ASA Conference Wrap-Up

Partnership, Community Take Center Stage
in the Windy City

By Barbara Worthington

The American Society on Aging’s Aging in America Conference was held in Chicago from March 20–24. Sessions designed for providers of aging services from social workers to clinicians addressed topics from caregiving to aging policy. For the second year, the Managed Care Academy highlighted the changing realities of the health care and aging services markets and explored ways community-based organizations can build skills to successfully engage in partnerships with health care organizations.

Throughout the week, various sessions focused on aspects of aging in community, caregiving, clinical care and transitions, diversity and cultures of aging, integrated care networks, lifelong learning, mental health, advocacy and ethics, religion and spirituality, and technology.

Special sessions were presented on intergenerational activities, the longevity marketplace, the crisis in family caregiving, and improving care and services for people with dementia.

The poster sessions also offered information on a variety of topics. Among them were falls risk management, factors influencing hospital readmission, care transitions, physical activity to protect against cognitive decline, the need for more geriatricians, and treating depression.

With more than 100 vendors, the exhibit hall featured products designed for home care, nutrition, home monitoring, brain health, and numerous elder care services.

— Barbara Worthington is editor of Today’s Geriatric Medicine.