The School of Social Work and the School of Public Health at West Virginia University will host the 37th Summer Institute on Aging, June 2-4, at the Lakeview Resort and Conference Center in Morgantown.
The theme for this year’s conference is “What’s Old is New Again.”
Bill Taverner, executive director of The Center for Sex Education and editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Sexuality Education, will kick off the conference June 2 with the presentation “Sexuality in the Golden Years.” This opening keynote presentation is sponsored by the Beatrice Ruth Burgess Center for West Virginia Families and Communities.
On June 3, the annual Anita S. Harbert Outstanding Achievement in Aging Award will be presented to Joan Hudnall.
The annual honor is awarded to a West Virginia social worker who has made a significant contribution in the field of aging and is named after the social work professor who helped to begin the Summer Institute on Aging in 1977.
Hudnall, an adult protective services supervisor in the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, was nominated by Susie Layne and Wade Samples.
“If there was one person we could clone, it would be Joan Hudnall, because she exemplifies what a professional social worker should be,” Layne wrote in the nomination letter for Hudnall’s recognition.
“With her knowledge, passion and courage in the face of adversity, Wade and I believe she is an excellent candidate for the prestigious Anita Harbert Award.”
Hudnall has more than 40 years of experience working with West Virginia families. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Alderson and Broaddus in 1974 and obtained her social work license in 1983.
Over the course of her career, she’s gone from point of entry worker, to income maintenance, foster care, child protective services, homefinding, adult services and has been an adult protective service supervisor for more than 27 years.
Hudnall has promoted awareness of elder abuse and neglect by spearheading West Virginia’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Nicholas County. She has continuously trained and coached staff to help them to thoroughly investigate abuse and neglect cases. In 2014, she received the Ronald Nester Award, an honor that recognizes individuals who have advocated ending elder abuse and have helped raise awareness of the issue.
Conference workshops will include, but are not limited to, key topics such as: “Quality of Life – Is There Life Without It?,” “Financial Exploitation of Boomers: New Victims, Old Crimes,” and “Aging-in-Place: Using Assistive Technology to Achieve Your Goals.”
The conference has been approved for a maximum of 20 continuing education contact hours for licensed social workers in West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Social workers from other states should contact their respective licensure boards regarding approval prior to registering for the conference.
The 37th Summer Institute on Aging has also been approved for counseling hours. For a listing of approved West Virginia licensed professional counselor sessions, go to www.wvsioa.org.
This conference has been approved for a maximum of 18 continuing education units for nurses through the WVU School of Public Health.
Conference participants will be provided lunch each day and free parking will be made available for commuters.
For more information on this event including a downloadable brochure and registration form, conference schedule and exhibitor application, please visit www.wvsioa.org.
For more information, contact Jacki Englehardt at 304-293-3280, or email Jacki.Englehardt@mail.wvu.edu.
-WVU-
dc/05/19/2015
CONTACT: Devon Copeland, Director of Marketing and Communication, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 304-293-6867, Devon.Copeland@mail.wvu.edu
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