Greetings! - SGS Executive Director News and Updates
Greetings SGS members and friends,
This edition of our Southern Gerontologist newsletter is robust with information on events both past, present and yet to come. This past year has been an incredibly productive one, and we hope you enjoy reading about all of the many projects in which SGS has been involved. Of note, this edition includes:
- The 41st Annual Conference - Call for Presentation and Welcome from SGS President, Dr. Ishan Williams
- Recognition of incoming and outgoing SGS leadership
- SGS partnership news and updates
- SGS upcoming webinars and activities
- Journal of Applied Gerontology (JAG) updates
- SGS committee activities and news
- Reflections and photo galleries from the SGS 40th Ruby Anniversary Meeting and Celebration at Sandestin Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida
- Our Encore Adult Recognition Awardees 2019 conference memoirs
- Student Scholarship winner, Jeffrey Lentz, reflects on his conference experience
- SGS seeking interns, part-time social media strategist, and state ambassadors
- Welcome to new members
- Upcoming conferences
I would like to take just a moment to express my gratitude for all of our members who have performed such exceptional service to SGS over this past year. The number of initiatives in which SGS has been engaged has made for an incredibly fun, busy, and engaging experience. The successful completion of so many different activities truly is a testament to the passion and commitment so many of you hold for reaching the mission of our society. I am humbled, honored, and thankful to work alongside each and every one of you.
Because we are finding ourselves with so much exceptional content to include in this newsletter, this will be one of our final newsletters constructed in the "Smore" format. We anticipate being able to launch the next newsletter in an e-zine, digital magazine layout for easier readability. Should you wish to share your news and includes with us, please send it to us!
Sincerely,
Lee Ann S. Ferguson
SGS Executive Director
Aging Better Together: Building an Inclusive Aging Community - A Welcome from President, Dr. Ishan Williams
The Southern Gerontological Society's 41st annual regional aging conference will be held at the beautiful Hilton Norfolk The Main in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Hilton at The Main sits along the waterfront and is a close walk to cultural attractions, shopping, and dining. Our theme is “Aging Better Together: Building an Inclusive Aging Community.”
As president of the Southern Gerontological Society, I would like to extend an invitation to you to attend and contribute to our meeting being held April 14-18, 2020. This beautiful setting offers all sorts of history, fun, and family friendly activities. We encourage you to bring your family members and extend your stay before or after the conference to get the most out of the location. The City of Norfolk is the home to the largest naval base in the world. Within walking distance of The Main hotel, you can see incredible views of the Norfolk Harbor and the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet.
This year, we are focusing on aging better together. We intend to focus on how to build an environment and society where every aging person can thrive being able to engage in meaningful activities for themselves and for those who care for them. The expertise of professionals contributing to our conference will share best practices and the most up to date research on fostering a diverse and inclusive aging community.
Some key topics include raising awareness about the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults and about the unique barriers they encounter in gaining access to housing, healthcare, long-term care, and other needed services. Additionally, there will be a focus on veterans and their caregivers through Operation Family Caregiver. This program will be highlighted to focus on building bridges of understanding between the military and civilian worlds, resulting in stronger and healthier families. Lastly, topics will include, but are not limited to issues of social justice and social determinants of health among older adults to promote the understanding, appreciation, and use of cultural differences as a critical factor in the development of systems, institutions, and programs in the aging network.
We hope you will plan on joining us to share your work, collaborate with attendees, and engage in our many planned activities and experiences.
Sincerely - Dr. Ishan Williams
Journal of Applied Gerontology: from the Editor
JAG has a stellar line-up of new issues in production! August includes a mini-topic focus on technology plus articles on migration and the meaning of work among others. September brings a Special Issue: Caregiver Interventions, Burden, Measurement and Policy, with a guest introductory editorial by Dr. Christy Jensen of The Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health. The October Issue features another mini-topic on screening and measurement. Be sure to check out the selection of new tools, tested and ready for research!
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/jag
In other exciting news, the JAG impact factor has taken another impressive leap, from 1.992 in 2017, to 2.248 in 2018. And we moved up in the gerontology journal rankings from 15th to 11th. Authors from around the world submit excellent new articles every week, including quite a few that were presented in April at the Southern Gerontological Society meeting.
We continue to partner with SGS’s open access journal, Gerontology and Geriatrics Medicine. In 2018, 10 articles that were not a good fit for JAG were accepted in GGM through SAGE’s automatic transfer option.
I wish all had a fun and relaxing summer, and hope you find time to read and write!
Julie Robison
Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Applied Gerontology
SGS Development Committee Launches the Ruby Endowment Campaign
As SGS is a 501(c)3 non-profit society, contributions to this campaign are tax-deductible.
To set up a pledge or donate, please visit our endowment giving page located here:
A sampling of photos
First Class of SGS Marshall Fellows Inductees
Designation by the Southern Gerontological Society as a Victor W. Marshall Fellow in Applied Gerontology is an acknowledgment of outstanding and continuing achievement that bridges the domains of original and applied research, service to government, practice with older adults, gerontology education and advocacy within gerontology.
This designation, equivalent to the attainment of Fellow status in many prestigious societies and organizations, is named in honor of Victor W. Marshall who has made significant and long-lasting contributions to SGS and gerontology through original independent scholarship, working with diverse collaborative teams, support to veterans, nurturing of advocacy and public service to older adults, and mentorship of applied gerontologists from diverse disciplinary and practice backgrounds.
2019 Inductees:
Denise Scruggs
Jaye Atkinson
Sudha Shreeniwas
Jennifer Craft Morgan
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Inductee (Center) Denise Scruggs with SGS President, Jen Craft Morgan and awards chair, LaVona Traywick | Inductee (Right) Sudha Shreeniwas with SGS President, Jen Craft Morgan | Inductee (Right) Jaye Atkinson with SGS President, Jen Craft Morgan |
Inductee (Center) Denise Scruggs
Inductee (Right) Sudha Shreeniwas
Inductee (Right) Jaye Atkinson
Jeffrey Lentz, MS, CPG
I first came to the Southern Gerontological Society conference in 2018 at Lake Lanier, GA. I was scared because I was selected to present a poster of my research on the first day of the conference (I got through it with overwhelming support!). I didn’t know anyone other than the students and professors I met at Georgia State University. Debby was the student representative, and Sierra was the student representative-elect. Both of them motivated me to get involved in SGS. They both introduced me to other colleagues at SGS and showed me the ropes. It was then that I realized that SGS was going to be my home for life!
I was so motivated that I inquired about the student representative position for the 2019-2020 school year. It was announced that I was appointed to the executive board of SGS as the student representative during this year’s conference. This made the conference so much more for me in particular. This year was different—I began to recognized familiar faces from last year and got to connect my colleagues, mentors, and friends. This year I was able to present my dissertation research with the support of my dissertation chair and SGS. Feedback from participants was constructive yet supportive. I never felt these feelings before at any other conference I have attended.
What does SGS mean to me? My experience at SGS has been extremely positive. SGS is my new home away from home, and hope I can give back as graciously as members have been gracious to me. The support from SGS has been emotionally well received. Support is essential to me as an emerging scholar and practitioner in the field of gerontology. There is so much support and wisdom to be learned at SGS. Veterans and scholars in the area are readily available to connect with you at meetings, share advice, share their struggles and how they overcame them, and professional development. If you join SGS, you’ll receive support for your interests!
Volunteering my time at the conference also had a profound effect on me. At the time, I was the SGS student representative-elect. Both Sierra and Debby took it upon themselves to orient me to SGS. I took the time to absorb as much as I can as I have big shoes to fill. Volunteering was one way to give back to an excellent organization. While volunteering, I met some influential veterans, practitioners, and scholars. Volunteering has afforded me opportunities to network with SGS members and visitors. I am most grateful for volunteering, as I would not have been given these networking opportunities. If you volunteer at the annual conference, I can guarantee it will be unforgettable. Lee Ann, the SGS Executive Director, leads the volunteer efforts, and she is an influential leader. She takes volunteering seriously as well as taking the time to explain in detail the processes of the conference to the volunteers. She takes the time to make sure her volunteers are well taken care of, engaged, and fed!
In summation, SGS hands down is the best organization! The members work together to make the climate inclusive, comfortable, and most of all, enjoyable. I am forever in the debt of SGS for all the amazing connections I’ve made over the past several years. I look forward to contributing time and energy to maintain SGS’s success for another 40 years!
Mining the Gems--Laura J. Bauer
I’ve enjoyed every SGS Conference I’ve ever attended but approached the 2019 Conference with different goals than in the past. Being a recent (2018) retiree from the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI), when attending previous SGS conferences, I’d had professional objectives in mind that related directly to my work. While still very interested in caregiving, I have expanded my passions to peacemaking, culture change, and inclusivity. “Mining the Gems” contained opportunities for me to feed these new passions fully. It would take me a book to recount all of these, so I’ll focus on my most memorable moments.
On Tuesday, I was able to complete a bucket list item, co-presenting with my dear friend and colleague Christy Jensen, who I met through my work at RCI. It was my first opportunity to merge my new career with the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation with the caregiving work I’d spent two decades fostering, and it was wonderful to see old friends and new faces in our session, “Partnerships and Evidence-Driven Programs Supporting Family Caregivers." Afterwards, I was pumped up by the excellent welcome by SGS President Jennifer Craft-Morgan and keynote address by Richard Prudom, Secretary of Florida Department of Elder Affairs. The Student Poster session validated my belief that young people truly do have important things to say about the field of gerontology, and the future is bright in that regard!
On Wednesday, mostly out of pure curiosity, I attended the Death Café. One of the courses I teach at Georgia Southwestern State University is “Caregiving at the End of Life," and I found the Death Café concept something novel that I could take back to my students. But the most compelling part of this session was being seated at a table with people I’d never met before, two of whom may not be aware of the powerful impact they made on me that day. To my left was John Lovit, and directly across from me was Danny Housley. Both men shared personal stories with candor and insight, and I am extremely grateful to both for their courage and honesty. I felt my mind being expanded as others participating in the Café began discussing old and new fears with abandon. The nonjudgmental Death Café environment was cathartic in ways I would never have guessed going in and holds great promise for communities across the country. I want to bring one to Americus, Georgia, where I live!
It had been 15 years or so since I’d last seen the indomitable Teepa Snow, and her session Thursday morning was fantastic! Three tidbits that really stuck with me are: “What you kept is not what I want to hear," “One brain is changing, what about the other one?," and “Assess, don’t assume." Seeing Teepa role-play concepts of her Positive Physical Approach and having us turn to the person next to us and practice it with them was extremely valuable. I also really enjoyed seeing the lightbulbs go off for two students I’d met in Wednesday’s Death Café, and who were sitting in the row in front of me in the audience. Teepa’s direct and no-holds barred approach is so very powerful to anyone who is caring for a family member or working with an individual with dementia.
Friday’s “Living with Dementia” Feature Session was yet another powerful experience. Knowing even less than I thought I did about Frontotemporal Dementia, I was able to hear first-hand from both those living with the disease and their spouses, now in the role of caregiver. Vastly different than the experiences of families like mine who have completed an Alzheimer’s disease journey, I felt ignorant that I knew so little about this hideous disease. I felt the pain of these courageous caregivers and left the session impassioned about bringing more awareness to the other forms of dementia that are rarely talked about. I agree with the session speakers that we have to stop using Alzheimer’s disease as the umbrella that all other dementias are housed under. Dementia is the umbrella, and although Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent form of dementia, it should not be garnering the lion’s share of research dollars or attention. I profoundly thank SGS for educating me on this topic.
The SGS 40th Anniversary Gala was a wonderful event highlighted by great food, networking, catching up with old friends, a stunning sunset on the outside patio, excellent music, and most of all DANCING the night away! I was pleasantly shocked to see the total steps on my Apple Watch at the end of the night!
I told all of my friends and colleagues after returning home that after attending dozens of conferences over the decades, SGS never fails to bring the very best programming mixed in with fun and relaxation in the most beautiful places across the south. Bravo to Lee Ann Ferguson and the entire SGS team! I sincerely appreciate receiving the Encore Adult Travel Scholarship that allowed me to attend without draining my post-retirement bank account. I intend to stay engaged with this great community of practitioners and researchers forevermore!
Jo Ann O’Quin is a former Board member and SGS member since 1984.
Now a retired professor, I was a little stunned when I was invited by younger leaders of SGS to apply for an Encore scholarship award to attend the 2019 meeting. I am honored to have received the award and to participate again in the SGS annual meeting this spring. As part of the award, I was asked to write about my experience for this newsletter, a task that takes me back in time, since I was the SGS newsletter editor or co-editor from 2003 to 2009. Moreover, it prompted a review of what SGS has meant to me.
At age 26, I received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Mississippi and had a vital interest in gerontology. At that time the university had no courses or faculty with interest in this area, although I was fortunate to conduct my thesis and dissertation research with older adults. Early in my career, I found one person in Mississippi doing education and training in the area, Dr. John Lovitt, who ran an Institute on Aging “down the road” from Oxford at Mississippi State University in Starkville. Dr. Lovitt became a mentor and I eventually taught courses for his institute.
As a young budding gerontologist, I asked Dr. Lovitt what I should know about aging. Without hesitation, he said, “learn all you can about a disease called Alzheimer’s!” He also told me to get involved with the Southern Gerontological Society, as he had been an early resident of SGS. My first presentation at SGS was in 1984 in Knoxville where I met guys named Lorin, Ed, Chuck, Peroni, Larry, and many others who also became my mentors and lifelong friends. I also conducted Oxford's first community workshop on Alzheimer’s that same year.
So a highlight of my experience at this year’s meeting was unexpectedly seeing my mentor, Dr. Lovitt, and being able to tell him in person how essential he was in molding my career in academia and community service. His advice in 1984 has led to where I am today. I have put academia behind me now, but the community service work continues to be a rewarding experience. Nineteen years ago I started the C.A.R.E. (Caring for Aging Relatives Effectively) education and support luncheon meeting. Eight years ago I co-founded Memory Makers Respite Day Program for those with memory loss (providing low-cost respite for caregivers) and a Caregiver Resource Center (where I offer free family counseling). But the longest-running service activity to stem from John Lovitt’s nudge is the Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia Caregiver Support Group. It began in 1985 and continues today. I learned from Teepa Snow at this year’s SGS meeting that it may be the longest-running continuous support group in the country. Over the years, we have wonderful members who began as needing help and stayed to help others. One of the “Caregiver Emeritus” is an original member who still comes after 34 years, after losing his mother-in-law and then sadly his wife to Alzheimer’s! In his mission to help other caregivers, he has generously purchased 125 copies of The 36-Hour Day by Mace and Rabins (that I first read in 1984) for me to loan to caregivers over the years.
The caregivers I have listened to monthly for all these years are my heroes, my family, and my inspiration to continue hoping that someday soon we will no longer need these types of groups. Until then, I hope SGS continues to provide valuable education, encouragement, and support for those like me who will also become Encore members someday. I am most appreciative that the program this year was extremely valuable in furthering my education on dementia with sessions on FTD, Lewy body dementia, tips from Teepa Snow, Memory and Music as well as many conversations with experts in the field.
And on a lighter note, one of my favorite SGS activities over the years has been donating to and starting many a bid at the annual silent auction. I was thrilled to see my donations this year generate some funds but also to see a beautiful set of pearls go to a young student. She was very excited to “win” those jewels, just as I was when I “won” those same jewels at an SGS auction many, many years ago!
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Southern Gerontological Society
