Saturday, May 17, 2008
NEWS
RCI Staff Members Present at NCOA/ASA Conference
RCI Well-Represented at Connections '08 and Other Conferences
RCI staff and faculty have been busy, presenting at conferences in the Southeast and around the country, including the joint conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging (NCOA/ASA)) held in March in Washington DC. Executive Director Rick Birkel and Laura Granberry, Director of National Initiatives, explained the concept and objectives of the NQCN to conference attendees. Their power point presentation was titled Building Effective Supports for Family Caregivers: The National Quality Care Network.
Director of State Initiatives, Amy Tribble and Director of Community Initiatives, Gayle Alston presented at NCOA/ASA as well. Their presentation, Building Effective Supports for Family Caregivers: Georgia’s Quality Care Network, focused on how the RCI built statewide coalitions to address caregiver issues.
In April, Dr. Rick Birkel, presented to the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, providing national and state statistics on family caregiving and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as the costs and health effects of caregiving.
On April 17, Laura Granberry led a roundtable discussion during the Southern Gerontological Society conference in Atlanta. The topic of her discussion was Quality Care Connections – Enhancing Community Based Services for Caregivers. This conference attracted leaders in the fields of aging and gerontology from the Southeastern U.S.
On April 25, Amy Tribble, made a presentation during the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Administration on Aging (AOA) Employer Briefing. During this joint conference for employers in the eight-state Southeastern region, the discussion focused on caregivers. The conference included presentations on “Productivity Losses to US Business,” “Economics of Caregiving,” “and Realities of Caregiving.” A panel presentation included Federal/State/Local Caregiving perspectives. Panel discussion focused on developing a successful Employers Caregiver Programs. Tribble discussed RCI’s mission including quality care and dissemination of EBP for caregivers
Laura Granberry, along with Fletcher Allen Healthcare grant site director Anita Royer and renowned caregiver researcher Dr. Mary Mittelman, spoke in Vermont on April 30. “Facing Alzheimer’s With Hope” was a statewide educational conference sponsored by the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Their presentation was titled “Supporting the Valued Caregiver: What We Can Learn from Research.”