5th Annual Aging Conference to take place at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts | Press Releases

Fairfield University's School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging (SWCAA), will sponsor, "Developing Cultural Competence - A Provider's Challenge" for its 5th Annual conference on aging on Friday, April 11th, at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

Geared towards health care professionals who serve older adults, this conference has swelled to maximum capacity in past years. Registration this year begins at 8:30 a.m. with refreshments and an opportunity to view exhibits. Award-winning lecturer Josepha Campinha-Bacote, Ph.D., APRN, BC, CTN, FAAN, president of Transcultural C.A.R.E. Associates, will deliver the keynote address: "An Overview of Cultural Competence." She will discuss the definition of cultural competence in healthcare delivery and its components.

Lois Hayman-El, MSW, LSW, training specialist of Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, will follow with "Assessment and Intervention," which will include information on how to gather private and personal information, transcultural communication, key concepts of culture and diversity in conducting needs assessments and care plans, and ways of avoiding cultural collisions. Dr. Hayman-El is also Continuing Education instructor at Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

The afternoon panel representing the African American, Hispanic, Gay/Lesbian and Asian American communities will address what the culture is about, family interactions, the best ways for service providers to be accepted, and outreach suggestions.

Panelists include: Yuhwa Eva Lu, Ph.D., associate professor at New York University's Shirley M. Ehrenkranz School of Social Work, Jose R. Ortiz, NSW, CSW, executive director of the Spanish Speaking Elderly Council; Brooklyn and Colleen Anne Richard, MSW, doctoral candidate, School of Family Studies, UCONN and Dr. Hayman-El.

"SWCAA and Fairfield University School of Nursing have worked well together over the past five years to put on an excellent conference for providers of services to adults," says Meredith Wallace, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing at Fairfield University. "However the timeliness of the topic, as well as the quality of the speakers, will undoubtedly make this year's conference excel in the ability to improve the care of older adults."

This program has been approved for four Continuing Education Credit Hours by the National Association of Social Workers, CT and meets the continuing education criteria for Social Work Licensure renewal. The cost for the conference is $75, including lunch. For more information or to register, call Catherine Rogers at SWCAA at (203) 333-9288.