Center for Long-Term Care Hosts Colloquium on Aging
The Center for Long-Term Care (CLTC) in the School of Health Sciences and Practice addressed the issue at the colloquium “Aging in Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives,” hosted on October 15.
While everyone may not like it, it is a fact of life – aging. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines aging in place as "the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level." “In one way or another,” said Kenneth A. Knapp, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Long-Term Care and assistant professor of health policy and management, “the colloquium presentations touched upon one or more aspects of this definition.”
Approximately 100 attendees, in-person and virtual, listened to experts in the fields of law, physical therapy, diet and nutrition and speech-language pathology who spoke on elder abuse, frailty, nutrition and swallowing disorders.
The keynote of the day, “Qigong and T’ai Chi: A Multidimensional Exercise for Aging in Place,” by Master Yang Yang, Ph.D., founder and director of the Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies in New York City, was an interactive presentation that got the audience out of their seats and on to the path of meditation and movement to improve sleep, anxiety, strength, agility, balance and overall wellbeing.
“Our speakers covered some important multidisciplinary topics, which certainly is not to say all topics of relevance to aging in place,” said Dr. Knapp.
The day’s speakers included: Deirdre Lok, Esq., assistant director and general counsel for The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Justice at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, who presented “Addressing Elder Abuse Through A Multi-Disciplinary Lens," S. Nikki Gawronski, P.T., D.P.T., GCS, CEEAA, assistant professor of physical therapy, Gale Lavinder, P.T., Ed.D., GCS, CEEAA, assistant professor of physical therapy, and Janet Dolot, M.S., D.P.T., Dr.P.H. ’14, PT, OCS, assistant professor of physical therapy, who presented “Aging in Place and Frailty,” Karen Kupinski, M.P.H., R.D., director of clinical nutrition at New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, who presented “Nutrition and Aging: Meeting the Changing Needs of Seniors,” and Luis F. Riquelme, Ph.D., CCCSLP, BCS-S, associate professor of speech-language pathology, who presented “Aging and Swallowing: What’s Going On?”
In spring 2019, the Center will host a colloquium devoted to family caregiving and in fall 2019, a second “aging in place” colloquium is planned and will cover such topics as financing longevity, home modifications and availability of community resources.
View the CLTC Colloquium photo gallery. A video of the day’s events will be available on the events page of the CLTC website.
