Department of Gerontology Spring 2013 Education for the 21st Century™

Education for the 21st Century™
Department of Gerontology
Spring 2013
In This Issue:
Transition

Cover Letter

December
2012
Graduates
Intellectually, I always knew this day would come.
For the past 30 years, I have studied issues in gerontology
including the timing of retirement, how people make the
transition from full employment to not working, and
health issues for which age is a major risk factor.

Spotlight on
Alum

Meet Our
Students

Online
News

Careers Panel

Terry Haney

Sigma Phi
Omega

Dual Degrees

Upcoming
Events

From the
So, I can’t say this caught me completely off guard.
Approximately five years ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I
have since reached a level of disability that has forced me to discontinue my
role as a faculty member in the Dept. of Gerontology. The symptoms early on
were quite manageable, so I was able to keep on working. And when I read up
on the disease, I didn’t really dwell on the part that mentioned “degenerative
and progressive.” Instead, I focused on the part that said “…lots of interindividual variability in the progression of the disease.” Both, of course, are
true. I was fortunate that the decline was reasonably slow in my case; but it
was decline nevertheless.
Overall, though, I’ve been very lucky. It’s been a great run. I’ve had a wonderful job at UNO for the past 19 years. A number of years ago, Stan DeViney
(UNO), David Ekerdt (Kansas) and I published a paper, the gist of which was
that people who enjoyed their jobs failed to plan for its end. I think we got that
right. It has certainly been true in my case. It’s been difficult to entertain the
thought of ever leaving UNO. My colleagues in the Gerontology Department
have been wonderful, as have my colleagues in the College of Public Affairs
and Community Service. The students have been especially kind. I will be
able to keep my office for the time being, so I’ll still be around. I have a couple of items remaining on my bucket list, and a few promises yet to keep.
Advisor/
Coordinator

Spring 2013
Colloquium
Dr. Karl Kosloski
Thanks for everything!
Karl
Education for the 21st Century™
December 2012
Gerontology Certificate/Honors Ceremony
Congratulations !
Left to right: Jordan Valla, UNL, Hillary Stubbendick, UNL, Lindsay Wiese, UNO,
Darryl Roddy, UNO, Caleb Krenk, UNL, and Deb Meyer, UNO.
[Not pictured]: Bana Barbar, UNL, Ian Harkins, UNL, Ashley Meredith, UNL,
Jumoke Omojola, UNO, Wendy Taylor, UNO.
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Education for the 21st Century”™
Spotlight On GERO Alum
Celeste Mitchell, M.A.
Celeste
The seeds of my decision to study Gerontology were planted in New York, where I was born
and raised. My grandmother played a significant role in my decision to study Gerontology due
to her example of successful aging. Because I spent a great deal of time with my grandmother
and her friends, I developed an interest in older people and later a passion to assist with and
advocate for older individuals’ needs.
While living in New York, and researching subjects for graduate school, I investigated UNO’s
Gerontology program. I completed my undergraduate degree at Creighton, so was familiar
with the Omaha metropolitan area. The events of 9/11 influenced my decision to move to
Omaha. At that time I called the Gerontology department Chair to set up a meeting to discuss becoming a student at UNO.
After participating in an introductory Gerontology class, I decided to pursue the academic
study of Social Gerontology. For my first research paper as a Gerontology graduate student, I
investigated elderly immigrants in the U.S. and this marked the beginning of my interest in the
topic.
During graduate school, I was a volunteer with a community program through AmeriCorps
serving older refugees. One afternoon when visiting an elderly Southern Sudanese refugee
from the Nuer tribe in Africa, I noticed a bottle of ibuprofen on a table in her living room.
When I inquired about the medicine, the woman (through an interpreter) said she was having
headaches. One of her eyes was cloudy and shrunken into her head, so I postulated that the
medicine and headaches were related to the blindness in her eye. However, her adaptivity to
Western medicine piqued my interest. This curiosity led to my decision to research elderly
Southern Sudanese immigrants’ health beliefs for my Master’s thesis.
Looking forward, in June 2013 I will be presenting my thesis research about the health beliefs
of elderly Southern Sudanese immigrants at the North American Refugee Health Conference
in Toronto, Canada. I hope to share the information I have uncovered to assist refugee resettlement agencies prepare for and serve elderly refugees.
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
Meet Our “First” Online Certificate Student
Felicia Byers Webb—UNO
I was born in Omaha and raised in a Military family. Many of
my family members still live in Omaha and Lincoln. I am a
Nebraskan at heart - though I now live in Florida. I wanted to finish
Felicia
my education even though I was forty eight at the time. I wanted my family
to be proud of me, but mostly I wanted my son to be proud of me. The GERO certificate was
A chance in a lifetime happening. From the first Gerontology class I took with Dr. Amy
Hanson, I was “hooked.” The wheels in my head started turning as I realized that I had
found my passion in life with regards to my career. I have been in the medical field for
thirteen years, but little did I know the impact this field would have on my life.
Furthermore, the instructors who teach these classes teach with such a passion that
it is contagious. I believe that the benefit of obtaining the certificate will facilitate my
desire to be in this field. As far as the GERO online experience - all I can say is “wow.”
Living in Florida and feeling so connected to my teachers, and my class mates are words
that I cannot express. It has been a phenomenal experience! To add, anytime I had
a question or needed help the UNO online program is constructed in a way that might
lead you to believe that it is a cold environment, but nothing could be further from the
truth. The professors, teaching staff and office staff have made themselves available to
me every step of the way. It only takes one teacher to have faith in your ability, and I have
been fortunate to have had many, but it was Dr. Quinn who has given compassion,
inspiration, and helped me to believe in myself. It is teaching like this that keeps people
going to school even if it is from within the walls of your own home.
I would also like to say that I believe that dreams don’t have to have a time limit as I am
52 years old now and feel like my life is ahead of me. I will graduate this May with a
Bachelors degree in General Studies and I have been accepted into the Master’s program
in Gerontology.
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“Education for the 21st Century ™
Meet Nisha Bengali
Gerontology Certificate Student—UNL
My parents are from India and had settled in New Jersey where my
younger brother and I were born and raised. Now, for the past three
years, my family and I have lived in Omaha. My parents are my support system and my little brother is my motivator to be a good role model.
Nisha
I plan on graduating in May, 2013 with a major in Biology and minor in Math and English.
Along with that, I recently decided to pursue the GERO certificate. When I first heard about
the program, I had not taken any GERO classes, but the subject really interested me. Since
middle school, I have had a lot of experience volunteering at adult day care centers and nursing homes and I felt comfortable with elder folks. I am also fascinated with the health aspects of aging. As my parents and grandparents get older, I get to witness the different concepts I learn and read about in my GERO classes.
After my undergraduate career, I plan on attending medical school. I think the GERO certificate really helps me stand out and displays my field of interest. The classes I have been taking have all given me a different perspective about aging and I feel much more prepared and
informed about all aspects from health to finance to even emotional support. Aging is inevitable for everyone universally and I think that knowledge of this field is important in medicine and life in general. The GERO certificate has been more of a journey about learning
about myself, my views and being prepared for gerontological topics being relevant in the
lives of my parents, grandparents, future patients and my future self.
The experience pursuing this certificate has been a learning experience that helped me grow
as a person. The reason this experience has been so phenomenal is because of the passionate professors and advisor. They provide a lot of support and encouragement for students,
like me, who are interested to make gerontology a part of their career. There are many
different classes offered and each one is unique in its own way to share a different concept
or aspect about aging successfully, happily and in good health.
My goal is to become a doctor and, possibly, a geriatrician. As a doctor I would want my patients to understand that aging is a natural process and being educated about how to handle
situations emotionally and mentally will really benefit me.
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
I am pleased to accept the position of online course coordinator/
advisor for the Department of Gerontology. For nearly five years now, I have
worked towards my Ph.D. and with a little more elbow grease, I should reach
that goal this coming May. I love to teach and several years ago, Dr. Julie Masters, our department chair asked if I would design and teach an online
Paul Falkowski, ABD
course for Introduction to Gerontology. I agreed to do that, but I have to admit I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a good experience. I had been teaching face-to-face
classes for several years and I really enjoyed the interaction between my students and myself. So, at the start, I felt that losing that real-time dialogue would be difficult.
At the same time, (definitely a great coincidence) as part of my doctoral program, I
was taking a course in Instructional Communications. This course is for people teaching at
upper levels such as college. Being a graduate student, I was assigned to research and write
on a relevant topic and since I was working on the online course design, I chose as my research topic “Creating Online Immediacy.” Through that effort, I learned that even though
face-to-face interactions would not be part of the online environment, various tools could
create near-real time interactions. All of that to say, as an online instructor, I interact with
my students likely know more about them than I could have in my face-to-face courses. I
have discovered a content rich experience in which everyone in class participates .
I will be exploring and implementing ways to nurture and grow our online community
of gerontology students. Several obvious methods are Twitter, and e-blasts. In addition, I will
be advising students on course offerings, certificates and degrees we have available. I would
encourage to visit our website to learn more about the certificates and degrees we offer. We
have great programs online!
Why GeroOnline?
QUALITY – The University of Nebraska is a highly recognized institution of higher. EXPERTISE
– Our online courses are taught by the same highly trained faculty that teach on campus.
CONVENIENCE – Taking online courses means that you can work from any location on your
computer any time of the day or night. FLEXIBILITY – Online classes can easily fit into your
busy schedule. AFFORDABILITY – We offer the most affordable tuition rate in the region.
Call or e-mail me and let’s talk about your goals and how online courses may be right
for you. I look forward to hearing from you!
E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: (402)554-3780
Website: http://www.unomaha.edu/geronline Twitter: @GeroOnline
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
Careers in Aging Panel
hosted by the
Department of Gerontology and Grace Abbott School of Social Work
L– R: Dennis Loose, ENOA, Cheri Mundt, Immanuel Pathways PACE, Shari Tarry,
Vetter Health Services, Matt Mainelli, Home Instead Senior Care and Jolene
Roberts, Hillcrest Health Systems.
A special thanks to Lakelyn
Hogan and Sandra Espinosa
for coordinating this event.
L-R: Lakelyn & Sandra
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“ Education for the 21st Century”™
With Gratitude to Terry Haney
There are people who have the ability to practice what they preach.
Doing good for others is a way of life. Terry Haney, our advisory board
chair and generous benefactor is someone who has been teaching all
of us how to live a life that is focused on the betterment of others.
Since receiving his MA in Social Gerontology from UNO, Terry has
been committed to ensuring our department is prepared to face the
future. His efforts have included the establishment of several named
scholarships including: James Thorson Scholarship, Chuck Powell
Scholarship and the Bruce Horacek Scholarship. He has also provided
funding to establish an endowed professorship in his name. Additionally, Terry also lent his time to us by serving as the chair of our departmental advisory board for the last several years. As chair, Terry has
successfully recruited a select group of people who are committed to
ensuring our students and the community receive the best education
possible. We are forever indebted to him for his enthusiasm and support of our department.
Thank you Terry for giving us six wonderful years!
Terry Haney
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
Sigma Phi Omega, Upsilon NU
National Academic Honor and Professional Society in Gerontology
Welcome to all the new members of Sigma Phi Omega! We have seen a marked increase in
membership the past three months. We look forward to working with you in the near future. Toward the end of spring semester there will be an increase in activities in our Athletes
and Elders Program. We appreciate your support and dedication in maintaining this important program with our community partners. If anyone would like to participate in any of
the Athletes and Elders program please feel free to contact Marcia Adler at
[email protected]. We really appreciate your volunteerism! - David Piontek, President.
Be a Santa to Our Seniors 2012- Sigma Phi, along with
GERO faculty and staff donated Christmas gifts to area seniors.
This is the 3rd year for this project organized by Home Instead
Senior Care and Gerontology graduate student Marietta Sewell.
L-R: Priscilla Quinn, Lyn Holley & Marietta Sewell.
An Athlete and Elders event was held at Hillcrest Health and
Rehab Center on February 25, 2013. The UNO Maverick hockey
team joined the elders for a socialization hour. The team
brought some video highlights, signed autographs and told stories. There were about 25 Hillcrest patients, family members
and staff that attended the event. Hillcrest Health Service's Facility Volunteer and Intergenerational Program Director, Brenda Saxe, reported that the event was a success. She also said,
" We would absolutely love to have them back, anytime
their busy schedule allows!" - Lakelyn Hogan
THE DEPARTMENT OF GERONTOLOGY PARTICPATED IN
THE BIG RED ROAD SHOW Sunday March 3, 2013 Century Link Center. Dr. Priscilla Quinn and Lakelyn Hogan, a
member of Sigma and a MBA/Gerontology Certificate student volunteered for the show. There was a lot of interest
from students and their parents about our programs.
Thanks Lakelyn!
Lakelyn Hogan
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
Dual Degree/Certificate Program
in Gerontology and Law
The department of Gerontology at the University of Nebraska Omaha and the College of
Law at the University of Nebraska Lincoln are partnering to meet the needs of future aging adults and their families by offering a dual degree/certificate program. The joint
program with the College of Law has been approved by the University of Nebraska Board
of Regents authorization by and the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary education.
Students interested in the fields of Law and Gerontology have the option to pursue one
of three joint programs:
Master of Arts in Social Gerontology/Juris Doctor (J.D.)
 Master of Arts in Social Gerontology/Master of Legal Studies
 Graduate Certificate in Gerontology/J.D.

For more information about offerings through the Gerontology Department,
please call
Dr. Chris Kelly UNO & UNL
Or visit our website;
http://www.unomaha.edu/gero/
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
Upcoming Events
Gerontology Spring Colloquium: Palliative Care: Responsibility by
Recognition April 4, 2013, 1:00—2:00 P.M.—UNL City Campus—Union.
National Careers in Aging Week-April 7-13 , 2013
Claussen-Leahy Run& Walk— Kids & Elders Walk.
Saturday, April 20, 2013 at Stinson Park Aksarben Village @ 8 a.m.
Registration: https://www.raceit.com/register/?event=16397
GERO Certificate/Honors Ceremony: May 1, 2013 @ 11:30 a.m.
UNO MBSC Dodge Room. Formal Invitations will be mailed to all students
graduating and/or completing the certificate.
Aging with Passion & Purpose 2013 Conference: October 20 & 21 @
UNO. Focus on Technology and Aging. For more information:
www.unomaha.edu/gero
**********************************************************************************************************
Dr. Priscilla Quinn with Gerontology Minor
student Andile Mahlangeni-Byndon. Andile
presented his FUSE Project March 8, 2013. Dr.
Quinn served as his mentor. Andile’s research
topic: Improving the Likelihood of Effective
Intake among Residents of Long-term-Care
Facilities.
CONGRATULATIONS Andile!
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
From the Advisor/Coordinator’s Desk
Priscilla M. Quinn, PhD
Greetings everyone!
I hope the semester is going well for all of you and if you are like me you are probably
waiting for spring to arrive.
Where did this semester go? I can’t believe I am gearing up for May graduation and before
we know it—summer will be here!
I want to extend a warm “welcome” to all of our new students—we are delighted to have
you in our Certificate, Masters and PhD programs.
As a reminder, please make sure your email, address, phone, etc., information is current.
Periodically I receive information regarding career opportunities in the aging field and I
want to be able to pass those options on to all of you.
Are you pursuing a graduate certificate in gerontology? Graduate students must apply to
the office of graduate studies. This can be done online at: http://gero.unomaha.edu
If you are planning on graduating in May 2013 please contact me so we can discuss the
next steps. While there is no formal procedure, it is useful for us to review your file to ensure you have fulfilled all of the requirements for the program.
Please note— practicum experiences must be scheduled at least two months in advance. If
you are planning to start your practicum in summer 2013 , NOW is the time to visit with
me. Please contact me to schedule an appointment to discuss requirements. I am on the
UNO campus 3 days a week and the UNL campus two days a week.
Considering graduate school? The department of gerontology has a Thesis and Non-Thesis
option for our Master of Arts in Social Gerontology and it available online — check it out!
As always, don’t hesitate to call, email or stop by my office, I enjoy visiting with all of you.
Priscilla
Office : UNO - 402-554-2114 / UNL– 402472-0756 or [email protected]
There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being-to help
someone succeed. - Alan Loy McGinnis
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“Education for the 21st Century” ™
The Department of Gerontology
and
The Department of Communication Studies
present
An Interdisciplinary Spring Colloquium
Palliative Care:
Responsibility by Recognition
Guest Presenter: Lisa Mansur, MD, FCCP, FACP
Palliative Care Services of Nebraska
April 4, 2013, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Nebraska Union – Colonial Room
For more information please contact the Department of Gerontology at 402-472-0754.
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