The Gerontological Society of America

 
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Press Briefings and Releases
Press Briefings and Related Activities

Will America Strengthen Retirement Security — Or Weaken It in 2013?

Thursday, November 15, 2012
11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Room 5A, San Diego Convention Center

The new year promises to bring a new round of political brinkmanship, as Congress and the new administration try to avoid sequestration (across the board budget cuts) and raising the federal debt ceiling. Will Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid be on the table? What will the consequences be? Will calls to modernize these programs to meet the needs of the growing age boom go unheeded?

Speakers:

  • Eric Kingson, PhD, Professor of Social Work, Syracuse University, Founding Co-Director, Social Security Works, and Co-Chair, Strengthen Social Security Coalition
  • Fay Lomax  Cook, PhD, Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, and Professor, Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University
  • Cheryl Matheis, JD, Senior Vice President of Policy, Strategy, and International Affairs AARP (moderator)

Supplemental Resources:

Family Caregiving — The Elephant in America’s Health Care Bed

Friday, November 16, 2012
11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Room 5A, San Diego Convention Center

Almost half of the 42 million family caregivers in the U.S. perform complicated, exhausting, and sometimes high-tech medical and nursing tasks for loved ones with inadequate training and support. Caregivers in ethnic families face additional challenges, such as barriers of culture, poverty, and language. This session will present recent research, recommendations, and how caregivers can get needed support and advice.

Speakers:

  • Susan Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN Senior Vice President, AARP, and Director, AARP Public Policy Institute
  • Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, PhD, Interim Co-Director, University of North Carolina Institute on Aging, and Co-Lead, Aging and Diversity Program
  • Eileen Beal, MA, Author and Freelance Journalist, Cleveland Heights, OH (moderator)

Supplemental Resources:

"Social Justice, Health Disparities, and Culture in the Care of the Elderly," from the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, by Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, et al

Senior Community Centers

Friday, November 16, 2012
9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Room 5A, San Diego Convention Center

In 2010, the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center opened. It’s a 21st century, state-of-the-art center, offering a range of programs and services to low-income seniors that historically have only been available to those who could pay for them.

The Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center is evolving into a national model. More seniors in need of critical wellness services and more community partners wanting to collaborate with us to deliver these services, offer more opportunities to demonstrate that the wellness center model is the future of healthy aging for this population.

Speakers:

  • Paul Downey, President and Chief Executive Officer, Senior Community Centers
  • Maureen Piwowarski, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Community Centers
  • Melinda Forstey, Director of Business Analysis, Senior Community Centers

Supplemental Resources:

Press Reception

Friday, November 16, 2012
5:30 to 7 p.m.
Room 5A, San Diego Convention Center

Join other reporters attending the conference for a wine and cheese networking reception and discuss emerging issues on the age beat. The group will likely head out for a Dutch-treat dinner afterward.

Longevity’s Gaps and Gains: Who Gets to Live Long and Prosper — and Who Doesn’t

Saturday, November 17, 2012
11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Room 5A, San Diego Convention Center

A shocking recent report from the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Research Network on an Aging Society reveals that significant differences in U.S. life expectancy by race and educational level are widening, and many may not catch up. Two of its authors will discuss the implications of unequal longevity in America, along with a leading biologist on aging.

Speakers:

  • S. Jay Olshansky, PhD, Professor, University of Illinois, Chicago, School of Public Health, and Research Associate, Center on Aging, University of Chicago and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • James S. Jackson, PhD, Director, Institute for Social Research, and Daniel Katz Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan
  • Steven N. Austad, PhD, Professor and Interim Director, Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center Dept. of Cellular & Structural Biology
  • Paul Kleyman, Director, Ethnic Elders Newsbeat, New America Media, and National Coordinator, Journalists Network on Generations (moderator)

Supplemental Resources:

General Press Releases