By Don Harrison
The “Aging Revolution” will be kicked off this month in Philadelphia, at the Aging Revolution Summit, attended by more than 500 of the nation’s healthcare policy makers and providers, elected officials and professionals who serve the aging industry.
If “Aging Revolution” stirs up visions for you of Granny manning the barricades, cool it. According to Jeff Petty, CEO of Wesley Enhanced Living, which is hosting the conference, the Aging Revolution aims to “discover a new paradigm for today’s seniors and tomorrow’s generation.”
The unique summit will be at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, on Thursday, Sept. 27. The keynote speaker to be featured at the summit luncheon will be former Sen. John Glenn, the first American to orbit space and, at 77, the oldest person ever to fly in space.
At an earlier session, David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, will speak about the importance of policy reform as the Baby Boomers age.
A “Visionary’s Reception” will be held on Wednesday evening, Sept. 26, at the National Liberty Museum. It will honor former Sen. Bob Kerrey, co-chair of the National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care and president of the New School in New York, and Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Nora Dowd Eisenhower. Anita Brikman, 6ABC health/ medicine reporter, will emcee.
Issues to be discussed by panelists the next day at the Park Hyatt will include developing Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) for the middle class, medical advances and continuing care, the effects of technology on the aging and the ethics of aging.
Secretary Eisenhower will be among the panelists at the opening session from 8:15 to 9:45 a.m.
Others on the panel, “A New Model for Delivering Senior Health and Housing Services,” include Estelle Richman, Pennsylvania secretary of public welfare; James Pezutti, director, Division of Long Term Care, Client Services, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare; Charles DeBrunner, health policy consultant and advocate, and president of DeBrunner Associates; Brian Hudson, executive director/CEO of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority; and Professor Ken Manton, scientific director of Duke University’s Center for Demographic Studies. The moderator will be Liza Berger, associate editor of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
Concurrent morning sessions will follow.
Panelists for “Squaring the Curve,” stressing health needs and long term care, will be Professor David B. Nash, chairman of Thomas Jefferson University’s Department of Health Policy; Dr. Marnie B. LaVigne, director of business development at the New York State Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; Jeffrey P. Libson, Partner in the Pepper Hamilton law firm; Dr. Richard V. McCloskey, vice president of medical technology for Johnson & Johnson Development Corp.; and Dr. Scott Waldman, director of Jefferson’s Division of Clinical Pharmacology. WHYY’s Willo Carey will moderate.
Health and technology
“The E-Seniorhood of 2027” will focus on how technology will affect choices older people are making. The panelists will be Sara Czaja, director of the Center for Research & Education for Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE); Tobey Gordon Dichter, founder and CEO of Generations Online; and Renata Bushko, chair of the Future of Health Technology Institute. The moderator will be Todd Sloane, of Modern Healthcare.
After the summit luncheon, at which Sen. Glenn speaks, Professor Paul Root Wolpe, of the University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychiatry, Medical Ethics and Sociology, will moderate a forum, “The Ethics of Aging: What’s a 90-Year-Old’s Life Worth?”
Who’s invited
Wesley Enhanced Living Foundation, a nonprofit CCRC and aging services provider, is inviting healthcare professionals, nursing home administrators, elected officials, healthcare policy makers, geriatricians and gerontologists, market researchers, financial and capital advisors, healthcare and elder care attorneys to attend.
To register, visit : www.theaging revolution.org (click on Register Now). Registration fee for the summit is $299. For more information: www.wel.org.
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Older Philadelphians responded in large numbers last year - and even more are expected next month in the second annual Philly Plays Scrabble.
Philly Plays Scrabble is an initiative launched by ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships and the Free Library of Philadelphia. You may join the Scrabble players at one of 17 Free Library branches at designated times throughout October.
Sites and times will be listed on the ASAP and Free Library websites: http://www.phillyasap.org or http://www.library.phila.gov/.
You can play just for fun or to qualify for a tournament at the end of the month. Scrabble sets will be provided, but you’re welcome to bring your own.
If you’d like to lead a club or work with children, you may call ASAP projects coordinator Peter English, at 215-545-3077. ASAP, which has started 42 after-school Scrabble clubs in schools, churches and rec centers, will help you volunteer at a school or a community center, providing free materials and training.
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