Events and Announcements
FREE PUBLIC LECTURE ON BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR WITH AGING
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
UW Campus Kane Hall, Room 210
7:00-8:15pm
Click here for more info
Another Successful Networking Session on April 18!
On April 18, 2009, the Institute on Aging sponsored its semi-annual “networking session” on the UW campus. New students in the Certificate Program in Gerontology (CPG) had a chance to meet active students and grads, and prospective students met these students and representatives of the IoA and UWEO. This session achieved its purpose: to get students together in person rather than through the “virtual network” that they experience when taking the CPG courses online. It was an opportunity for students to meet others currently enrolled in their courses, and to meet the director of the IoA, Asuman Kiyak, who also teaches two of the CPG courses. They also shared ideas for career changes and current job prospects for grads and others interested in careers in gerontology.
In addition to opportunities for networking and visiting with former classmates, the April 18 session featured two excellent speakers on the topic of “virtual villages” that can help older adults age in place. These virtual villages build community and help reduce social isolation. The first one was developed in Boston, Massachusetts, and is known as “Beacon Hill Village” (www.beaconhillvillage.org). There are over 20 other virtual villages across the country, from Washington DC to Berkeley, California. The two speakers who were featured at our networking session are leading efforts to develop the first such virtual village in Seattle. Deborah Anderson, MSW, is spearheading a grassroots effort with the acronym “NEST” (Northeast Seattle Together) that is actively working to link elders in the NE region of Seattle with community resources, social and educational opportunities so they can live confidently in their own homes and neighborhoods. Dr. Carol Leppa, Professor in the School of Nursing at the UW, discussed how she and her students developed and conducted a survey of needs in this community, based on her observations of how a virtual village could be an effective way to help elders and their families in Northeast Seattle. Their informal presentations led to a lively discussion about how such a concept can be successful in this part of the country, and other areas in Seattle and throughout the state where virtual communities could help older adults in those communities age in place. Some photos of the April 18 session are shown below.
