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SPECIAL SESSIONS, AWARDS, AND EVENTS
| Special Sessions |
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GSA Policy Series
Robert M. Ball’s Legacy to the Future
Scheduling Info: TBD
This session is co-sponsored by the National Academy on an Aging Society, GSA’s Public Policy Committee, and the National Academy of Social Insurance
As we draw near to the end of a year in which the nation lost one of its most accomplished advocates for the Social Security program and look forward to a new President and Congress, this session will step back to consider the future of Social Security. The panel will be moderated by Bob Rosenblatt, one of American’s preeminent journalists with a passion for social policy analysis. Pam Herd will address the current Social Security program, its strengths and weaknesses, and how reforms could fortify its role in preventing poverty, particularly among older women. Kenneth Apfel, a former Social Security Commissioner, will address the fiscal challenges the program faces in the decades ahead and how Congress and leadership within the Administration will need to step up in a bipartisan fashion to secure the program for future generations. And finally, biographer Edward Berkowitz will explore what Congress, advocates, and other stakeholders can learn from the research, policy development and politics of the storied career of Bob Ball.
Medicare Policy Challenges for a New Administration: Prescription Drugs, Privatization, Costs and Medicare’s Future
Scheduling Info: TBD
This session is sponsored by the National Academy on an Aging
This public policy symposium will bring together gerontologists, policy experts, advocates and individuals involved in the legislative process to share findings and perspectives on key issues concerning Medicare policy. As GSA meets in Washington DC, a newly-elected Administration is preparing to take office with enormous challenges ahead regarding the future of Medicare. Accounting for 16 percent of federal spending, Medicare faces severe financial pressures as boomers age. Medicare also remains at the center of ongoing ideological battles over alternative visions of its future – some viewing it as the framework for a publicly managed comprehensive care system, and others seeking its transformation into a privatized system of competing health plans with varying benefits. Furthermore, the Medicare prescription drug benefit continues to be the subject of great controversy. This session will explore a broad range of Medicare policy issues, including Medicare managed plan subsidies, prescription drug benefits, and out-of-pocket costs to beneficiaries.
GSA Community Meeting and Policy Briefing - Where Can We Go From Here: What Public Opinion, Policy Analysis, and Politics Tell Us About the Next Congress?
Sunday, November 23, 4:45 pm – 6:30 pm
This session is sponsored by the National Academy on an Aging Society and GSA’s Public Policy Committee
When in Rome…This public policy session will provide an inside the beltway view of what we can expect from the new President and Congress. It will also frame Medicare, Medicaid, health care reform, long-term care, Social Security, and other aging issues in the context of what Americans have said they want, what policy options will be considered, and what the politics will allow. The moderator, AAR P Director of Policy and Strategy John C. Rother, will lead a discussion focusing on key aging issues with an authority on public opinion, an academic with real life policy experience, and one of the architects of many of our nation’s health care advances in recent years.
Public Service and Volunteerism: Engaging Each Generation to Make America Great
Tuesday, November 25, 9:30 am – 11:30 am
This session is sponsored by GSA’s Civic Engagement in an Older America project.
This closing session will take GSA members to Capitol Hill for a congressional briefing on civic engagement and the challenges for promoting intergenerational and lifelong opportunities and incentives to serve. With both Presidential candidates voicing support for an expanded federal commitment to volunteer service, Congress will be preparing to move civic engagement legislation forward early in the 111th Congress. A leader on this issue in the House of Representatives will moderate this hearing-like briefing, where policy makers, civic engagement experts, advocates, and volunteers will share their visions of a more perfect environment for service. GSA will provide bus service to the Hill and to the three local airports following the session. |
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| GSA Awards |
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Donald P. Kent & Robert W. Kleemeier Award Lecture
Sunday, November 18, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
The Donald P. Kent Award Lecture will feature an address by the 2006 Kent Award recipient, Margaret Gatz, PhD, and the presentation of the 2007 Kent Award. The Kent Award is given annually to a member of The Gerontological Society of America who best exemplifies the highest standards of professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service, and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society. The 2007 Kent Award recipient is W. Andrew Achenbaum, PhD from the University of Houston..
The Robert W. Kleemeier Award Lecture will feature an address by the 2006 Kleemeier Award recipient, John Nesselroade, PhD, and the presentation of the 2007 Kleemeier Award. The Kleemeier Award is given annually to a member of The Gerontological Society of America in recognition for outstanding research in the field of gerontology. The 2007 Kleemeier Award recipient Rita B. Effros, PhD from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
AFAR Irving Wright Award of Distinction Lecture
Saturday, November 17, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm (reception will follow)
Dr. Richard A. Miller, Research Scientist from the University of Michigan VA Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI will present the 2007 lecture titled, “Live Short and Prosper – Aging Secrets of the Snell Dwarf Mouse.”
Maxwell A. Pollack Award Lecture
Sunday, November 18, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
The Maxwell A. Pollack Award Lecture will feature an address by the 2006 Pollack Award recipient, Katherine Freund, MA, and the presentation of the 2007 Pollack Award. Additionally, a reception will be held immediately following the award session from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm. The Pollack Award recognizes instances of practice informed by research and analysis, research that directly improved policy or practice, and distinction in bridging the worlds of research and practice. The Pollack Award is generously funded by the New York Community Trust through a generous gift from the Maxwell A. Pollack Fund. The 2007 Pollack Award recipient will be Nancy A. Whitelaw, PhD of the National Council on Aging.
Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology Lecture
Monday, November 19, 8:00 am – 9:30 am
The Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology Lecture will feature an address by the 2006 Baltes Award recipient, Julie McMullin, PhD, and the presentation of the 2007 Baltes Award. The Baltes Award recognizes outstanding early career contributions in behavioral and social gerontology. The award is generously funded by the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation. The 2007 Baltes Award recipient will be Lynn Martire, PhD of the University of Pittsburgh.
M. Powell Lawton Award Lecture
Monday, November 19, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
The M. Powell Lawton Award Lecture will feature an address by the 2006 Lawton Award recipient, Linda Teri, MD, and the presentation of the 2007 Lawton Award. The Lawton Award is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions from applied research that has benefited older people and their care. The Lawton Award is generously funded by the Polisher Research Institute of the Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Center for Jewish Life (formerly Philadelphia Geriatric Center). The 2007 Lawton Award recipient will be Elaine Brody, MSW. |
| Events |
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Members Giving Back: Special Habitat for Humanity Service Event
Friday, November 21, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Every November, GSA members come together to advance the field of aging, and to experience the unique culture, cuisine, and entertainment of the host city. This year, as we prepare for the meeting in Washington, D.C., there will be a new opportunity to give back to the Capital City! Please consider joining your colleagues in a day of service working with the Prince George’s County Habitat for Humanity on Friday, November 21, 2008. Our day will begin around 8 am, as we meet for a light breakfast and head over to the volunteer site. The workday will last from 8:30 to 3:00, and lunch and transportation will be provided. We’ll be working on tasks and activities needed by the organization’s current construction project at that time. More details will be provided as the date draws closer. To help cover transportation and food costs, there will be a $15 registration fee. This event is capped at 20 participants, so register early!
New Member Meet and Greet
Saturday, November 22, 7:00 am – 8:00 am
If you are a new member, we would like to welcome you at a reception in your honor. GSA officers and staff will discuss networking opportunities and how to become involved in the Society. A variety of resources will also be available. Come gather information and have your questions answered over a continental breakfast!
Fellows/International Reception
Saturday, November 17, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
This reception is in honor of all GSA Fellows and International Members of the Society.
Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Wine and Cheese & Fellows Meet the Students
(ESPO Members and GSA Fellows Only)
Saturday, November 22, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Wine and Cheese is being sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
This is an event not to be missed!!! The ESPO wine and cheese is organized in conjunction with the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). This event provides an informal setting in which to network with other ESPO members as well as GSA fellows. The winners of the Interdisciplinary Paper Award, Poster Awards, and the Civic Engagement in an Older America Student Paper Award will be presented at this event.
Memorial Service
Sunday, November 23, 7:00 am – 8:00 am
A special memorial service will be held to remember GSA members who have passed away over the past year. Conference participants are welcome to share recollections of any of these members.
Humanities and the Arts Committee Open Meeting and Reception
Sunday, November 23, 6:15 pm – 7:45 pm
The Humanities and the Arts Committee is pleased to sponsor our annual open meeting and reception for all interested GSA members to mix and mingle with committee members and others who share our interests in the humanities, arts, and aging. The reception will feature light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, followed by a business meeting. (The screening of the Humanities and the Arts feature film will immediately follow this session).
Humanities and the Arts Committee Feature Film – Andrew Jenks, Room 335
Sunday, November 23, 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Admission Fee (in advance or at the door): $5.00
Sponsored by GSA’s Humanities and the Arts Committee
As a class project, a college student decides to get a room in an assisted living facility in Florida and to live there for a month. At first it's a bit of a lark, but then his relationships deepen and turn, especially when there is a blackout during a storm. This amateur-made film has received well-deserved recognition, including being picked up by HBO. Because the student and his film crew enter the facility with an ingenuousness and openness that is rare in films on aging, it is likely to be especially appealing to students of gerontology. The filmmaker, Andrew Jenks, will introduce the film and respond to questions afterwards.
Aging, Spirituality and the Visual Arts: A Pilgrimage at the Washington National Cathedral
Monday, November 24, 11:30 am – 6:30 pm
Admission Fee (includes transportation and lunch): $75.00
Sponsored by GSA’s Humanities and the Arts Committee
Supported by the F.I.S.H. Foundation (CCPP), Washington National Cathedral, and The Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCCA).
The Washington National Cathedral provides a rich environment for academic, experiential and creative integration of aging, spirituality and visual arts. In a workshop specifically designed for GSA, participants will learn about resilient aging through engagement in the arts in a spiritual context. A series of presentations, discussions and time for personal reflection will have multi-dimensional implications for professionals working with older people. These experiences will include extensive interaction with Cathedral artists and leaders in the field of creative aging and spirituality; collegial hospitality of a shared meal; and the opportunity to participate in a pilgrimage through the Cathedral and its grounds, experiencing directly the arts and architecture in this magnificent spiritual setting.
Participants will have the rare opportunity to experience the Cathedral space through the eyes and hearts of some of the artisans who helped create it. Cathedral artisans will lead participants into the Cathedral space and then engage in dialogue about their unique craft and experiences as artisans in a sacred space. The following artists are scheduled to participate: Dieter Goldkuhle, gifted fabricator and installer of the Cathedral’s jeweled stained glass; Malcolm Harlow, stone carver who helped bring life to the stone throughout the soaring space; and Nol Putnam, West Virginia blacksmith and artist of the Cathedral’s dramatic columbarium gates.
This unique experience is limited and reservations will be available on a first-come, first serve basis.
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