Senior living residences are focusing increasingly on resident and staff wellness as a way to not only improve the well-being of residents and staff but also to make their communities a more attractive place to live and work. In order to address this need, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging developed an engaging wellness Webinar series designed to provide cutting-edge wellness information for professionals to use in their service in a variety of settings.
Why Wellness Webinars: While the interest in wellness grows, the ability of staff to travel and attend conferences to learn more about the field becomes more challenging. These wellness Webinars will feature established wellness experts discussing new, relevant, and applied research findings and programmatic initiatives in a convenient setting: your own workplace. Attendees will come away with cutting-edge information and ideas they can then apply in their service to their stakeholders.
When: All sessions conducted at 2:00p EST/ 1:00p CST/ 12:00n MST/ 11:00a PST
May 26 Whole-Person Wellness Trends: A Future of Knowledge and Intentionality – Our future begins with knowing the potential of whole-person wellness and then becoming very intentional in ensuring that our attitudes, expectations, and language are congruent with wellness. Those two steps – knowledge and intentionality – are powerful tools in taking us from the illness-centered past to the wellness-centered future. However successful we are in helping individuals to achieve a high degree of whole-person wellness, we have not succeeded until we have in hand the technology-supported research that demonstrates a positive financial return on investment. During this Webinar, we will define the basic framework of whole-person wellness, discuss the role of technology and data collection to demonstrate the cost-benefit of whole-person wellness, and describe new venues for whole-person wellness opportunities.
Presented by Jan Montague, MGS, Whole-Person Wellness Solutions, Inc.
June 30 Wellness as a Design Principle: Translating the Six Dimensions into Architecture – Every community has many opportunities to implement a wellness philosophy and program through design. Sensitivity to how the designed environment can affect people’s behavior and well-being is the baseline for creating a truly whole-person wellness community. This session will review each of the six dimensions and how they can relate to the architecture, using project case studies and evidence-based design principles.
Presented by C.C. Hodgson, AIA, C.C. Hodgson Architectural Group
July 28 Go Green: Enhancing Well-being, the Earth, and the Bottom Line – Organizations are focused increasingly on how they can improve employee well-being, save money, and help the environment. This session will emphasize how to create such a win-win-win initiative, including how to a) gain management support; b) develop a “Green Team”; c) demonstrate a measureable connection to optimal health; d) create messages to engage the workforce; e) establish new procedures around health and the environment; and f) track progress and demonstrate results that impact the bottom line.
Presented by Reed Engel, MA, FAWHP, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging
Aug. 25 Exercise and the Older Adult: The Art and the Science – The evidence supporting the physical and psychological benefits of physical activity for older adults is unequivocal. Moreover, enabling older adults to maintain their independence can significantly reduce the burden of health care costs and dependent care. Nevertheless, those 65 and older are most likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Fortunately, opportunities to foster physical activity exist in a variety of settings and contexts, including senior centers, continuing care retirement communities, naturally occurring retirement communities, faith-based organizations, parks and recreation centers, hospitals, health clubs, and worksites. This Webinar will discuss the key components (knowledge, tools, skills, attitude, and “intangibles”) for an exercise program targeted to older adults, no matter its size or setting.
Presented by Randi Kant, MS, MPH, CHES, The Mather (Evanston, IL)
Sept. 29 Coaching and Aging Well: Aligned for Life – The work of health and wellness coaches enables people to engage fully in taking good care of their well-being, and at its best, coaches help people thrive or flourish. The foundational pieces of professional coaching, enabling growth and lasting change, fostering autonomy, self-motivation, positivity, and resilience, are also fundamental to aging well. This talk will explore the alignment of coaching skills and processes with aging well.
Presented by Margaret Moore/Coach Meg, MBA, Wellcoaches Corporation
Oct. 20 Positive Aging and Positive Psychology: Building on the Strengths of Older Adults – The modern field of positive psychology is defined as “the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.” Positive psychologists promote building signature strengths or positive traits characteristic of a person. In addition to providing an overview of positive psychology, this Webinar will present findings from the first study focusing specifically on character strengths in older adults. By applying the principles of positive psychology to improve older adults’ well-being, happiness, and character strengths, the image of “aging as loss” may be replaced with one of positive aging.
Presented by Perry Edelman, PhD, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging
Cost: $49 per organization per individual Webinar; $249 per organization for all six Webinars
Who Should Attend: Health, fitness, and wellness professionals; activity coordinators and program planners; resident services managers, life enrichment coordinators, and health education specialists; executive directors and senior center managers; nursing directors, nurses and certified nursing assistants; nursing home administrators; social workers; and human resources professionals
Continuing Education Opportunity: Continuing education credits are available for a number of professions, including activity professionals, human resources professionals, health education specialists, registered nurses, and nursing home administrators.
For more information or to register, please contact Theresa Sangram, Wellness Program Coordinator, at (847) 492.7437 or e-mail tsangram@matherlifeways.com
