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700 Attend the 9th Annual Conference on Aging
On May 28, 2009 700 people celebrated the gifts and challenges of getting older at the ninth annual Conference on Aging, "Maximizing Your Potential: Let Your Senior Spirit Soar." Held at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, the conference presented a wide variety of tools and solutions for helping seniors to remain active and independent in their communities.
Conference sponsors included the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS), the State Committee on Aging (SCOA), AARP, Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) and other community organizations.
The featured speaker was Dr. Stephen Bartels, Medical Director for BEAS and the Director for the Centers for Health and Aging at Dartmouth. Dr. Bartels discussed statewide wellness initiatives for seniors, and the importance to a person's quality of life of preventive health care and staying active.
Workshop topics included, among others, long-term care planning, community supports, stress management, managing medicines, options for lifelong learning, assistive technology that promotes home safety and independence, and how to create positive environments for both caregivers and care receivers.
Joining conference attendees were Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas, BEAS Administrator Kathleen Otte, SCOA members, including Chair Owen Houghton, AARP State President Ally McNair (also Chair of the Conference on Aging Planning Committee and a SCOA member) and PSNH representatives.
"The Conference on Aging helps to remind everyone that it is never too late to recognize your personal potential related to improving mental and physical health, great life satisfaction, and engagement in the community, " said Commissioner Toumpas.
Conference attendees also received a visit from Governor John Lynch. "We are here today to celebrate Older Americans Month and to honor New Hampshire seniors," said the governor. "By working together, we can improve the health and well being of New Hampshire's older adults and pave the way for better health as we age."
The 2009 Vaughan Award winners, who were honored on May 14, 2009 in a separate ceremony at the Executive Council Chambers in Concord, were also recognized at the conference. The Vaughan Awards are presented annually to one individual or one couple from each county who are age 60 and older and who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and volunteer service on behalf of older persons in New Hampshire. Winners of the 2009 "Aging In Focus" Photo Contest were also announced.
Plans are already being made for the Tenth Annual Conference on Aging, which will be held on Thursday, May 27, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester.
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