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When
-
(GMT-06:00) Central Time
Where
1725 W Harrison St
Searle Conference Center, Elevator II 5th floor 542 Brainard
Chicago
ILLINOIS
60612

ASA Chicagoland Roundtable - Social Isolation: Definition, Risk Factors, Interventions

Friday, June 7, 2019
8:30 am – 10:30 am

Location: 

Professional Building 
1725 W Harrison St
Searle Conference Center
Elevator II - 5th floor - 542 Brainard
Chicago, IL 60612

Awareness of the impact of social isolation and loneliness among older adults has increased over the past few years. The objective of this session is to fully explore the antecedents and consequences of social isolation from multiple perspectives.  Learners will explore the risk factors associated with social isolation, the impact of social isolation on health and well-being, and current statewide efforts to address this phenomenon. Current interventions aimed at reducing social isolation will be discussed as potential models for further innovation. 

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Moderator:

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Diane Slezak 
President and Chief Executive Officer 
AgeOptions


Diane has served with the agency since 1976. She has advocated for and facilitated the establishment of new programs to serve older adults. In 1999 she worked to design and establish the Health Care Choices Program, now branded Avisery, which assists older persons to understand and make informed choices about their health coverage including Medicare. She helped establish the Family Caregiver Program that works with 13 community-based agencies that have retained caregiver specialists through the Area Agencies' funding.


Panelists:


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Louise Hawkley

Senior Research Scientist
NORC (the National Opinion Research Center)
University of Chicago


Louise's research interests center on the psychological, physiological, and health correlates of individual differences in sociality during aging. Her research contributions are predominantly in the area of perceived social isolation (loneliness) and health during aging, as well as predictors of and interventions for loneliness. Her current research extends this work to include examination of regional variation in loneliness and well-being and neighborhood-level mechanisms for individual differences in sociality and physiology.

Louise is a co-investigator on the ongoing NIA-funded panel study, the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP). She is an active interdisciplinary collaborator who works with sociologists, physicians, epidemiologists, and demographers to better understand the complexities of social life and health during aging. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She is a member of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society on Aging, and serves on the editorial board for Research on Aging and Social Science & Medicine. She is an international speaker, and served as an expert witness for the solitary confinement case, Ashker v. Governor of California, 2015.

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Kim McCahill
Director of Planning, Program Design and Grants Management
AgeOptions

Kim and her team have been working on the issue of Social Isolation through a variety of ways including assisting in the development of 21 Memory Cafes throughout suburban Cook County, working with 18 libraries to develop program which address Social Isolation and developing innovations in our Congregate Meal program to involve more participants in addressing Social Isolation. Kim also participates in the statewide i4a Social Isolation workgroup. Kim has a BSW from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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Ann Wohlberg

Director of Program
Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly
Chicago, IL

Ann Wohlberg joined Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly as Director of Program in 2011. Ann and her team lead Little Brothers’ full range of programs, including the visiting programs, Celebrations of Life, Food Pantry, Direct Assistance, Lloyd Walding Brain Fitness Center, social clubs, and citywide holiday celebrations on Thanksgiving and other holidays. Before joining Little Brothers, Wohlberg was the Executive Director of Sharing Connections Furniture Bank, and also led the Community Nurse Health Association and the Geriatric Education Center Network at the University of Illinois. Ann has a BA from Mundelein College, an M.A. with honors in Gerontology from the University of Michigan, a Management Certificate from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Specialist in Aging from the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology.

Registration is free, and requested, to attend. Only complete the application form if you have no record. Otherwise, please log in. For assistance with registration, contact Jutka at jmandoki@asaging.org.