Thursday April 24, 2025
Conference Agenda Day 2: McNamara Alumni Center
up to 5.25 CEU credits and BELTSS CEs are available for attending sessions
7:30 - 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Registration
8:30 - 8:45 AM
Opening Remarks with Bob Koehler, Roberta Meyers and Heidi Holste
Student Scholarship Announcements
8:45 am - 9:00 AM
Gerontologist of the Year
9:00 -10:00 AM
Keynote Speaker “Living in 2 Worlds”
Living, as an Ojibwe/Anishinaabe in today’s world comes with unique challenges. Our culture and way of life are deeply rooted in tradition yet we are highly adaptable. We follow a seasonal way of living, guided by the four seasons, while also striving to experience the four phases of life.
10:00 - 10:30 AM BREAK
10:30 - 11:30 AM
BREAKOUTS #4:
Memorial Hall
4A: Three Rivers Park District Age-Friendly Programs (Social Supports Track)
There have been several programs this year (and in previous years) that has brought seniors out into the parks for various programming and to be in community with one another and they will also discuss the many benefits this has brought to these communities.
Thomas Swain Room
4B: Demystifying Geriatrics: Navigating Clinical Professional Services (Leadership Track)
Rajean Moone, Teresa McCarthy, George Schoephoerster MD, Alison Romstad DNP CNP, Megan Hakanson BA
This panel will explore professional scope of practice, trends in service provision, and insights from clinical geriatrics professionals. Data from a study of Minnesota Medical Directors will be presented to understand more about their role, needs, and challenges.
Ski U Mah Room
4C: PANEL: Supported Decision Making in Minnesota: From Theory to Practice (Clinical Track)
Anita Raymond LISW CMC, Nathan Danielson CTFA, John Kantke J.D. Megan Thomas
Minnesota embedded supported decision making into its guardianship law in 2020, with the intention of promoting less restrictive approaches, self-determination, and autonomy rather than reliance on unnecessary utilization of guardianship in situations where people with neurocognitive, developmental and other disabilities may struggle to independently meet their own needs.
Heritage Room
10:30 - 11:00 AM
4Da: AFMN Speakers Bridging the River to Age-Friendliness: A Two-City Approach
Melinda Wedzina MBA MSSM, Mary Bliesmer DNSc MPH, David Beimers PhD, LISW
Creating an age-friendly community is challenging—doing it across two cities, two counties, and two governments adds another layer of complexity. Join us as we share our journey to make Mankato and North Mankato more livable for all ages. Learn about our process, key milestones, and how we’re balancing the needs of both communities to develop a unified action plan.
Whether you're working on a similar initiative or simply curious about what it means to be an age-friendly community, this session will offer valuable insights and inspiration.
Heritage Room
11:00 - 11:30 AM
4Db: AFMN Speakers Listen To Your Elders: Age-Friendly Conversations with Immigrant Communities
Julia McCarthy, Teisha Magee
Most of us working in the human services industry struggle to find ways to engage older adults from immigrant communities. We suspect that there is a need for services, but cultural and language differences can cause barriers to our success. As part of our Age-Friendly work, Keystone Community Services in Saint Paul set out to learn from the elders in three different immigrant communities what types of services they would like to see in their communities and to learn if Keystone could partner with existing cultural resources to help meet those needs. In this session, hear how we reached out to the local Karen, Spanish-speaking, and Eritrean/Ethiopian communities. We will share how we connected, what we learned, and where we hope to go from here.
Learn More
Minnesota Room
10:30 - 11:30 AM
4E: Seeing Aging Differently: Unpacking Ageism Through the Lens of Mindfulness (Social Supports Track)
In a society often driven by youth-centric ideals, ageism ”both societal and internalized” can significantly influence perceptions of aging. This session invites participants to examine the narratives surrounding aging and, through mindfulness practices, gently unpack and challenge these limiting beliefs.
11:30 - 12:30 PM
Lunch-Memorial Hall: Exhibit Hall - Johnson Great Room
GEN & SEPA Lunch: Thomas Swain Room
12:30 - 1:30 PM
BREAKOUTS #5:
Memorial Hall
5A: Everybody’s Job and Nobody’s Job: Documenting Caregiver Information in the Electronic Medical Record (Social Supports Track)
Hannele Nicholson PhD CCC-SLP, Allison Gustavson PT DPT PhD, Sarah Garrett MSN RN
Formal and informal caregivers are crucial for many older adults, yet information detailing their roles and relationships are not systematically documented in many electronic health records (EHRs). The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable [CARE] Act, adopted by over 40 states including Minnesota, underscores the importance of those in caregiving roles. The CARE Act requires that when hospitalized people depend on others for assistance, those caregivers should be named, informed of hospital discharge, and educated on home care needs.
Thomas Swain Room
5B: Improving Quality in Assisted Living: Findings from Resident and Family Surveys in Minnesota (Leadership Track)
Tetyana Shippee PhD, Rachel Shands MSW
In 2019, Minnesota enacted new legislation resulting in the creation of an online Assisted Living Report Card. As part of this work, two surveys, the Resident Quality of Life and Family Satisfaction Surveys, were developed to assess assisted living (AL) residents’ quality of life (QoL) and family satisfaction. Our study presents the development and analysis of these surveys in Minnesota AL communities from 2022-2024.
Ski U Mah Room
5C: Bringing Light to the Darkest Side of the Digital Divide (Social Support Track)
Don Frederiksen, Carolyn Deters
Isolation and loneliness are serious health concerns of the older adult population. Technology can alleviate some of the concerns by bringing connection, learning and resiliency. However, there is a segment of the older adult population where technology has been out of reach and unaffordable. This is the darkest side of the digital divide. How do you bring light to this population?
Heritage Room
5D: Age Well, Age Strong in Aitkin County (Social Support Track)
Learn how Aitkin County CARE, Inc. provides services to older neighbors through care consultations and homemaking & respite services, hosting 55+ Pop-Up Centers throughout the county meeting people where they live, facilitating support groups & educational trainings for Caregivers, collaborating with school districts on the Grand Friends Program-an intergenerational connectivity initiative, providing transportation for health related appointments & meals on wheels delivery 5 days a week with the assistance of a robust volunteer staff and managing a very popular Toenail clinic on site.
Minnesota Room
5E: Homelessness Among Adults Age 55 and Older in Minnesota (Social Support Track)
Rebecca Sales MPH, Christin Lindberg
Homelessness is a result of multiple system failures, including shortages of affordable housing and inadequate systems to support complex, interrelated needs. It can also be caused and sustained by trauma, systemic racism, unemployment, or personal health challenges. Issues facing all older adults in Minnesota, are magnified for those who are experiencing homelessness due to the difficult circumstances and conditions associated with being homeless.
1:30 - 1:45 PM Break: Visit Research Posters & Exhibit Hall
Memorial Hall
1:45 - 3:15 PM
Tom Hyder Memorial Plenary: Honoring a Legacy, Inspiring the Future
Closing Session: Thank You for Holding, The Caregiver Play Project
Wonderlust and Negative Space
3:15 - 3:30 PM Closing Statements
