On November 4, Cleveland State Community College is hosting its elder care workshop featuring keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and biometric services from nursing students.
For Cleveland State Community College's Associate Professor of Psychology Melodee Alexander, helping older members of the community has always been a passion.
According to an article on Cleveland State Community College’s website, Alexander explained her heartfelt reasons for being involved in the school’s elder care workshop, saying, “I first began attending Elder Care educational programs because my heart has always been drawn to the stages of life from the midpoint onward. When we were young, we couldn't wait to be older. When we became adults, we looked forward to the next stage of life. When we realized we were middle-aged, we chose to stop looking ahead and planning because our attention was drawn toward being part of the lives around us. Then, we began to realize that we age, whether we planned or not, we age. This is not a bad thing, but we do need to prepare in every way possible: psychologically, emotionally, physically and financially. Let's embrace this later stage with joy and preparedness. If we learn now, we can better prepare younger generations for successful aging.”
The goal of the elder care workshop is to help older community members access useful information as relates to their personal health and learn about the resources available to them, as well as to inform younger members of the community who may also share a similar passion to Alexander: offering care and support to their elders.
Alexander explained what both groups will get out of the workshop, saying, “Our goal is to provide as many resources as possible to help members of our community better understand how to assist elders, provide protective measures for elders, share helpful caregiver support tips, and prepare ourselves for the next life stage as we age.”
Dr. Ryan Thompson, who is the Dean of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences at Cleveland State, shared his own personal reasons for supporting the elder care workshop, saying, “On behalf of Cleveland State, we are excited to offer what we think will be some very useful information for members of our community again this year. As my father-in-law's health deteriorated several years ago, watching my wife's family work together to meet his needs was inspiring. But it also gave me plenty to reflect on as I thought about what my parents and grandparents might need as well. The workshops over the last several years have been extremely helpful in providing me with a lot of answers to those questions, and I am looking forward to getting more answers this year.”
The workshop is free and will be held on Saturday, November 4 from 8:45am to 12:30pm in the Humanities building on campus. Those interested in attending should visit the event’s RSVP form.
For more information about Cleveland State Community College, visit the school’s website.