Overview:
8:30 a.m.         Welcome; About MGS
8:35 a.m.         Keynote: Age-Friendly Community Design – Policy, Research, Practice
–                        Dana Bradley, PhD, Dean of the Erickson School of Aging Studies, University of Maryland Baltimore County
9:35 a.m.         Age-Friendly Perspectives: Panel Presentation, Q&A
–                        Facilitator: Adam Suomala, President. MGS
–                              State Policy – Sherrie Pugh, Chair, Governor’s Council on Age-Friendly MN
–                              Community – Nan Just, Age-Friendly Northfield MN
–                              Individual – LaVerne Gilliam, Shakopee, MN
10:35 a.m.       Gerontologist of the Year  
10:45 a.m.       Session Topics: 1) Age-Friendly Minnesota; 2) Age-Friendly Communities; 3) Age-Friendly You
–                            Rajean Moone, PhD, Gov’s Council on Age-Friendly MN
–                            Will Phillips, BA, State Director, AARP-MN
–                            Patsy Bartley, MBA, Executive Director, SHIFT
11:20 a.m.       Call to Action; Dan Pollock, Assist. Commissioner, Continuing Care for Older Adults, Dept. of Human Services
11:30 a.m.       Wrap-up; Participants complete questionnaires
12:00 p.m.       Adjourn

AGE-FRIENDLY MINNESOTA. AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES. AGE-FRIENDLY YOU.

Conference Details:

8:15 a.m.         Log-in; check your connection; learn how to type questions and interact
8:30 a.m.         Welcome; About MGS; Program Overview

8:35 a.m.         Keynote: Age-Friendly Community Design – Policy, Research, Practice
–                        Dana Bradley, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE, Dean, Erickson School of Aging Studies, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Creating and sustaining communities that are age-friendly is a realistic and promising approach to supporting physical, cognitive, mental and social health in later life. You will learn the steps necessary to advance community participation that will help to promote more evidence-informed age-friendly policies and practices.

Dana Burr Bradley completed her PhD from Carnegie-Mellon University as a Rockefeller Foundation Humanities Fellow and has worked extensively on long-term care, generational and longevity economy policy issues. Most recently she has worked in close collaboration with the World Health Organization on strategies to make communities both age-friendly and great places to retire. Dr. Bradley is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education. She has served as the past president of the Southern Gerontological Society and secretary of the Gerontological Society of America.

9:35 a.m.       Age-Friendly Perspectives: Panel Presentation with Q&A
–                        Facilitator: Adam Suomala, MPA, President, MGS
–                        Panel: State Policy – Sherrie Pugh, MPA, Chair, Governor’s Council on Age-Friendly MN
–                                     Community – Nan Just, Age-Friendly Northfield MN
                                       Individual – LaVerne Gilliam, Shakopee, MN – retired, involved, passionate

Panelists respond to your questions and important inquiries such as:
How does the pandemic change your work and vision for an age-friendly society?
What do you see as tangible benefits and outcomes of becoming age-friendly?
What role can key stakeholders, like conference participants, play to help advance the age-friendly effort?

10:35 a.m.         Gerontologist of the Year

10:45 a.m.        Session Topics: Interactive Discussions with Involved Age-Friendly Leaders:
–                        Age-Friendly Minnesota: Rajean Moone, PhD, Gov’s Council on Age-Friendly MN
–                        Age-Friendly Communities: Will Phillips, BA, State Director, AARP-MN
–                        Age-Friendly You: Patsy Bartley, MBA, Executive Director, SHIFT

Designed as an interaction between these active leaders and you the audience. Panelists will ask questions through audience participation polls and respond to your answers.

11:15 a.m.       Call to Action
                          Dan Pollock, Assist. Commissioner, Continuing Care for Older Adults, DHS
–                        “What steps will you take to advance an Age-Friendly Minnesota?”

11:30 a.m.       Wrap-up; Participants complete questionnaires
12:00 p.m.       Adjourn

Objectives:
1.  Inform participants about Minnesota’s vision for age-friendly communities and the value of age-friendly practices for older adults.
2.  Explore age-friendly concepts, including the eight domains of livability that affect the quality of life for older adults, as identified by the World Health Organization.
3.  Actively engage participants to identify strategies and priorities for implementing age-friendly practices in Minnesota, including discussing strategies that leverage differences to promote inclusion.
4.  Develop and disseminate a post-conference synthesis of stakeholder input and priorities for action.