Annual Oklahoma Conference on Aging Runs May 2-4

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- “The Changing Face of Aging,” which marks the 31st annual Oklahoma Conference on Aging, will be held May 2-4 at the Reed Center in Midwest City.
The conference features special events, general sessions and more than 60 breakout lectures. Topics include senior housing, diversity, mental health, aging and disabilities, caregiving, volunteerism, spirituality, elder rights and intergenerational issues.

The conference kicks off Tuesday, May 2, with a State of the State Government Panel. Executive leaders from health and human services agencies will discuss current and future challenges faced by their organizations in meeting the needs of older Oklahomans. A second panel of advocates will follow discussing specific aging related legislation currently under consideration in the state legislature.

Senior Day will be held Wednesday, May 3, and all older Oklahomans ages 60 and older are invited to attend. Special sessions and a public hearing on the Oklahoma state Aging Strategic Plan will be featured. Dr. Laurie Young, Older Women’s League, Washington, D.C., will present “Aging in Washington, D.C.: What’s Happening in Federal Policy?”

The conference concludes on Thursday, May 4, with the annual Achievements in Aging Recognition Lunch, honoring key service providers, advocates and volunteers from across the state for their exemplary service. Dr. Robert Bernstein, executive director of the Bazalon Mental Health Law Center, Washington D.C., will give a general session titled, “Rhetoric or Reality? Recovery for Older Adults with Mental Illnesses.”

The annual Spelling Bee, Poetry Contest and a Film Festival will also be held.

Conference partners include the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Aging Services Division, State Council on Aging, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council, the Oklahoma Alliance on Aging and the Oklahoma Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

For more information, please contact Judy Leitner at (405) 522-4510 or Lance Robertson at (405) 488-7314.

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