grandma’ Layton  Book signing in exhibition room
1:30-2:45pm	General session and CEU sign-in

•  Special Public Forum: Creative Caregiving: A National Challenge

Larry Brewster, Ph.D., Bi-Regional Administrator, US Administration on Aging, Facilitator. Caregiver support is a major priority of the US Administration on Aging. This panel will review incentives and disincentives to creative caregiving. Government, caregiver, and service provider views will be presented. Interactive format.

2:45-3:15pm              Refreshment break
3:15-4:30pm              Workshops/CEU sign-in & evaluations

•  "Creativity and Successful Aging in Later Life"

Bradley Fisher, Ph.D., Director of Gerontology, Southwest Missouri State University, reports on a study that examined the meanings older people attach to successful aging and its relationship to creative activity. Presentation includes members from Studio 55.

• "Tai Chi – A Mind & Body Exercise"

Becky Browne, School of Tai Chi, Joplin, Missouri.  You will learn to improve balance, ease arthritis with researched Tai Chi programs.

• "The Wonderful Power of Humor"

Carol Will, RN, Humorist, Wills Consulting, Keokuk, Iowa  Practice-based participatory workshop. Creative humor for greater quality of life.

•  Merrill Lynch – Financial Issues.

If you have a mouse, do you need an investments broker to become a fat cat? Get acquainted with the changing landscape of investment planning and financial security. Mark Nelson has the map, the mouse, and the savvy.

Monday Evening

5:00-7:00pm	Wine & Cheese Reception with Mary & Jim Pipher. (Reservations required. Limited space.)
6:00-9:00pm	Gala Event, reservations required

Food – Music – Fun!

New!  Special Guest Appearance: Hear Jim Pipher, singer-songwriter, clinical psychologist, and spouse of Mary Pipher.  Jim, a member of the famous "Lightning Bugs" of Lincoln, Nebraska, will perform live and unplugged.

Tuesday  • April 18, 2000

7:30-8:30am            Exhibitors’ continental breakfast
8:00-9:00am            Registration
9:00-10:00am          Workshops/CEU sign-in & evaluations

• "When a Loved One is Dying: Family Members in Search of Peace of Mind"

Mercedes Bern-Klug, Center on Aging, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas. Family and societal issues regarding end-of-life care. Research-based interactive workshop.

• Student Paper Presentations

Linda Havir, Professor of Sociology, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota. You will learn the latest news in university research from our Student Paper Competition.

• "The Many Faces of Dementia"

Dennis Edwards, Ph.D., Private Practice, Nixa, Missouri, will discuss innovative programs and approaches to the many varieties and causes of dementia.

• "Nutrition and the Aging Population"

Carmen Boyd, MS, LPC, RD Instructor, Biomedical Sciences Department, Southwest Missouri State University. You will hear about the latest RDAs, specific nutrition requirements for older people and nutritional quackery.

10:00-10:15am             Break
10:15-11:15am             General Session/CEU  sign-in & evaluations

• "Restructuring the American Nursing Home"

Tom Walz, Ph.D. Professor, University of Iowa, School of Social Work, Iowa City, Iowa and Steve Siglin, LNHA, Iowa City, Iowa.  Tom and Steve will rattle your paradigms. Why is there a long-term care crisis in America, and what shall we do about it?

11:15-11:30am             Break
11:30-12:30pm             Lunch with Mary Pipher, Ph.D.

Another Country – Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders Mary Pipher's fresh perspective on elder issues in America will challenge us to change our culture and change some of the ways we do business.

12:30-1:30pm              Book signing with Mary Pipher
1:30-2:00pm                Break
2:00-3:00pm                Workshops/CEU sign-in & evaluations

• "Managing Difficult Feelings and Behaviors in Caregiving" Part I

James Vanden Bosch, Executive Director, Terra Nova Films, Inc., Chicago, Illinois. A video spiced workshop, Part I, Interactive training workshop dealing with difficult behaviors of the care-receiver.

• "A Piece of the Puzzle: Educational Initiatives in Long Term Care"

Jeremy Kenner, Director of Research in Law and Ethics, Midwest Bioethics Center, Kansas City, Missouri, will discuss the Kansas City project working to improve end-of-life care by stimulating and influencing staff and culture of long-term-care facilities.

• "Adult Children as Caregivers: Drawing and  Maintaining the Line Between Caring and Fixing"

Pamela Payne-Edwards, Ph.D., Licensed Professional Counselor, Ozark, Missouri. Experienced caregiver/professional counselor discusses the emotional toll of caregiving, handling finances, resentment and more.  We can’t fix the loss of independence.

• "Who Gets Grandma’s Pie Plate?"

Beverly Scroggins, Community Service Director, Area Agency on Aging, Joplin, Missouri. Practical steps to follow when making family decisions on personal property transfer.

3:00-3:30pm                Refreshment break
3:30-4:30pm                Workshops/CEU sign-in & evaluations

• "Managing Difficult Feelings and Behaviors in Caregiving" Part II

James Vanden Bosch, Executive Director, Terra Nova Films, Inc., Chicago, Illinois.  A video spiced workshop, Part II, Interactive training workshop around the difficult feelings and frustrations of caregivers and how to find a balance.

• "Seniors and Gambling: Who Has the Problem?"

Linda Havir, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota.  Do seniors have a bigger problem with gambling addiction than other age groups?  Research based discussion on public concerns about older people and casinos.

• "Elder Law Forever"

Topper Glass, Attorney and Richard E. Walters, Attorney, Springfield, Missouri.  An overview of the current and most controversial legal issues in the field of aging.  These lawyers place the emphasis on solutions.

• "Save Our Health Care"

Rona McNally, Volunteer Coordinator, Area Agency on Aging - S.O.R.T. Program, Warrensburg, Missouri.  Interactive discussion of efforts to identify and prevent the loss of resources due to Medicare and Medicaid fraud, abuse and misuse. It is your money, too!  Help save it! 

Wednesday • April 19, 2000

8:00-9:00am                 Membership breakfast buffet  & business meeting
9:00- 9:15am                Break
9:15-10:15am               Workshops/CEU sign-in & evaluations

• "Staying Alive For As Long As You Live"

Virginia Galbraith-Snow, Coordinator - Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, Springfield, Missouri. An active, learning, fun workshop.  Learn activities and leisure methods of helping resident/patients continue to experience joy, laughter and some new spiritual growth.

• "Building a Community Partnership Model"

David P. Sykora, Executive Director, St. Louis Area Agency on Aging; and Dorothy F. Edwards, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor in Occupational Therapy, St. Louis, Missouri.  A description of the Community Partnership Model will highlight efforts made to understand culture and climate of all parties. Easily replicated model for your community.  

• "Politics of Advocacy"

Janet Witt, Grass Roots Manager, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Washington, DC.  Learn how to get involved as an advocate and why advocacy is necessary to make legislative changes to increase senior services.

• "Living Well at the End of Life"

Mercedes Bern-Klug, Center on Aging, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas. An overview of the LIFE Project (Living Initiatives at the End of Life), with 40 Kansas agencies participating.  Information on planning for and receiving quality care and community involvement in improving care at the end of life.

• Technology: A Resource for Caregiving

Service World Computer Center, Inc., Springfield, Missouri.  

A Computer Workshop
10:15-10:30am             Break
10:30-11:30am             Closing Session

"Building Bridges and Creativity in the New Millennium"

• Bradley Fisher, Ph.D., Director of Gerontology, Southwest Missouri State University. There is a need to recognize how elders are employing creative strategies to cope with everyday life. They, as successful aging role models, and professionals in the field of aging are laying the groundwork for an increased level of understanding and more humane treatment of elders in our society. Dr. Bradley Fisher will tie together all we have learned about creativity and caregiving and look to the tasks we all will share to enhance the quality of life for older people in the future.  To paraphrase a famous quotation, "We have met the elderly, and they is us!"

11:30-11:45am        Palmtop computer drawing
11:45-Noon            CEU evaluation 

To register for the conference please click here.