Issue Highlights
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President's Message
Bill Verdini

Greetings everyone!

I hope you are all packing your bags preflight (credit to Sir Elton John) for the 2021 maiden voyage of the AROHE Virtual Conference!

I hope you have been having as much fun reading about and planning to join us October 12-14 in cyberspace as your Conference Planning Committee has been having getting ready.

Along with our outstanding program and keynote speakers, one of the highlights of the Conference will be the Launch Party when we will honor the recipients of the 2021 AROHE HERO Awards. We are very thankful for the contributions made by all the award nominees, and especially pleased to announce the awardees.

  • Distinguished Leadership – Dr. Janette C. Brown, USC Emeriti Center
  • Distinguished Service – Dr. Sheldon Zedeck, UC Berkeley Emeriti Association
  • Innovation (3):
    • Arizona State University Retirees Association’s Video History Project
    • Florida State University Association for Retired Faculty’s retiree journal and website
    • Northwestern Emeriti Organization’s community mini-course offerings

Read more about all of the awardees.

You won’t want to miss the festivities! So round up some infamous blue Romulan ale, if you can find it, and plan to join our 2021 adventure to "Re-imagine Retirement: Let Us Boldly Go!" Visit https://www.arohe.org/Conference to get involved or contribute.

Thank you!

Kindest regards,


Bill Verdini

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Virtual Conference Updates

As we put the finishing touches to the program for our virtual conference, we are thrilled to invite you to join us for an experience that will take you soaring into the realm of exciting new ideas and social activities even as you put your feet up in the comfort of your home.

Here’s what you will enjoy in the course of our journey:

The Program

  • Keynoter Louise Aronson, MD, MFA, Geriatrician and Professor of Medicine, UCSF Division of Geriatrics
    “Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life”

  • Keynoter Jean Accius, Senior Vice President, Global Thought Leadership, AARP
    “Returning to Normal Isn’t an Option: The Opportunity to Create a New, Stronger, and More Inclusive Future is Now”

  • Plenary panels: “The Pandemic as Case Study: How Technology Can Support the Resilience of Elders” and “The Age-Friendly University Global Network: Advancing Inclusivity in Higher Education”

  • Concurrent sessions:
  • retirement housing
  • strategic planning
  • retiree travel programs
  • diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • lifelong learning
  • post-pandemic programming
  • Intergenerational initiatives
  • consortia to connect retirement organizations
  • opportunities for free-flowing conversation

More information about all of the sessions can be found here.


Recorded Sessions: Keynote addresses, plenary panels and concurrent presentations will be recorded so registrants can watch them for a month following the conference. That is a lot of added value for the modest price of registration (More on registration below).

The Resource Exchange Fair

Our virtual conference will also include The Resource Exchange Fair, always a much-appreciated feature of AROHE conferences. While conference attendees will be able to visit the virtual fair at any time and stuff their “swag-bags” with resources, we have set aside two periods when those exhibiting at the fair will staff their virtual booths and interact with attendees. During those periods you can speak with our sponsors, AROHE board members, and retirement organizations (ROs) who are exhibiting to share their best practices. You will especially want to speak with winners of our Innovation Awards. They will offer information about their successes that you can take home with you when the conference concludes.

Opportunities for Networking and Fun

Throughout the conference, you will find many opportunities to relax, have some fun, and connect with other attendees. You will be able to participate in an upbeat dance break, a fitness energizer, musical performances, “Laughter yoga,” and a scavenger hunt. You will also be able to network with other conference attendees, both in group discussions and in one-on-one video meetings.

Registration Deadlines

Early Bird Deadline Sep. 17

Reduced fees are available for those who register by September 17 and for group registrations.

September 17 is also the date by which applications are due for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Scholarships to support free attendance at the conference and pre-conference workshop by “individuals from institutions that primarily serve under-represented populations or first-generation college students.”

September 17 is also the deadline to register for the pre-conference workshop, “Starting or Revitalizing a Retirement Organization,” scheduled for September 23. Register by October 15 for the post-conference workshop, “Learning and Earning with Retiree Travel Programs,” scheduled for October 20.

AROHE Welcomes Upgraded Trial Members

AROHE would like to extend a warm welcome to all the trial members who upgraded to a paid membership:

  • Indiana University Emeriti House
  • McGill University Retiree Association
  • Northern Arizona University Retirees Association
  • Ohio Council of Higher Education Retirees (OCHER)
  • Retired Faculty and Professional Staff Association of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Ramapo College Association of Retired Faculty and Staff
  • University of Michigan Retirees Association
  • University of North Carolina, Asheville Retired Faculty and Administrators Association
  • University of Utah Professors Emeriti Club
  • University of Victoria Retirees Association
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Retirement Association
  • Whitworth University Emeriti and Retired Faculty Group
  • Winthrop University (no organization yet)
  • Individual: Harold Goldwhite (California State University Emeriti Faculty & Retired Staff Association)

We hope that these organizations will continue to use AROHE resources and member networking to grow and/or improve their retiree programs and services. Together we can transform retirement in higher education. Read more about member services at AROHE - Member Services.

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Retirement Organization News

Virtual and In Person Meetings at the Same Time
Clemson Emeritus College Leads the Way

Clemson’s Emeritus College had plans in place in January of 2020 to upgrade our large seminar room for hybrid programming. Having met with the university’s IT Department for “smart” classrooms, we were able to identify the equipment needed to have successful web-based programs. The two key pieces of equipment were the sound system and camera. On March 13, 2020, the university went fully online using the Zoom platform. The Emeritus College upgrades were completed by July 2020.

We found that Zoom was a benefit to the College throughout the time that restrictions were in place due to COVID. Now our emeritus faculty from across the country and abroad were able to participate in our seminars and programs. We expanded membership on committees to include faculty who lived outside of the greater Clemson area. We were able to maintain faculty participation on committees and on the advisory board.

As we planned our first hybrid committee meeting, we had to decide how the room would be set up for meetings with both in-person and virtual participants. We wanted to have positive interactions among those physically present and those attending virtually. We considered having on-site committee members go to the podium to present reports, but that would not facilitate interactive discussions. It quickly became obvious we needed two cameras in the room to avoid virtual participants from seeing only the back of the in-person participants. Having a second camera in the front of the room will allow virtual participants to see those present in-person and vice versa, both projected on the screen in front of the room.

We consulted our experts in IT and asked for advice about the type and style of new camera they recommended. Having technical support present at each meeting allows for the ability to switch between cameras if needed. As we gained experience, we also have added additional microphones to the system.

We have had several small group meetings using the double camera set-up and it is working well. We can support interactive dialogue and members can choose to attend in-person or virtually. To learn more about Clemson’s experience, contact Lucy Pryde Eubanks, Department of Chemistry emerita, IDE Emeritus College Fellow, Clemson University, phone: 864-654-8269, email: elucy@clemson.edu.

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Trends

"It's Never too Late": New York Times Series

"It's Never too Late" is a new series from The New York Times that comes highly recommended from Next Avenue’s managing editor, Richard Eisenberg.

The series explores the stories of people, "who decide to pursue their dreams on their own terms." Stories from people like Vera Jiji, who picked up her beloved cello again after 40 years, remind us of the potential in each day. It’s Never Too Late to Play the Cello - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

"Each story offers a fantastic look at the life of someone who decided to try something new later in life," notes Rich. "The pieces are inspiring and just might get some readers to realize it's not too late for them either." To learn more about Next Avenue, go to News and Information for People Over 50 | Next Avenue.

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5 Myths About Libido for People Over 50

By the age of 50, less than half the population is still having partnered sex. There are many reasons why, including hormone changes, marital strife, being single and the stressors of middle age. Another culprit not typically cited in the research — possibly because it's not offered as a survey question — is hopelessness. To read further, go to 5 Myths About Libido for People Over 50 | Next Avenue.

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Isolation Is Debilitating for Many Near the End of Life

Never have the debilitating effects of isolation been laid so bare as during the persistent COVID-19 pandemic. During the lockdowns of 2020, everybody got a taste of it. But for many older people and especially those nearing the end of their lives, social isolation and loneliness are often demons woven into everyday life. Newly published research begins to reveal the extent of that, as well as some of the dangers. To read further, go to Isolation Is Debilitating for Many Near the End of Life | Next Avenue.

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Resources

Age-Friendly Initiatives at Arizona State University:
Building Transformative Learning Systems for All

The Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Initiative began with a collaborative agreement by Arizona State University (ASU), Dublin City University (DCU), and the University of Strathclyde in 2012. The vision was to spur other universities to be fully inclusive of all generations. In 2013, ASU and DCU created a Trans-Atlantic Catalyst Fund to spur AFU initiatives at each institution, with an early focus on research in on dementia, technologies for “aging in place,” challenges of caregiving, healthy and active aging, and retirement community design.

Since then, ASU has embedded age-friendly practices throughout the institution via creation of a new foundational charter (success is “measured not by whom ASU excludes, but by whom ASU includes”), creation of ASU-wide Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging, a re-purposed Osher Lifelong Institute, construction of the Mirabella community (a twenty-story retirement community and gateway for older adults into ASU), new inter-generational learning platforms, and implementation of universal learning systems.

To learn more, contact Abby Baker, Program Manager, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at ASU, ALBaker6@asu.edu, (623) 866-8384, lifelonglearning.asu.edu.

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Vaccines for Older Adults

As you age, you may need to get vaccinated to stay protected against certain serious illnesses. It’s important to stay up to date with your vaccinations and talk with your doctor about others you may need. Vaccines may be given to help protect you, and others, from:

  • Flu (influenza): A virus that can cause fever, chills, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, and muscle aches.
  • Shingles: A disease that affects the nerves and can cause pain, tingling, itching, a rash, and blisters.
  • Whooping cough (pertussis): A serious illness that causes uncontrollable coughing fits, which can make it hard to breathe.
  • Pneumococcal disease: A serious infection that spreads from person to person by air and often causes pneumonia.
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19): A respiratory disease that causes fever, cough, and shortness of breath and can also lead to serious illness and death.

Click here for more information on vaccines.

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Creative Corner

Poems and Later Life Journeys
Creative Activities and Academic Retirees

In this issue, we offer a new section called the Creative Corner. The section will highlight poems about later life experience and also share articles from organizations about creative activities they are offering for their academic retirees. 

From The Sage’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for the Second Half of Life

Certain attitudes age us more than others

Sadness and grief are natural

and heal quite readily.

But always wishing things

had worked out differently

withers the spirit

and makes us older than we are.

From Layers by Stanley Kunitz

Oh, I have made myself a tribe

out of my true affections,

and my tribe is scattered!

How shall the heart be reconciled

to its feast of losses?

For the full poem visit: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54897/the-layers

Noted by Harry (Rick) Moody in Human Values in Aging Newsletter, subscribe at learn@fieldinggraduateuniversity.info.

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Come Join Us in Transforming Retirement

Since 2001 AROHE has supported both institutions and individuals by transforming the experience of retirement – the preparation, the actual transition, and post-retirement programming – into a smooth and productive life-course change.

To renew, join or learn more, visit arohe.org or contact AROHE by emailing info@arohe.org or calling (213) 740-5037.

Tell Us Your Story

Share News, Activities, and Events of Your Retirement Organization

Please send us a note about the activities, events, and news of your retirement organization for inclusion in AROHE Matters. Send your information to our newsletter editor at pcullinane@berkeley.edu by October 22 for the November 2021 newsletter.

About AROHE

AROHE's mantra is "Transforming Retirement."

AROHE is a nonprofit association that champions transformative practices to support all stages of faculty and staff retirement, their mutually beneficial engagement, and continuing contributions to their academic institutions. By sharing research, innovative ideas, and successful practices, AROHE emphasizes the development and enhancement of campus-based retiree organizations and programs which support this continuing engagement in higher education.

Copyright © 2020 AROHE. All rights reserved.
Contact email: info@arohe.org
Contact phone: (213) 740-5037