AUSB’s first Symposium on Healthy Aging, April 19-20, 2013, turned out to be a tremendous success with a standing-room only crowd. Presented in conjunction with the MA in Clinical Psychology’s highly regarded Healthy Aging concentration, the two-day Symposium focused on a range of timely issues affecting the physical, social, spiritual, and psychological well-being of our elders –specifically, the Baby Boom generation.
The 50+ participants included professional therapists, agency staff, family caregivers, and other community members with an interest in this field. From a variety of speakers, they learned clinical skills and multidisciplinary perspectives on preventive, medical, wellness, holistic, and transitional approaches that support optimal life quality for themselves, aging clients, and their families.
In Friday night’s opening address, AUSB President Dr. Nancy Leffert welcomed attendees before introducing the keynote speaker, Harry R. Moody, PhD, director of academic affairs for AARP in Washington, DC, who spoke on: Flourishing in Later Life: New Visions of Healthy Aging and Mental Health.
Featured medical and mental health presenters during the Symposium included: David Lebell, MD; Stuart Light, MA; Peter MacDougall, PhD; Albert Munoz-Flores, PsyD; and Elizabeth Wolfson, PhD, LCSW, chair of the MA in Clinical Psychology Program, which sponsored the event under the aegis of its Healthy Aging concentration.
On Saturday afternoon, several creative artisans and educators – poet/teacher Barry Spacks, author/teacher Kimberley Snow, and Beverly Schydlowsky, PhD, presented Secrets of Healthy Aging: Local Luminaries Share Their Perspectives, followed by a Panel on Multidisciplinary Perspectives that examined such diverse issues as independent and residential living, adult day care, family support, and meaningful end-of-life rituals.
Other symposium topics included: the latest medical advances for healthy aging; clinical practitioner approaches; mind over matter for conscious aging; 21st-century grandparents; an artistic perspective on the secrets of healthy aging; and a multimedia student presentation.
