May 26, 2016

Ministering to the Elderly Conference to Focus on “Aging: Envisioning a New Future”

The 21st Annual Ministering to the Elderly Conference will consider the topic of “Aging: Envisioning a New Future” on Monday, June 6, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Miami Jewish Health Systems, 5200 Northeast Second Avenue, Miami.

The conference is being organized by three sponsors: the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Mishkan Miami: The Jewish Connection for Spiritual Support, Miami Jewish Health Systems and Jewish Community Services of South Florida.

This conference offers a toolbox of resources that can help caring professionals, community and spiritual leaders, and caregivers grasp how aging may yield deepened understandings of the self, new interests, and a general realignment of values and priorities, often including spiritual perspectives.

The keynote speaker will be Bill Thomas, M.D., author, entrepreneur, musician, teacher and physician whose wide-ranged work explores the terrain of human aging. In his medical practice that has focused on treating older adults, Thomas revolutionized elder care through the creation of the Eden Alternative Long-Term Care Facilities in Ithaca, N.Y., and was one of the founders of the Green House movement, an alternative living arrangement for older adults.

He has now taken his passion on the road in his “Age of Disruption” program that challenges people to think about society’s values, and how we can together combat unhealthful obsession with youth, which dehumanizes some and inhibits building inclusive communities that celebrate all ages.

Additionally, other professional, spiritual and community authorities will address the topic from a societal/policy perspective in panel presentations and facilitated discussion sessions.

The conference also will recognize Eduardo Diaz as its Clergy of the Year. Diaz is a long-standing member of the MCCJ Clergy Dialogue, past President of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence, and past President and Life Member of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.

Registration fee for the conference is $36 per person, which includes continental breakfast, lunch and continuing education credits. Continuing Education Credits will be available for Florida licensed Psychologists, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Mental Counselors. They will also be available for Nurses and Guardianship professionals pending approval. Sponsorships and exhibition table opportunities are also available.

To register for the 21st Annual Ministering to the Elderly Conference, click here. For more information, call 786.866.8621.