Deadline to sign up for annual Lawton aging conference extended to Monday, March 19

The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s M. Powell Lawton Conference, set for March 26 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Center City, tackles the topic of aging in community this year.

The cost to attend the conference is $50, which includes the award luncheon. Five Continuing Education Credits are available for an additional $15.  For more information or to register (by Monday, March 19), call 215-765-9000, ext. 5050 or visit www.pcaCares.org/lawton.

Here is detailed information, provided by PCA:

Three models of Aging in Community will be presented at Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s (PCA) 2012 M. Powell Lawton Conference on Urban Aging on Monday, March 26. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market Street in Center City. Local and national experts will compare and contrast: Villages, Age-friendly initiatives, and Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs). Topics will include how they work, who they serve, strengths and weaknesses, funding issues, and their impact on aging services and on neighborhoods.

The conference program includes: 

Understanding the Impact of Environment on the Health & Well-being of Older Adults (9:15 to 10:45 a.m.): Chaired by Allen Glicksman, Ph.D., director of research and evaluation at PCA, with panelists from PCA; University of Michigan, School of Social Work; Institute on Aging, Portland State  University; and ThirdAge.

National Models of Aging in Community Programs (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): Chaired by Kathy Sykes, M.A., senior advisor of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Aging Initiative, with panelists from The New York Academy of Medicine, Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services at UC Berkeley, United Hospital Fund’s Aging in Place Initiative and Atlanta Regional Commission Lifelong Communities.

Luncheon and M. Powell Lawton Quality of Life Award Ceremony (12:30 to 2:30 p.m.):
Honoring Fredda Vladeck, L.M.S.W. director of the United Hospital Fund’s Aging in Place Initiative. Ms. Vladeck founded the first NORC Supportive Service System in the nation.
Keynote Address: Community Matters – Rethinking an Aging Society. 

Local Perspectives (2:30 to 4 p.m.): Chaired by Deborah Howe, Ph.D., FAICP Professor and
Department Chair of Community and Regional Planning at Temple University, with panelists from West Oak Lane NORC, Penn’s Village, PCA and Asociación de Puertorriqueños en Marcha.

Perspectives on the Future (4 to 4:30 p.m.): Moderated by David Nevison, M.S.S., M.B.A., Chief Planning, Development and Government Relations Officer at PCA, with Brian M. Duke, M.H.A., M.B.E., Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Aging and panelists from United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Healthy Aging Initiative and Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Center for Responsibility.

Since 2003, PCA has presented conferences on aging in the urban environment to honor the memory of M. Powell Lawton, Ph.D., a pioneer in the study of environment and aging. Each of these conferences has focused on a particular theme, such as the changing older population of the city and the health of urban elders in the next decade. The 2012 event is presented by the Willis Group, with additional support from Addus HealthCare and Kearsley Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Once again this year, the proceeds generated from the M. Powell Lawton Conference on Urban Aging and Award Luncheon will help support low-income Philadelphia residents with critical needs through the Emergency Fund for Older Philadelphians. The fund fills an important gap in services, aiding those who have exhausted all other resources by providing one-time emergency assistance with basic needs, including home heating oil, food, mortgage/rent payments, and medical supplies. PCA administers the Emergency Fund, which is guided by a coalition of 22 community-based organizations and service providers.

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