QUARTERLY Informant Linking the field of aging to Utah s professionals, students and older adults

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Bruce Holland
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1 Message from the President...Carol Avery Utah Gerontological Society QUARTERLY Informant Linking the field of aging to Utah s professionals, students and older adults Inside this issue: As an exciting year as President winds down, I look back fondly on our accomplishments, notably a very successful annual conference. I d like to personally thank all the Board members, Conference Committee members, and volunteers for the tremendous help you provided for the recent conference in St. George! Though we took a big risk in locating it far from the Wasatch Front, our efforts paid off. I also thank you, the participants, presenters, and supporters for your part in the success of the conference. All the planning in the world doesn t amount to much if nobody shows up. Having gathered up the conference evaluation forms, I was impressed with how many of you took the time to assess the conference. It will take some time to plow through all the forms but, rest assured, the next Conference Committee will take into consideration your recommendations. Allow me to give you a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes wrangling that occurred at the conference, because it may explain a few things and also show how flexible our Conference Committee was to keep the conference running smoothly. Early on October 27 th, the first day of the conference, Scott Wright, a Conference Co-Chair, was notified by Holiday Inn staff that another group meeting at the hotel had extended their use of the ballroom by another hour or so...double booking! Our luncheon had been scheduled for the same space! Rather than make a scene, Scott explored options; the best one to set up tables around the pool area of the lobby. While far from ideal, it seemed the best alternative. Little did we know at the time that people sitting in the balcony would have difficulty listening to announcements and the speaker, Alan Ormsby. That was unfortunate. After rearranging the luncheon space, Scott had the awful realization that Alan wouldn t be able to show his Power Point presentation. The brightly sunlit lobby afforded little room for a screen. Scott tried every possible way to contact Alan to alert him to the drastic change in plans; finally a call to the State Division on Aging and Adult Services allowed Scott to reach the speaker en route to the conference. Alan Ormsby, to his credit, graciously adapted his speech accordingly. It was very well received a mark of an excellent speaker is to be ready to present regardless of technical difficulties. I give kudos to Scott Wright for quick thinking under pressure. He proved that versatility, diplomacy and creative thinking can surely save the day. Aren t we fortunate that Scott will take the helm of this great organization in January? Thank you all for making my job a little bit easier! Carol President s Message 1 Annual Business Meeting 2 Conference Review 3, 4, 5 Announcements 6 Spring One-Day Conference 6 Membership Form Officer List 8 Many thanks to Bonnie Athas and Lynda Oderda for providing the conference photographs featured in this issue! UGS Six-Fold Purpose: To promote the exchange of ideas and information. To facilitate collegial relationships among members through formal and informal forums. To promote the growth of gerontological knowledge through research, its use in practice, and its use in developing public policy. To promote a concern for ethics and a standard of excellence to guide activities of professionals in the field of aging. Happy Holidays to all UGS Members! To advance knowledge of aging among the general public and advocate on issues of interest to older adults. To maintain a vital and viable membership organization.

2 Winter 2006/2007 Announcing the Annual Utah Gerontological Society 2007 Business Meeting Thursday ~ January 25, 2007 ~ Noon 1:30 pm Health Education Sciences Building (HSEB) ~ Alumni Hall (Room 2120) University of Utah - Program - Catered Lunch Introduction of new Executive Board members for Goals for UGS in 2007 Special Guest Speaker Katherine P. Supiano, MS, LCSW University of Utah Health Science Palliative Care The Interdisciplinary Foundation of Services and Programs for Older Adults Visitor parking available Please arrive promptly! Parking validations will cover two hours. For reservations and directions, RSVP to Scott Wright at scott.wright@hsc.utah.edu phone: fax: Catered lunch available for $ Make checks payable to UGS and mail to: Utah Gerontological Society P.O. Box Salt Lake City, Utah Checks must be received by January 18 th. We look forward to seeing you! Page 2

The 15th Annual Utah Gerontological Society

Pictures ~ Conference Committee members celebrate

3 The 15th Annual Utah Gerontological Society Conference Aging in Utah: A New Outlook for Challenges Ahead St. George, Utah ~ October 27-28, 2006 ~ A Review in Pictures ~ Conference Committee members celebrate a job well done on the eve of the conference (Left). UGS Board members and volunteers get ready for registration (Below). Conference attendees gather at the Holiday Inn for the Opening Luncheon (Above). Bonnie Athas introduces Alan Ormsby as the Keynote Speaker for the Opening Luncheon (Above). Alan Ormsby enlightens conference attendees about the aging population in Utah (Left). Page 3

4 2006 Conference Review (continued) Clockwise from Bottom Left: The St. George Senior Center sets up a delicious spread for Saturday s dinner banquet; beautiful quilts adorn the second floor railings of the center; attendees socialize while visiting the exhibits; Denise Brooks introduces members of the Utah Commission on Aging for the Opening Panel Session; the Gayle & Mary Aldred Senior Center in St. George; Connie Lloyd visits one of the many exhibitors at the senior center; UGS President Carol Avery welcomes everyone to the 2006 UGS Conference. Page 4

2006 Conference Review (continued) Denise

Home Care & Hospice for being a conference

The Silent Auction to benefit Senior Centers

McCarty for the many hours they spent planning

5 2006 Conference Review (continued) Denise Brooks thanks Carolyn Stuercke of Applegate Home Care & Hospice for being a conference sponsor. The Silent Auction to benefit Senior Centers and Nutrition Services (SCANS) was a big success. Scott Wright thanks Shana Bland, Senior Center Director, for all of her hard work. David Turner was the Guest Speaker at Friday s dinner banquet. Bonnie Athas thanks Denise Brooks and Betty McCarty for the many hours they spent planning this year s event. Bruce Christensen delivers the Saturday morning Keynote Presentation (Above). Judy Goggin gives the closing Keynote Presentation on Saturday afternoon (Left). Page

6 UGS Announcements Inside Story Headline Call for Newsletter Ideas What have you liked about the UGS Quarterly Informant over the past year? What kinds of articles or topics would you like to see more of? As the Newsletter Editor, I want to make sure that this publication is meeting the needs of UGS members. Feel free to me at carhill@earthlink.net to provide feedback on how I can improve the newsletter in Thank you! What s in a Name? - Carrie Hill, Newsletter Editor If you attended the Annual Conference in St. George, you know that UGS is considering a name change. This change would serve as a catalyst for revamping our mission and focus. Many ideas have been offered, but no decisions have been made about the future of our moniker. What do you think? Should UGS become the Utah Society on Aging (USA), the Gerontological Society of Utah (GSU), the Utah Society for Professionals in Aging (USPA), or something else? Help us hit the mark with the perfect name. your ideas to Scott Wright, incoming UGS President (SCOTT.WRIGHT@NURS.UTAH.EDU) or better yet, attend the Annual Business Meeting on January 25th (see page 2 for details) and tell us your ideas in person! Committee Members Needed The UGS Board of Directors hopes to engage more UGS members in the organization s activities. Opportunities are available to serve on active committees that focus on a variety of initiatives including Membership, Bylaws, Educational Conferences, and SCANS (Senior Centers and Nutrition Services). UGS is also seeking members to help revive less active committees such as Research & Practice, Health Promotion, Finance, and Publications/Public Relations. To learn more about any of these committees and to get involved, Scott Wright at SCOTT.WRIGHT@NURS.UTAH.EDU. Committee work is a great way to serve, network, learn, and have fun! Next Up: Spring UGS Conference at Thanksgiving Point Now that the Annual UGS Conference in St. George is over, the UGS Conference Committee is hard at work planning for the year ahead. In an effort to provide more educational and networking opportunities to UGS members, the committee is organizing a Spring One-Day Conference to be held at Thanksgiving Point (dates to be determined). Be sure to watch for an event announcement in your mailbox. The Conference Committee is also looking for assistance with planning this event. If you have ideas about themes, topics, speakers, or other issues, please contact Bonnie Athas at She looks forward to hearing from you! Page 6

The Utah Gerontological Society Membership Form Member Information: Name: Date: Association: Address: City/State/Zip: Work Tel: Home Tel: Other Tel: Fax Tel: E-mail Address: Professional Information:

Citizen Student Other: The Utah Gerontology Society has several standing committees.

7 The Utah Gerontological Society Membership Form Member Information: Name: Date: Association: Address: City/State/Zip: Work Tel: Home Tel: Other Tel: Fax Tel: Address: Professional Information: (Check all that apply): Advocate Educator Government Employee Home Health Legal Long Term Care Medical Mental Health Non-Profit Employee Nutrition/Dietician Private Practice Social Worker Senior Citizen Student Other: The Utah Gerontology Society has several standing committees. Please check any you are interested in: Membership Awards/Grants Conference Education/Mini-Conferences Nominations/Elections Publications/Public Relations Research & Practice Finance Health Promotion Senior Centers & Nutritional Services (SCANS) Suggestions: Would you like to receive occasional mailings from related agencies and organizations? Yes! Please make my name available for other aging related mailings. No! Please only send me Utah Gerontological Society mailings. Membership Dues General Member: $40.00 Per Year Senior (65+) Member: $25.00 Per Year Student Member: $25.00 Per Year Additional SCANS Membership (Optional): Additional $5.00 Per Year (Includes specific mailing and training events regarding Senior Centers & Nutritional Services) TOTAL ENCLOSED: $ Make checks payable to: Utah Gerontological Society Mail completed form with membership fee to: P.O. Box S.L.C. Utah Page 7

8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2006 UGS Officers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ President Carol Avery (801) President/Elect Scott Wright (801) Past President Barbara Burdett.... (801) Secretary Amy Hargreaves....(801) Treasurer Lynda Oderda......(801) Wasatch Front Rep.....Carol Morrow (801) Wasatch Front/SLCo... Kelli Polcha (801) Eastern Rep Brenda Foster......(435) Southern Rep Carrie Hill (435) Northern Rep Tom Hogan (435) Student Rep Denise Brooks..... (801) Member at Large Bonnie Athas (801) Member at Large Mike Jensen (801) Member at Large Shawna Mahan.....(801) SCANS Rep Jacki Challis (801) Bylaws Chair Mike Jensen (801) Conference Co-Chairs... Bonnie Athas (801) Wright (801) Membership Chair......Susan Gregory..... (801) Newsletter Editor Carrie Hill (435) Publications Chair Scott Wright (801) UTAH GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY Post Office Box Salt Lake City, Utah NON-PROFIT ORGAN. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALT LAKE CITY, UT PERMIT NO We re on the Web! If you received this newsletter by mail and would like to receive future issues by , please contact Carol Avery (wk: or

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