Free event sponsored by Hendrix, AARP Arkansas, UAMS’ Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
Leslie W. Taylor,
501-686-8998
Wireless phone:
501-951-7260
leslie@uams.edu
Mandy Shoptaw,
501-612-4108
AARP Arkansas,
Associate State Director Communications and Outreach
mshoptaw@aarp.org
Amy Forbus, 501-450-1462
Wireless phone:
501-707-4230
forbus@hendrix.edu
CONWAY, Arkansas
(April 4, 2023) — As the average age of Arkansas’ population rises, so does the
urgency of planning for walkable streets, diverse transportation options and
housing, and a variety of activities and services. “Creating Livable
Communities for Older Arkansans” will provide information and encourage action
surrounding these issues.
The symposium
takes place Monday, April 17, at 1 p.m. in Worsham Hall within the Hendrix
College Student Life & Technology Center (building 2 on the current campus
map). A remote
participation option will
be available for those who cannot attend in person.
The event, co-sponsored
by the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC) at the University of
Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and AARP Arkansas, is free and open to the
public. Registration is not required.
The program will
feature a variety of speakers and topics, including:
- Mike
Watson, director of livable communities
for the national office of AARP, will provide an overview of livable
communities.
- Ashley
McBride, state director of AARP Arkansas, will share about livable communities
on the local level.
- Hendrix
students from this semester’s Policy Analysis course will present findings from
a statewide survey on older adult priorities for livable communities, conducted
through the Hendrix College/Talk Business & Politics Polling Project, and
will make policy recommendations to increase Conway’s livability for its older
adult population.
The symposium
includes a Q&A with presenters, including AGEC outreach coordinator Laura
Spradley and a representative from the City of Conway. The event concludes with
a reception at 4 p.m.
This program and
the AGEC are supported by a Health Resources and Services Administration grant
of $3.7 million from the United States Department of Health and Human Services
for a Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program.
About Hendrix
College
A private liberal
arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns
recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is
featured in Colleges That
Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its
academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a
fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876,
Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To
learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.
About AARP
AARP is the
nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering
people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide
presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and
advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial
stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest
circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more,
visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on
social media.
About UAMS
UAMS is the
state's only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing,
Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital;
a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in
Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes:
the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine &
Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric
Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational
Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS
includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS'
clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state.
UAMS has 3,240 students, 913 medical residents and fellows, and five dental
residents. It is the state's largest public employer with more than 11,000
employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its
regional campuses, Arkansas Children's, the VA Medical Center and Baptist
Health. Visit www.uams.edu
or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.