Last Thursday, June 12th, San Diego County held its bi-annual Aging Summit. The Summit came just several days before World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The theme was “Creating a Safe and Caring Community” and the conference covered elder safety topics such as self-defense, fall prevention, identity theft protection, effective use of technology, financial planning, and elder abuse prevention.
The second major focus of the conference was on Alzheimers. Following cancer and heart disease, alzheimers is the leading cause of death in San Diego County. The County used the summit as an opportunity to promote its recently launched Alzheimer’s Project. The collaborative project encompasses researchers, caregivers, and experts and aims to develop public awareness of warning signs and encourage early diagnosis to improve patient care and treatment.
The District Attorney Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit, which is headed by DA Bonnie Dumanis, was also represented at the summit.
Event keynote speaker was Gail Sheehy, best know for her book “Passages,” and also a caregiver for her husband for over 17 years.
While the summit covered a variety of preventative topics, it also served to encourage older individuals to make the most of their skills and enjoy retirement.
If you missed the summit and would like to learn more, watch video of the 2014 Aging Summit online.
