Author: Carryl Baldwin

Community members, students, faculty, and healthcare providers or caregivers are invited to join the free in-person University Community Innovations for Positive Aging event to promote positive aging within the university and the broader community from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25 in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

Timeline of events:

• The day will begin with a pre-conference, future healthcare student-led health fair.
• A complimentary lunch will be served at 11 a.m.
• The conference begins at noon with featured speaker Beth Sanders, founder and CEO of LifeBio, who will present “The Power of Life Stories” and lead a companion workshop, “Life Stories.”
• Attendees will learn the physical- and brain-health “Benefits of Music” and engage in two hands-on workshops.
• Certified Sage-ing Leader David Gear will present “Wisdom Circles,” an interactive workshop designed to guide others in creating their living legacy by sharing a life’s worth of wisdom with younger generations.

All programming seeks to broaden knowledge of aging and support the university’s age-friendly campus initiative. Come experience strategies to live and promote positive and successful aging. Lunch is provided.

The Regional Institute on Aging at Wichita State is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity for graduate student or faculty projects and research, supported by a gift from the estate of Evelyn Cassat, that addresses issues related to facilitating well-being in older adults.

Sustaining physical, cognitive and social interaction is a central focus of maintaining well-being across the life span. Funding will be provided for projects and research at WSU that contribute to knowledge and practice related to well-being in older adults. Projects of all types will be considered, however particular attention will be given to proposals containing an intergenerational component and that ally with this year’s focus area of environmental and sustainability efforts. Anticipated funding rates will range between $2,000 to $15,000, with a maximum funding amount of $20,000 for a 12-month period.

Proposals may be either for program activities, evaluation efforts or foundational and applied research. Activities and research projects that actively involve undergraduate and graduate students at WSU are expected, however all proposals that have the potential to improve understanding of age-related issues and/or that improve the quality of life for older adults in Wichita and the surrounding area will be considered. Research projects must also include a plan for obtaining future funding from external sources to continue the research.

The campus community is invited to an event from the Regional Institute on Aging.

Reframing Aging: Connecting the Generations on National Ageism Awareness Day is from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday Oct. 7 in the Clark Room of the Marcus Welcome Center. The event will begin with coffee and a light breakfast at 8:30 am followed by a presentation at 9:00 am by Dr. Nicole Rogers, professor and chair, Public Health Sciences, which will outline key determinants that contribute to the perpetuation of ageism. Dr. Rogers will share best practices guidance from evidence-based findings and strategies to recognize, address and support age-inclusive, bias-free language in personal and professional communications.

Findings from their project, Connecting Generations: Influencing Expectations and Attitudes Toward Aging, has led Dr. Rogers and her public health sciences colleagues to conclude, “bringing WSU students and older adults together in purposeful, mutually beneficial activities positively impacts ageism and promotes greater understanding and respect between generations.” 

Dr. Nina Kraus will discuss her research demonstrating how the sound people interact with impacts their brains throughout their lifespan with a particular focus on how it impacts them as they age.

This event is co-sponsored by the Women of Wichita State University and the Regional Institute on Aging, and it will begin at 4 p.m. Feb. 23 in 107 McKinley Hall, with a reception following at 5 p.m. in 102 McKinley Hall. The talk is free and open to the public.

The Regional Institute on Aging (RIA) at Wichita State has a new funding opportunity for graduate student or faculty projects and research that addresses issues related to facilitating well-being in older adults.

This funding opportunity is supported by a gift from the estate of Evelyn Cassat. Funding will be provided for projects and research at WSU that contribute to knowledge and practice related to well-being in older adults, particularly proposals aimed at furthering WSU’s initiative of being an Age-Friendly University.

This includes advancing accessibility to courses, programs and university activities for the diverse range of older adults in the Wichita area and evaluations of these efforts.

Anticipated funding rates will range from $2,000 to $15,000, with a maximum funding amount of $20,000 for a 12-month period.

The application deadline is March 31. Email carryl.baldwin@wichita.edu with questions.

Please join Wichita State’s Regional Institute on Aging for the Music, Health and Aging Colloquium from 3-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 in 102 McKinley Hall, Room 102.

• Dr. Judy Edworthy, professor emerita from University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, will give a presentation on “Adapting Our Sound World as we Age.”
• Steven Chong, a WSU graduate student, will present “Music Listening as Laughter.”
• Kylie Darland — a graduate student in speech, language and pathology — will give a talk on “Melodic Intonation Therapy for Persons with Aphasia.”

A reception for the event begins at 3 p.m., and presentations will follow at 3:30 p.m. A networking discussion session will follow from 4:30 to 5 pm.

The University Community Innovations for Positive Aging is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 15. Participants can attend online or in-person at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex, 5015 East 29th Street North.

The UPICA’s purpose is to promote positive aging and combat ageism within Wichita State and the broader community. Students, faculty, staff, or community members interested in working with or conducting research with older adults should plan to attend. Attendees will work together to shape research activities and projects that broaden our knowledge of aging and seek to make the university a more age-friendly campus.

Conference participants will learn cutting-edge strategies for promoting positive aging and methods for promoting successful aging programming, and interact with knowledgeable experts and leaders in the field of aging research. There will be keynote addresses from Dr. Joann Montepare and Dr. Marcia Ory.

Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees. The virtual conference will be live-streamed via Zoom. This event is sponsored by the Carl and Rozina Cassat Regional Institute on Aging.

The Wichita State Regional Institute on Aging (RIA) is pleased to announce two funding opportunities for faculty and graduate students.

Intergenerational Teaching Modules

• $2,000 for development
• $2,000 for delivery
• Applications due Feb. 7

Research Awards

• $5,000 to 20,000 for 12-month projects
• Applications due date: March 21

For more information, contact Carryl Baldwin, Ph.D., Cassat Distinguished Professor on Aging, WSU RIA Director, at Carryl.Baldwin@wichita.edu

The Wichita State Regional Institute on Aging (RIA) is pleased to announce two funding opportunities for faculty and graduate students.

Intergenerational Teaching Modules

• $2,000 for development
• $2,000 for delivery
• Applications due Feb. 7, 2022

Research Awards

• $5,000 to 20,000 for 12-month projects
• Applications due date: March 21, 2022

For more information, contact Carryl Baldwin, Ph.D., Cassat Distinguished Professor on Aging, WSU RIA Director, at Carryl.Baldwin@wichita.edu

Wichita State’s Regional Institute on Aging will host a panel presentation “Strategies for Promoting Intergenerational Teaching At WSU: Promoting Age-Inclusiveness” 4-6 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Rhatigan Student Center (Room 142). The event is open to all students, faculty and staff.

The panel will feature renowned experts Joann Montepare, Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies at Lasell University, and Wichita State professor Emeritus Louis Medvene. Medvene is actively engaged in teaching intergenerational classes at Wichita State along with intergenerational students who have participated in these classes.

Refreshments will be served to all participants.