Oklahoma Minority Aging Conference in OKC on March 24-26

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- The richness of Oklahoma’s deeply rooted multicultural society will be examined and celebrated during the 19th Annual Oklahoma Minority Aging Conference March 24-26 at the Clarion Meridian Hotel and Conference Center, 737 S. Meridian Ave., Oklahoma City. Theme of the three-day conference is “Deep Roots: Grounded in the Wisdom of Our Elders.”
May Wykle, PhD, RN, noted author on care giving issues, will deliver the keynote address at 4 p.m. March 24 on “Leadership -- Enhancing the Quality of Older Adults.” Wkyle is Dean and Florence Cellar Professor of Nursing at the Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. She is president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Other featured speakers include: Chad Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Rindi Tipton, a leading state expert on identifying and treating geriatric depression; and OU Medical Center Pharmacologist Mark Stratton, who will discuss using medications safely.

Conference co-sponsors are: the Oklahoma Task Force on Minority Aging, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Aging Services Division, AARP and the Oklahoma Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Other financial supporters include: Saxon Publishing Company, the Oklahoma Indian Council on Aging and the Oklahoma Coalition for Mental Health and Aging.

Registration forms or information on the conference can be obtained by calling NODA Area Agency on Aging at (800) 749-1149 or downloading a form at from the OKDHS.org Library. 

The Betsy D. Smith Award for outstanding advocacy will be presented during the awards luncheon at Noon on March 25. Smith was one of the original founders and organizers of the Minority Aging Conference and was known throughout her career as a strong advocate for services to Oklahoma’s minority aging population.

Cultural events will be held throughout the conference and other awards will be presented for outstanding performance in information and assistance, outreach work and to program directors.

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