Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association

2019 Senior Wellness Fair: Pathways to Senior Well-Being

This event was on Saturday, March 30, 2019

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Inn at Swarthmore, 10 South Chester Road

This is a time and a place to share ideas for making our lives better as we grow older in Swarthmore. At the same time we hope to have fun! The theme and topics are designed to benefit all who are contemplating retirement, helping parents and others who are already seniors, and those who are seniors themselves.

Speakers

An exciting group of speakers has been assembled, bringing us the latest in thinking and

planning for growing older in Swarthmore. Our featured speakers are local experts who know our community and have knowledge in their special fields that they will share with us.

Read a description of each talk, and the speakers, below.

Exhibitors

Many local businesses and organizations offer goods and services of particular interest to

seniors and those who assist seniors. Throughout the day representatives will be available to discuss what they provide and how their services might be useful. Many of them will be professionals who are knowledgeable about senior residential facilities, healthcare organizations, and a variety of therapeutic treatments. Exhibitors will include local senior living groups, healthcare systems, senior community groups, arts and crafts organizations, home care companies, and many others. All of the exhibitors will be available between presentations, during lunch, and at the close of the Fair.

If you would like to be an exhibitor at the Wellness Fair, please contact Stephanie McDonough using the Contact Us link.

Food and Fun

Would a Swarthmore event be complete without food and a time to get to know your neighbors? We think not.

In the morning coffee and refreshments will be served as we get started. There will be a light lunch and coffee and cookies will be available in the afternoon. Refreshments will be centrally located and can be taken into any of the venues. However, there will be one venue specifically for eating and socializing, where you’re welcome to have your lunch and join in discussion with others!

2019 Wellness Fair Speakers

Married, Single, or Partnered: Promoting Senior Connections

The Alice “Putty” Willetts and Irma Zimmer Keynote Address

Two distinguished, nationally recognized psychologists explore the satisfactions and the benefits that ensue when seniors find ways to develop and sustain interpersonal relationships.

Julia Mayer, PsyD, and Barry Jacobs, PsyD, are co-authors of the recent book, AARP Meditations for Caregivers - Practical, Emotional and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family. Acknowledged experts in the fields of family caregiving and family therapy, both speak widely on topics related to senior well-being.

Beyond Drugs: Berries & Potions & Other Notions to Maximize Health

A thoughtful introduction to integrative medicine, an approach to complicated health issues that have not responded to routine traditional medical treatments.

Robert P. Denitzio, MD, is Board-certified in integrative medicine. He practices family medicine in the Concordville office of Main Line Health, with an emphasis on the emerging field of functional medicine.

The Pleasures and Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering has been described as “Love in Action,” or “Everyone Helps, Everyone Wins.” This presentation explores volunteer opportunities for everyone, tailored to individual talents, time, and energy.

Sheila Bell, MSEd, enjoyed a long career teaching and supervising in several local school districts. Currently she devotes her creative energies to a wide range of diverse volunteer efforts.

Senior Fraud and Scams: How to Recognize, How to Avoid

Senior citizens in this day and age are subject to any number of efforts designed to cheat and exploit them. This presentation offers useful antidotes to these unfortunate practices.

Chelsey Price, MPH, serves as moderator for this presentation. She is Executive Director, Senior Victim Services, Office of the District Attorney, Delaware County, and Adjunct Professor, West Chester University. Presenting with her are Katayoun M. Copeland, JD, and Joseph A. Ryan.

Seniors and Technology: A Brief Primer on How to Make It Work for You

A user-friendly description of newer technologies in the fields of healthcare, communication and entertainment, and an overview of how best to access available support services.

Dan Snyder, MA, was an environmental scientist and research administrator at the Academy of Natural Sciences. A self-taught expert in contemporary technology, he has taught courses on the iPhone and iPad for the Wallingford-Swarthmore Community Classes.

No Place Like Home: Options for Senior Housing and Care

Where to live becomes a vexing, complicated problem as seniors grow older. This presentation aims to clarify the available options and offer suggestions about how to make a comfortable, satisfactory decision.

Linton Stables, CSI, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, was the chief of specifications for Perkins Eastman Architects, a firm with a specialty in senior living and healthcare. A member of Swarthmore’s Aging-in-Place Task Force and the Board of Directors of Senior Community Services, he is President of the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association.

2018 Wellness Fair Speakers

Keynote: Explorations in Positive Aging

Though the process of aging is often thought to be a period of continuous decline, it is possible to discover and construct an alternative approach. Positive aging means creating a time later in your life full of unparalleled growth and satisfaction.

Mary Gergen and Ken Gergen: Ken is a proponent of Positive Aging and President of the Taos Institute. He has a Ph.D. in Psychology from Duke University and is a Senior Research Professor at Swarthmore College.

Mary Gergen is a co-creator of the Positive Aging Newsletter, an electronically distributed news source from the Taos Institute designed to reconstruct the negative stereotype of aging, providing an alternative that is more promising in potential. She is a Professor Emerita at Penn State University and earned a Ph.D. in social psychology at Temple University.

Panel Discussion: Enhancing Senior Well-Being Physically, Emotionally, and Financially

Senior life can be challenged by physical mishap or illness, various kinds of emotional trauma and loss, and by financial worries and strains. Our discussion offered thought-provoking advice for those whose lives are undergoing change.

Joy Charlton, Moderator: Professor of Sociology at Swarthmore College, with interests in public sociology, gender, work, organizations, religion, and qualitative methods. She is a former Executive Director of the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility at Swarthmore College. She earned a Ph.D. in Sociology at Northwestern University.

Scott H Voshell is a Physical Therapy Specialist in Media. He is part of Reconstructive Orthopedic Associates and Vice President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association. Scott was educated at the University of Pittsburgh, Drexel, and Widener.

Cecily Venkatesh, Investment Coordinator, Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, provides financial advice to those who are retired and those who are working toward retirement. Her degree is from the University of Chicago.

Ellen Monsees is a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist who helps people move beyond death, divorce, and other losses by facilitating grief support groups and one-on-one sessions. Ellen, a graduate of Swarthmore College, is also a life coach.

Presentation: Making Your Home Age-Friendly

Claudia S. Cueto, AIA, Principal-in-charge for CuetoKEARNEYdesign, has been a practicing architect for over 25 years with a particular expertise in client relations and working with user groups. She has provided services to a wide range of higher education clients, including Princeton and Swarthmore, as well as residential clients in the Swarthmore area. Claudia presented a number of solutions that she and other home designers have implemented to make Swarthmore homes more age-friendly. Claudia earned her M. Arch. degree from the University of Pennsylvania.