Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Last Chapter | WQED Local Documentary Premiere

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation and WQED are proud to announce the premiere of The Last Chapter on Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. on WQED-TV.

Everyone has a story.  We can all look back on our lives and break them down into “chapters.”  The same holds true for patients with a life limiting illness who are living out – or thinking about – their last chapter.  This one-hour documentary will take you inside the hospital, hospice, homes and lives of palliative and hospice care recipients and providers.  Explore medical, ethical, practical and spiritual issues from a variety of perspectives and discover how patients and families are taking an active role in their own end-of-life planning.

For more information visit Caregiver Champions, an initiative of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF), supports family and informal caregivers by helping them to better care for themselves, reduce stress and gain access to important caregiving information and resources.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Patricia Dobler Poetry Award

Carlow University presents The Patricia Dobler Poetry Award

This contest is open to women writers over the age of 40 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, currently living in the U.S., who have not published a full-length book of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction (chapbooks excluded). Current Carlow students or employees are not eligible.

Submission guidelines:
  • Each poem must be unpublished, up to 75 lines per poem
  • Up to two poems, of any style, per submission
  • Submissions must be postmarked by or before September 1, 2011
  • Submissions received after September 8, 2011 will not be accepted, regardless of postmark date
  • Winner will be notified by September 20, 2011
With each two-poem submission, submit the following:
  • Cover sheet with name, address, phone number, email, and titles of poem(s)
  • Check/money order for $20, made payable to Carlow University
  • Clearly addressed, standard letter sized self-addressed, stamped envelope for notification
The author's name, address, and any identifying information should not appear on any poem.
All entries will receive a copy of Voices from the Attic.

Send entries to:
The Patricia Dobler Poetry Award
Jan Beatty, Director of Creative Writing
Carlow University
3333 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The winner will receive the Patricia Dobler Poetry Award, in the form of round-trip travel and lodging as a participating guest of Carlow's MFA residency in Pittsburgh, PA, January 3-13, 2012. The winner will also receive a copy of Voices from the Attic, and a reading at Carlow University with judge Denise Duhamel.

For more information, please contact Ellie Wymard, PhD, at 412-578-6346.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Generations and their Gadgets

A Pew Internet study describes the use of various gadgets across the generations. Not surprisingly, Millenials and Generation Xers are the biggest users of most of the items. A significant number of adults over 65 are own cell phones, desktop computers, or laptops. E-book reader and tablet ownership is low for all the age groups. Visit here to see the whole summary.

Protective Services Persentation

A presentation on Protective Services (PS) will be featured at the annual public hearing conducted by the Advisory Council of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services/Area Agency on Aging (DHS/AAA) on Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at 10:00 a.m., in the Gold Room (4th floor) of the Allegheny County Courthouse (436 Grant Street, Downtown Pittsburgh).

In addition to supporting the independence of older adults, the DHS/AAA investigates reports of abuse, neglect, abandonment and financial exploitation of older adults, takes steps to reduce the risk of harm to them and works actively to promote prevention strategies in communities. The AAA’s PS unit currently investigates about 1,500 reports of need annually, and is one of the most active units in the state.

The presentation will cover the special challenges faced by PS investigators, how to identify elder abuse, common characteristics of victims, case studies, and local and national trends in the field. The presentation will provide valuable information to individuals and groups interested in developing greater public awareness and prevention of elder abuse in their communities, including municipal service personnel (police, EMS , etc.), health and human services professionals, clergy, caregivers of older adults, and public services groups, among others.

The main purpose of the hearing is to solicit comments on the 2011-2012 Area Plan and Budget Prospectus. Persons wishing to make comments may register in advance by calling the DHS/AAA at 412-350-4083 to schedule a time slot; a maximum of five minutes is allotted to each speaker. Following the scheduled speakers, additional (unscheduled) speakers may provide comments, as time permits.

The hearing is also an opportunity for older adults, caregivers and other interested individuals to ask questions and offer comments about aging services in general. All oral and written comments will be recorded in the proceedings of the hearing and sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.

Written comments will be accepted before, at or after the hearing. All written comments must be received no later than 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 15, either by e-mailing them to the above contact, or mailing them to Allegheny County Department of Human Services/Area Agency on Aging, Attention: Planning Section, 441 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.