By Anne Levin
Last fall, the Center for Modern Aging Princeton (CMAP) sponsored a symposium focused on the senior population’s fears of growing old. The inaugural event was so successful that staging a second one was the logical next step.
“Confronting Bias, Advancing Care, Empowering Choice,” set for Friday, October 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the NJHA Conference Center, takes the concept to the next level. The focus is on ageism, examining its connection with cognitive health, communication, and person-centered care. The keynote speaker is author Ashton Applewhite, who will draw on her work exploring the impact of age bias and offer strategies for building more inclusive, age-integrated communities.
“She’s a bestselling author and a national figure in the anti-ageism landscape,” said Drew Dyson, CMAP’s executive director. “Her book This Chair Rocks is one of the bestselling works on the topic. She’s a Tedx speaker, really well known.”
Also on the agenda is clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Alison Tverdov, who will lead a workshop addressing the stigma surrounding cognitive changes by explaining how assessments can distinguish between different types of dementia. Sophia Millman, a Ph.D. candidate in Princeton University’s Department of French and Italian, will lead a workshop titled “Reframing Wrinkles: Photography Against Ageism,” an interactive session “exploring the language used to describe wrinkles and how artists have photographed and filmed them with curiosity and care,” reads a release on the event.
Additional topics include “Advance Care Planning: Building Skills to Give Voice to What Matters Most,” on facilitating meaningful care planning conversations between older adults, families, and aging services professionals, led by Dr. Arun S. Rao, founder and CEO of Geriatrics Planning & Solutions Inc.; and “Hearing Health and Dementia: Understanding the Connection and Exploring Potential Interventions,” led by Brenda and Yasmin Battat, examining hearing loss as a reason for cognitive decline.
Unlike some senior centers, CMAP is a public/private partnership “where we are an independent nonprofit and raise 90 percent of our budget,” said Dyson. “We are not strictly a municipal agency. So we can offer a wide range of programs. That’s what makes us unique. And we draw from six or seven surrounding counties, even for our in-person program. It gives us the opportunity to focus on some advocacy work like this.”
Last year’s symposium drew 150 participants. Dyson anticipates a similar turnout for the upcoming event, because ageism is a frequent topic of concern.
“I believe it is one of the most prevalent, and in some ways acceptable, forms of discrimination,” he said. “Whether it’s having to do with policy, or just day-in and day-out. How often does someone go to a doctor with an aging parent where the doctor speaks to the caregiver instead of the patient? I learned through my mother’s lens, when she was undergoing treatment for cancer, that it is still a challenge. It impacts all of society, and it is multi-directional, because older people can have misconceptions about younger people. It’s a problem in our culture.”
The daylong event includes breakfast and lunch, and costs $75. Senior scholarships are available for older adults aged 55 and above. Visit cmaprinceton.org/symposium-on-ageism. The NJHA Conference Center is at 760 Alexander Road.
“What makes this event unique is the way it brings together academics in geriatric and aging services research with providers who do the work every day, along with older adults and caregivers themselves, in a shared space for mutual learning,” said Dyson. “Those rich conversations made it stand out last time, and people really encouraged us to build on it.”