(Council Bluffs, IA) – The public is invited to attend the 12th Annual Omaha Women's Health and Wellness Conference, titled Aging Successfully While Caring for Others, on Friday, October 2, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Mid-America Center.

The conference is sponsored by the Olson Center for Women's Health, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, The Nebraska Medical Center, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Wellness Council of the Midlands. Gold sponsor of the conference is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska.
 
Low cost screenings -- including lipid, glucose and complete blood count, will be available for $15 and a thyroid-stimulating hormone test will be available for $5. Nursing credit is available for $35. For more information about the conference or for a registration form, call the Olson Center for Women's Health at 402.559.6345, or visit www.olsoncenter.com.

Breakfast keynote speakers will be Jane Potter, M.D., professor and chief of the section of geriatrics and gerontology at UNMC. Her talk, Aging in America, will discuss the key issues associated with a rapidly aging population and explain the scope and importance of the issues. General session speaker will be Thomas Magnuson, M.D., assistant professor, UNMC Department of Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry. His talk, Beating the Blues: Depression in Older Adults, will focus on depression in older adults and whether neurobiological changes that occur in aging play a role in depression. Treatment also will be discussed. Luncheon keynote speaker will be Mary Maxwell, an Omaha humorist. Her presentation, Aging: An Insider's View, will talk about the signs of aging and how older adults react to life's changes. During the afternoon, participants can choose two breakout sessions.
 
Sessions available at 1:15 p.m. include the following:
Legal Tools to Make Life Easier for the Caregiver - presented by Mary Wilson, J.D., of the Buford Law Office. She will talk about power of attorney, health care power of attorney and living wills, and provisions in the Medicaid statutes which provide financial protection to spouses and adult children caregivers.
Community Resources for Older Adults and Family Caregivers: What's Out There to Help Me? - presented by Susan Murray, a social worker with the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics & Gerontology. She will discuss community programs and services and how they can help, as well as how to overcome a loved-one's resistance to accepting help.
Better Eating for Better Aging - presented by Lisa Nichter, registered dietitian, of the Nebraska Medical Center Clinical Nutrition. She will talk about overcoming barriers of living alone and chronic conditions that can make maintaining a healthy diet difficult. She also will talk about foods that may be beneficial in aging.

Sessions available at 2:15 p.m. include the following:
Collaborating with the Elderly Driver - presented by William Roccaforte, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, UNMC Department of Psychiatry. He will talk about the risks faced by the elderly driver and methods to evaluate functions. Counseling, adaptive strategies and community resources will be discussed.
Safe Medication Use in the Elderly - presented by Linda Farho, Pharm.D., UNMC College of Pharmacy. She will talk about safe medication use in older adults and identify medications considered potentially inappropriate for use in the elderly, risk factors for adverse drug events in the elderly.
Green Fitness: Exercising without Harming the Environment - presented by David Corbin, Ph.D., professor, University of Nebraska-Omaha Health Education/Public Health and Women's Studies. His talk will discuss things to use for exercise that are free or don't cost much that don't leave a big carbon footprint.
The Complete Caregiver: Body, Mind, and Soul - presented by Lyn Holley, Ph.D., assistant professor, University of Nebraska-Omaha Department of Gerontology.
 
WHAT: 12th Annual Omaha Women's Health and Wellness Conference: Aging Successfully While Caring for Others
WHEN: Friday, October 2, 2009
SHOW TIME:  8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m
ADMISSION: $49, includes breakfast, lunch, lectures, exhibits and health screenings Registration deadline is Septtember 25
VENUE: Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs
MORE INFORMATION: www.olsoncenter.com
www.midamericacenter.com
                                            
Lana Molczyk, Olsen Center for Women's Health
402.559.6345  | ljmolczy@unmc.edu