The University of Southern Indiana and SWIRCA and More, the local agency on aging, will present the 11th annual Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness (MAIA) on the USI campus on August 9 and 10, with a pre-conference workshop on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care scheduled for August 8.
MAIA is a two-day gerontology conference for lay persons, nurses, social workers, older adults and professionals working in the field of gerontology. Each year, national and local speakers provide practical tools and ground-breaking information related to successful aging and gerontology.
The conference this year will feature four keynote speakers: Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA; Ashton Applewhite; Jeff Speck, AICP, CNU-A, LEED-AP; and Bill Thomas, MD.
Teepa Snow returns as a MAIA speaker this year, and is leading a special pre-conference workshop on dementia for direct care providers on Wednesday, August 8 at USI. As one of America’s leading educators on dementia, Snow’s philosophy is reflective of her education, work experience, available medical research and first-hand caregiving interactions. Working as a registered occupational therapist for over 35 years, her wealth of experience has led her to develop Positive Approach® to Care techniques and training models that now are used by families and professionals working or living with dementia or other brain changes throughout the world.
Ashton Applewhite, a leading voice in an emerging movement dedicated to dismantling ageism and making age a criterion for diversity, will present a keynote on Thursday, April 9. The author of This Chair Rocks and a TED2017 mainstage speaker, she reveals the untapped possibilities of late life and debunks our culture’s most pervasive myths about getting older. With her funny, straight-talking approach, audiences realize the often overlooked benefits of advanced age, championing the need for greater age-based diversity in the workplace and our institutions.
Jeff Speck, Principal at Speck & Associates LLC, in Brookline, Massachusetts, is a city planner and urban designer who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design.
Dr. Bill Thomas, is an author, entrepreneur, musician, teacher, farmer and physician whose wide-ranging work explores the terrain of human aging. Best known for his health care system innovations, he is the founder of a global non-profit The Eden Alternative®, which works to improve the care provided to older people. He is the creator of The Green House® which Provider Magazine has called the “pinnacle of culture change.†Dr. Thomas has recently developed a new form of housing called the Minka, and he is currently partnering with USI for the MAGIC (Multi-Ability, multi-Generational, Inclusive Community) project.
Keynote presentations from Applewhite, Speck and Dr. Thomas will be free and open to the public; however, due to seating limitations, advanced registration is required. Visit USI.edu/maia for information on reserving your spot in the free keynote presentations.
Break-out session topics for conference attendees over the two-day event include exercise, healthy eating, money safety, laughter yoga, prescription drug plans, palliative care and mental health. This conference appeals to health care and social service professionals, health care administrators, clinicians, older adults or retirees, family members providing care for a loved one, students and anyone who wants to learn tips for leading a healthier life.
The deadline for a reduced registration fee is July 27, 2018. After that date, the rate increases for the pre-conference workshop and one- and two-day registrations. There is a discounted rate for students and retirees. More information about registering is online at USI.edu/maia or by calling 812-464-1989.
