2-25-08

Media Release

OSU to Host 32nd Annual Gerontology Conference April 3-4

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The 32nd annual Oregon State University Gerontology Conference will be held April 3-4 at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center on campus with the theme "Active Approaches to Healthy Aging."

Aimed at health and human service professionals and open to the public, the conference will feature more than 40 educational workshops plus keynote presentations by Jeffrey Kaye, the director of the Layton Aging & Alzheimer's Disease Center in Portland, and Clara Pratt, professor emeritus in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at OSU.

The event is presented by the OSU Extension Service Family and Community Development program, OSU College of Health and Human Sciences, Oregon Geriatric Education Center, Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments, and Samaritan Health Services.

Workshops will cover a range of topics, including physical activity and health, decision-making for elders, mental health, Alzheimer's disease, holistic care, end-of-life care, nutrition, dementia, family law and careers in gerontology.

Kaye, a professor of neurology at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, will speak at noon on April 3 about "Tracking the Aging Brain: New Approaches to Understanding Change."

At noon on April 4, Pratt will deliver her presentation, "Future Seniors," in which she'll profile the emerging senior population and examine their probable lifestyles, contributions and needs that will drive public markets.

Registration fees are $175 for the full two-day conference and $90 for one day for those who sign up on or before March 21. The registration fee for students is $50. For more information, visit the conference Web site at http://www.osugero.org. or call 1-800-587-0238.