UNH Center for the Humanities 2021-2022 Sidore Lecture Series
Aging in America
CAREGIVING: HONOR AND BURDEN, CONTRIBUTIONS, AND IMPACT
NOVEMBER 9, 4:00-5:30PM, ZOOM
As with previous generations, Baby Boomers will depend on their friends and family to help them stay in their homes and communities as they age. Yet demographic shifts mean challenges for the future of caregiving, highlighting the question of who will provide this care. Panelists will provide an overview of the face of today’s caregivers and the costs of caregiving, to businesses, individuals and families, as well as society as a whole. They will provide perspective on how the shortage of home care workers impacts older people’s ability to remain at home as they age. This local perspective on home care and the pressure on a system which is already strained and bracing for increased needs will have all considering, “Who will be there when I need care?”
Dwight and Gayle Davis, owners of Senior Helpers based in Stratham, New Hampshire know the challenges and rewards of caring for a loved one. They both provided care for their own aging parents and understand the value of what it means to age in place, at home. Dwight, a native of Houston, TX is the President of Senior Helpers Stratham. He moved to New Hampshire in 2004. He is a former professional basketball player – a first round draft pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwight spent many years as a realtor and working with youth across the state. His focus on teamwork and being the best that you can be is the focal point while building the most comprehensive home care team in New Hampshire. In addition to his responsibilities at Senior Helpers, Dwight serves as Vice Chairman of the NBRPA (National Basketball Retired Players Association), a board member of the New Hampshire Workforce Opportunity Council and the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Dwight is a graduate of the University of Houston and is Senior Gems® and Veterans Program certified.
Gayle is Vice President/Chief Operating Officer. She grew up on the New Hampshire Seacoast, attending school in Rochester and the University of New Hampshire. She worked in the high-tech field for more than 25 years and is known for mentoring and motivating employees to reach goals beyond their expectations. She is compassionate and caring, always willing to extend a hand to those in need. She is the co-founder of the National Aging in Place Council of New Hampshire and has been active with a number of charities/non-profits over the years. Gayle’s father was a WWII U.S. Navy veteran. She is proud to service Veterans and their families in his honor and to provide them with all the care and respect that they deserve. Gayle is Senior Gems®, Veterans and Parkinson’s Programs certified. She is a certified facilitator of the Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT). She received her Master Trainer certification in A Matter of Balance, an evidence based fall prevention program. Gayle is also a member of the NAPW (National Association of Professional Women), NBWA (National Basketball Wives Association) and represents the Northeast Region on the Senior Helpers Owners Council.
Bob Stephen is AARP’s Vice President, Caregiving and Health Programs and serves as AARP’s lead for family caregiving. In these roles, he leads the strategy and execution of AARP’s enterprise-wide efforts to help 50 plus Americans live independently at home and in the community, while supporting the 48 million family caregivers who so often make this possible.
Prior to joining AARP in 2010, Bob spent over two decades in strategy development and management consulting where he worked with rural communities and healthcare organizations. He has a BA from the University of Iowa and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School Of Business.
Pat Yosha is a retired educator and political activist. A graduate of the University of Michigan and University of Hartford, she taught secondary English in Connecticut and in Native American colleges in South Dakota and Kansas. With her husband, she did sexual harassment prevention training in Connecticut vocational schools. She designed the first high school women’s studies course in Connecticut. Upon retirement in New Hampshire, Yosha served on the Commission on the Status of Women, and as a member of the ACLU Board of Directors. She has been active in the Racial Unity Team and in social justice activities in the seacoast area. Yosha’s husband, Malcolm Wetherbee, was a retired psychology professor, having chaired the Psychology Department at Suffolk University. The couple enjoyed European travel, camping, skiing and bicycling, as well as regular BSO concerts until Dr. Wetherbee became seriously ill in the summer of 2017. At that time, Yosha became his full-time caregiver, until he died on December 26, 2017.
Graphic Recording – Live Mural Making
Kate Crary is a Project Director with UNH’s Institute for Health Policy and Practice. Her work includes policy analysis, project management, group and organizational strategic planning, and curriculum delivery and development. In addition to this work, Kate serves as a Person-Centered Systems and Planning Educator for the Center on Aging and Community Living. She is also a certified long-term care Ombudsman, and much of her work focuses on person-centered systems change, and resident’s rights. A life-long artist, Kate has been developing and sharing her graphic recording skills for more than 7 years throughout New England.
For this year’s Sidore Lecture Series, Kate will be creating unique artwork for each session. This artwork will be created live during each presentation, and will be in mural-sized. Each art work will flow into the next, creating a final, large scale, immersive mural at the end of the series, capturing the spirit and intention of Aging In America: Justice For All?