Lift Every Voice: Coming Together to Meet the Challenges of Change for Older People, Community & Society
14th Annual Jarvie Colloquium, June 12, 2009

This meeting featured morning plenary presentations by Jeanette Takamura, Ph.D., and DFTACommissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, Ph.D.; an afternoon plenary session presented by Wendy Lustbader, MSW; and morning and afternoon workshops.

The theme of this year’s Colloquium focused on exploring changes for older people as our nation continues to adapt to the challenges of a growing older population at a time of economic uncertainty. The plenary and workshop sessions also addressed the equally important topic of exploring how older people meet the “challenges of change” in their individual lives.

For a PDF of registration materials, including a list of workshops, click here.

Highlights from the 2009 Colloquium include:

  
 
The Jarvie staff and volunteers greeted participants to Jarvie’s 14th Annual Colloquium during registration. William E. Chapman, the Chair of the Jarvie Commonweal Service Committee, welcomed an audience of 250 participants. The morning plenary presenters, Jeanette Takamura, Ph.D., Dean of the Columbia University School of Social Work, and Lilliam Barrios-Paoli,Ph.D., Commissioner, New York City Department for the Aging, spoke on the timely topic of: Understanding the “Big Picture” – Aging in a Changed World. This presentation examined the larger context within which aging policy and program development and implementation now must occur. Colloquium participants also received a timely update regarding the changes implemented by DFTA based on the priorities it has been forced to set during the economic crisis that continues to impact all aspects of the NYC aging services network, as well as all other lines of human service delivery.
     
Renee Solomon, DSW, presented a workshop entitled Helping Older People Cope with Anxieties that Arise as a Result of the Current Economic Crisis and/or Changes in Their General Socio Economic Status during both the morning and afternoon sessions, providing an opportunity for active engagement and experiential learning. The “Networking Lunch” is a traditional part of Jarvie’s Annual Colloquium. It provides participants with the opportunity to get to know each other, share ideas and resources, and visit with colleagues in the field. The Afternoon Plenary, Truths We Can Count On In Times Of Change, was presented by Wendy Lustbader, MSW, Author and Clinical Instructor at the University of Washington School of Social Work in Seattle, WA. Ms. Lustbader provided participants with an understanding of the fundamental truths of human services, which stay the same -- no matter what changes may occur in management strategies, funding priorities, or the political climate. Participants learned strategies for holding firm to these truths and addressing issues that arise on both clinical and systemic levels in their work with older people and those who support and serve them.
     
   
The day ended with nine concurrent afternoon workshops. One of these, Learning from the Great Depression… Voices of Experience, featured a panel of five older adults who shared stories about how their lives were impacted by the Great Depression and the lessons they have learned as a result. Featured here from left to right are: Mr. Peter Holden, Mr. Mannie Corman, and Ms. Rachel Roth. Ms. Sylvia Albert and Ms. Jerre Kalbas served as the other panelists for this engaging workshop that was facilitated by Jarvie’s Executive Director/CEO, Margaret H. Reiff