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)
Fall greetings from the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC), the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program for Arkansas. As we enter into the final few months of 2018, we are very busy with programs. We have conducted many community programs for older adults and those that care for older adults including family caregiver workshops, Alzheimer’s experience events, continuing education activities, and more.
In August, academic classes that support and focus on geriatric topics and content were started once again at UCA and ASU. We are excited about continuing our partnerships with them and training bright young people who are entering the healthcare field in the critical area of geriatrics. In October, we had our first fall webinar. Ashley Stepps, JD, Arkansas Elder Law & Special Needs Trusts Attorney from The Raymon B. Harvey Law Firm provided a 2018 Healthcare Law Update regarding: Living Wills, Advanced Care Planning, Powers of Attorney, AR Lay Caregiver Act, and More Topics. Ashley fielded many questions both live and on-line.
On December 5th, we will host our second fall Webinar that will feature Dr. Rhonda Mattox who will speak on Insomnia: A Golden Opportunity to Address Psychiatric Disorders. In addition, we are also hosting a 4 day train-the-trainer program on Stanford’s Chronic Pain Self-Management program. Many of our partners such as Carelink, the Arkansas Federal Prison System, the Northwest AAA, UAMS programs, and others have registered for this program that filled up after only a few days. We are excited that so many want to learn how to teach these classes and participant in this effort to attack the opioid crisis. Plans are to offer this training again in the spring.
In November, we are excited to partner with Circle of Life Hospice to provide a 3 day FREE CE Event (up to 22 CE hours). The Community Hospice and Palliative Care Symposium can be attended in person in Northwest AR or attended via live streaming. Please visit our website for more information on our upcoming programs.
As winter approaches, we will continue to seek ways to engage healthcare providers and community members in learning more about the care of older adults. We continue to seek new ways to reach and teach these audiences and if you have any suggestions, please let us know. Have a safe and happy fall!