Summer 2021 Newsletter
By Robin McAtee, PhD, RN, FACHE, Director, Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC), a Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging (DWR IOA)
Welcome summer, and now to look back at spring and the rebeginning of some community programs. As the AGEC moved into spring this year, outreach programs continued and we started planning for in-person programs again, so exciting. Some of our partners have also started conducting in-person trainings and programs and we are thrilled to help them! Most of our virtual programs continued this quarter with great attendance and participation. The AGEC staff also published an article entitled: Caregiver Burden: Caregiving Workshops Have a Positive Impact on Those Caring for Individuals with Dementia in Arkansas. This was a study conducted in concert with our Family Caregiver Workshops and the results were very positive. A summary of these findings will be available in the newsletter next quarter! If you want a sneak peek, you can find the article here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23743735211018085
Dr. Ronni Chernoff (AGEC Director Emeritus), myself and the AGEC staff want to take a moment and say a special “thank you” to Dr. Susan Hanrahan. Dr. Hanrahan retired at the end of June this year, but has been a great partner and leader in the ongoing goal of improving care of older Arkansans during her tenure at Arkansas State University. She overwhelmingly supported the creation, development, and implementation of geriatric content and courses in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum over the past 20 years. During that time, she supported the development of the Healthy Agers program, a groundbreaking interdisciplinary experiential program for physical therapists, nurses, social workers, and nutritionists that served as a model for other geriatric education programs in Arkansas and elsewhere.
Dr. Hanrahan created and supported the ASU annual grief seminars as well as many new courses in social work, nursing, physical therapy, nutrition, and others while consistently incorporating critical geriatric content. She was also instrumental in the nursing home initiative managed by the nursing department in her college. Not only did the participating institutions benefit, but the students gained very valuable clinical experiences. She was a strong supporter of interdisciplinary education and a willing and able collaborator in the geriatric education center and geriatric workforce enhancement program grants. Her contributions have been many and notable and she will be missed by our entire staff and partners. However, we wish her an exceptional retirement and many years of play – she has earned it!!! Thank you, Dr. Hanrahan, for your dedication and contributions to the education of innumerable health professions students!
Thank you all for supporting AGEC in our clinical, educational, and outreach efforts!
Robin McAtee, PhD, RN, FACHE
And
Ronni Chernoff, PhD, FAND, FASPEN