The 2012 Political Landscape and Older Adults

Thursday, March 29 | 3:00–4:30 pm

Sponsored by CVS Caremak

The 2012 Presidential and Congressional elections could be watershed events for the future of aging policy in the United States. Older voters jumped from 16 to 23% of the population from 2008 to 2010 and that trend will continue. Older voters are also trending Republican in recent elections. They will be a contested and coveted vote again. Which party’s candidate and platform will resonate better with older voters and why? Who will win the political fight on Medicare and Social Security? This session will feature leading Democrat and Republican political figures and a respected pollster, who have been invited to discuss these issues and the 2012 election. Robert Blancato, President of Matz, Blancato & Associates, will moderate. 

Presenters: Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging, U.S. Administration on Aging. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader, U.S. House of Representatives. Allyson Y. Schwartz, U.S. Congresswoman, Pennsylvania

Nancy Pelosi	Kathy Greenlee
Allyson Schwartz	Robert Blancato

Malnutrition Among Older Adults:
Promises and Opportunities

Friday, March 30 4:00–5:00 pm

Sponsored by Nestle Health Science

Malnutrition, a seriously under-recognized and under-treated condition, especially for the older adult population, is a problem of increasing national concern. Professionals serving older adults who are able to identify the malnourished and share knowledge and advice with caregivers and family members will be crucial to meeting this challenge. This thoughtprovoking session will offer insights into what can be done to teach enlightened nutrition and support a sustained quality of life for older Americans

Presenters: Joy Bauer, Nutritionist and Nutrition and Health expert for The TODAY Show; Marie T. Fanelli Kuczmarski, PhD, RD, LDN, University of Delaware; David Raymond Thomas, MD, FACP, AGSF, GSAF, CMD, Saint Louis University School of Medicine  

Joy Bauer

Marie T. Fanelli Kuczmarski

David Raymond Thomas

Hunger in America

Friday, March 30 | 5:00–6:00 pm

More than 48.8 million Americans lived in households struggling against hunger in 2010, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). When analyzing the numbers, the Food Research and Action Center noted that one number that captures the trend is the number of people in households “with very low food security”—households with the deepest struggles, skipping meals, or cutting the amounts eaten below what is needed.

Nine million Americans age 50 and over have experienced food insecurity, struggling to afford enough healthy food to meet their basic needs. With food and energy prices soaring, millions of older Americans are going hungry and, increasingly, going it alone as their safety net frays. Food initiatives for those who helped to build the Great Society are a social contract that cannot be broken. This session will explore ways in which to avoid the high cost of chronic care management and the human downward spiral of hypertension, diabetes and the threat of starvation.

Sponsored by Walmart

Moderator: Joe Quinn, Senior Director, Issue Management and Strategic Outreach, for WalmartCorporate Affairs

Presenters: Robert Blancato, MPA, Executive Director, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services and ASA Board member; Jo Ann Jenkins, President, AARP Foundation; Mary Pat Raimondi, MS, RD, Vice President of Strategic Policy and Partnerships, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; Enid Borden, CEO, Meals on Wheels Association of America; Robert Egger, Founder and President, D.C. Central kitchen, inc.

Joe Quinn	Robert Blancato	Enid Borden
Mary Pat Raimondi	Jo Ann Jenkins	Robert Egger

The Future of Caregiving

Sponsored by CareLinx

Saturday, March 31 | 5:00–6:00 pm

Jim Bruyette	Louis Colbert
Amy D'Aprix	Jeff Huber

Currently 78 million baby boomers comprise 26% of our nation’s population. This year, as many as 10,000 people will turn 65, and as they do, diseases and cognitive disorders are expected to increase. By 2025, 34 percent of boomers will be obese, creating the need for more help with activities of daily living. Alzheimer’s affects 5.6 million people today, and that number is expected to increase to 13 million by the year 2025. Chronic illness is an irreversible trend that will impact how we care for and serve older adults, creating a growing need for in-homecare.

This outstanding panel of experts will discuss potential solutions for the growing caregiver shortage and will describe how aging professionals can help guide families through the caregiving journey including navigating transitions of care, emotional struggles, the practical questions of finding and financing care that fits specific needs, as well as research highlights from a recent national study on the value of in-home care.

Presenters: Jim Bruyette, CPA, CFP, Managing Director of Harris SBSB, Harris Private Bank; Louis Colbert, Director, Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging, and Chair-Elect, ASA Board; Amy D’Aprix, MSW, PhD, CSA, President, Dr. Amy Inc.; Gail Miller, Chief of Product Development, Humana Cares, Humana, Inc.; Jeff Huber, President, and COO, Home Instead Senior Care, Inc

How the Boomers Will Transform Aging and How Aging Will Transform the Boomers

Sunday, April 1 | 9:30–11:15 am

Ken Dychtwald	Arianna Huffington
Gail Sheehy	Fernando Torres-Gil
Rhonda L. Randall

This session is intended to discuss how the massive numbers of boomers have dominated American culture for six decades. We’ve seen again and again, boomers don’t just populate existing life stages, social movements or consumer trends, they transform them. Beginning in January, 2011, the boomers began turning 65 at the rate of 10,000 per day. This age wave will continue for another 17 years, and “aging” will never be the same. To serve them, the aging profession can’t entirely remain the same.

In this provocative and mind-stretching presentation, four renowned experts on aging and the boomers will share their visions of the coming boomer “gerontocracy.” Topics to be covered include:

• How will maturity change as tens of millions of us live to 80, 90 or 100+?
• With continued breakthroughs in longevity, at what age will old age begin?
• How will the boomers’ celebration of “middlescence” shift the cultural epicenter while redefining all of life’s stages?
• Will the boomers opt for “pro-aging,” “anti-aging” or “ageless aging?”
• How will boomer women and men approach aging differently?
• Who will pay for the multiplying needs of a multiplying cohort of older adults?
• Are we prepared to reengineer many of our products and services to meet the needs of maturing boomer consumers? 
• Will boomers become more self-indulgent or more socially generous as they age? 
• Will boomers use their life experience and newfound free time to turbo-charge volunteerism?
• How will boomers deal with “right-to-death” issues?
• Can our political system handle the demands that tens of millions of elder boomers will place on our social and economic infrastructure?  

Presenters: Ken Dychtwald, President and CEO, Age Wave; Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief, AOL Huffington Post Media Group; Gail Sheehy, Author and Columnist; Fernando Torres-Gil, MSW, PhD, Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy and Director, UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging, UCLA School of Public Affairs; Rhonda L. Randall, D.O., Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement