Scheduled for June 22, the symposium will focus on South Florida’s caregiving needs
The second annual Caregiver Symposium hosted by The South Florida Institute on Aging (SoFIA) and the Caregiver Coalition of South Florida will be offered on Friday, June 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship DeSantis Building at Nova Southeastern University, 3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr. Blvd. in Davie. The event is presented by Nova Southeastern University and Sunshine Health. Free admission to caregivers is sponsored by FPL and Humana is the luncheon sponsor.
Moderated by CBS WFOR reporter and anchor Rick Folbaum, the symposium will focus on improving the quality of life for caregivers and offer educational lectures, networking opportunities and breakout sessions covering such issues as technology, caregiving and policy. Award-winning journalist and author Chris Farrell is the featured guest speaker.
“SoFIA’s mission is to create a community where everyone thrives as they age and caregiving impacts quality of life for all us, no matter how old we are,” said Peter Kaldes, president and CEO of the South Florida Institute on Aging. “In 2017 we brought together business and community leaders to identify the top issues facing caregivers and have since formulated a vision, mission and plan to solve issues that impact the lives of South Florida’s caregivers. We are excited to share our progress and build upon it during the symposium.”
A highlight of the symposium will be the release of findings of Dignity in Aging: A Comprehensive Broward County Older Adult Analysis, a unique study undertaken by the Community Foundation of Broward, United Way of Broward County and the Jewish Federation of Broward County that takes an in-depth look at the critical needs of Broward’s older residents.
“Many of Broward’s seniors struggle to maintain a good quality of life,” said Community Foundation of Broward Vice President of Grants and Initiatives Sheri Brown. “Faced with isolation, lack of caregiver and emotional support, and insufficient resources, our elders are challenged day to day. This study will provide the critical information needed to develop a safety-net that enables Broward’s older residents to live life to the fullest.”
Farrell will kick off the day with a fireside chat about the economics of caregiving. Farell is the senior economics contributor at Marketplace, American Public Media’s nationally syndicated public radio business and economic programs. He also is a columnist for Next Avenue and the Star Tribune. His work has appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, New York Times and Kiplinger’s and his most recent book is titled Unretirement: How Baby Boomers are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community and the Good Life.
Event sponsor Sunshine Health is a Florida healthcare company that offers coordinated care and a network of support for its more than 900,000 members through Medicaid, Long Term Care, Child Welfare, Medicare, Florida Healthy Kids and Florida’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
“It’s important for us to honor and support the caregivers in our community through events like this that seek to build ideas and understanding,” said Jennifer Jacobs, Senior Vice President of Long Term Care and Medicare for Sunshine Health. “Caregivers help aging loved ones continue to live at home and be part of their community. At Sunshine Health, we see this firsthand and strive to support our members and their caregivers through care coordination, education on medical conditions, and helpful community resources.”
SOFIA is a “Think & Act Tank” that tackles social and economic issues and launches research, develops policy, and recommends programming to support South Florida’s aging community. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 National Population Projections, by 2035, they project that older adults will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history.
“The Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship appreciates the value of focusing on caregiving, technology and policy,” said J. Preston Jones, dean of the college. “Congratulations to SoFIA and the Caregiver Coalition for their leadership in bringing those relevant issues to our community’s attention.”
Tickets are $35 and caregivers will be admitted free. For tickets, vendor and sponsorship opportunities contact dsmith@thesofia.org. Attendees may register on line at www.theSoFIA.org.
SoFIA’s mission is to improve economic and social insights and services to empower people as they age. Visit www.theSoFIA.org for more information.
About SoFIA
Impact Broward, a non-profit with 50 + years of service has recently evolved into the South Florida Institute on Aging (SoFIA), a new “Think & Act Tank” focused on economic and social research, policy and programs to support South Florida’s aging community. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 National Population Projections, by 2035, they project that older adults will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history. This new mission was formed based on the aging projections for South Florida and beyond, as well as the current and anticipated challenges that seniors face. SoFIA has garnered tremendous community support and two inaugural projects have been announced with support from Citrix, The Jim Moran Foundation, Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic and Nova Southeastern University to study and improve digital literacy among older adults.