Rural Aging & Caregiving
March 24, 2022, 12 pm - 1:30 pm via Zoom Webinar
Out of the many beautiful intersectionalities that diverse aging adults live out, aging and caregiving in a rural community has its own unique needs and life experiences. In many rural counties in the Northland one in three people are over the age of 65. Accessible health care, positive social connections and a healthy aging experience can be challenging with systems that are under resourced.
For this event, experts from around Minnesota come together to present and engage a panel discussion on the latest data, trends and experience of aging in rural environments. Learn about these unique challenges and how we can engage innovative solutions to support and foster a healthy aging experience for all.
Presenters:
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Megan Dayton is a Senior Demographer at Minnesota’s State Demographic Center. Since 2012, she has been responsible for preparing demographic projections for the State of Minnesota, 13 Economic Development Regions, and 87 counties. Serving in this role, Megan is Minnesota’s state representative to the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population Projections (FSCPP) with the U.S. Census Bureau. Megan’s work involves the creation of school district estimates upon request for intercensal levy cycle funding and providing data analysis for state agencies, councils, and legislators.
Megan’s research interests include improving upon existing data modeling techniques used for state and sub-state areas, as well as social stratification and more general demographic trends related to fertility, mortality, and migration patterns. Megan has hands-on knowledge of social and economic realities brought about by recent demographic shifts. Her work engages an attentive approach to relating current demographic trends with the resulting likelihoods.
Megan holds a master’s degree in applied demography from the Center for Demography and Population Health at the Florida State University.
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Marie is a Grand Portage Councilwoman on the Tribal Reservation Council, Executive Board Chair for the State of MN Wisdom Steps Program, a culturally based preventive health promotion program developed by and for American Indian elders. Wisdom Steps fosters community and tribal partnerships and coordinates resources to provide increased advocacy and access to services that will improve the health of American Indian elders.
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Kristy was born and raised in International Falls. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bemidji State University in Business Administration and Management.
She has had a career in the financial services industry, specializing in service to older customers’ insurance needs. Since 2017 she has served as a certified Caregiver Consultant for Koochiching Aging Options, a non-profit serving older adults and their families throughout Koochiching County. She has since taken additional duties as Dementia Support Specialist and as Coordinator of the Koochiching Memory Café. She serves on the JF&CS Memory Café Percolator Network, a national association of Memory Cafes.
Kristy also acts as a Dementia Friends Champion through Act on Alzheimer’s, helping communities become dementia friendly.
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Dr. Joseph Bianco is a board-certified family practice physician with Essentia Health, an integrated health system that serves northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Western North Dakota. Dr. Bianco also serves as the Ambulatory Quality Leader for Essentia Health. He has a strong Interest in the management of pain. He is the Chairman of the Essentia Opioid steering committee which is accountable for establishing opioid prescribing guidelines. He also helped to author the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) guidelines for pain management published last year. He serves on the ICSI Opioid Oversight committee as well as the Addiction committed. Additionally, he has a long-standing Interest In the education of medical students and the role of the primary care physician as mentor to future family physicians and to the Duluth Family Practice Residency Program.
Dr. Bianco was raised in Northeast Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota, School of Medicine and completed a family practice residency In Duluth, MN. Dr. Bianco maintains a busy family practice In the small rural town of Ely, Minnesota.
Moderators:
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Kristi Kane, is Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging (AAAA) Director. Prior to her role at AAAA, Kristi served 6 ½ years as the Executive Director of ElderCircle in Grand Rapids, MN. During her time at ElderCircle she grew and relocated the agency to a new facility and wrote and received over 5 million dollars in grants to fund a collaborative project between the City of Grand Rapids, the Itasca County Family YMCA and ElderCircle. She has a BA Degree from St Cloud State University, has served on many boards including the LeadingAge MN Board of Directors, the Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and the Grand Itasca Hospital Foundation Board.
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Dr. Amy Bergstrom is the Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Professor at The College of St Scholastica where she oversees the college’s Inclusive Excellence strategic plan.
As Chief Diversity Officer, Amy Bergstrom is responsible for leading the College of Saint Scholastica’s diversity and inclusion efforts and achieving inclusive excellence goals in close collaboration with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and the Human Resources office.
She previously served as the College’s Masters of Education program director. Amy has both K-12 and higher education teaching and leadership experience. Amy serves as a board member on the Domestic Abuse Interventions Program and the Ann Bancroft Foundation. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, a Masters degree from Harvard University and her doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
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Georgia Lane is a Senior Program Developer with the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging based in Duluth, MN. Ms. Lane completed her BA in Sociology from the College of St. Benedict, and MA in Social Work from the University of Minnesota with a focus on Program Development and Nonprofit Administration.
She has worked in the aging field in a variety of capacities, including Geriatric Care Management, supporting development of a mobile primary care clinic and care coordination services with Presbyterian Homes and Services, and leading community coalitions related to dementia friendly communities, healthy aging networks, and age friendly communities. In her current role with the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging, she supports a network of aging service organizations that provide services to help older adults to age well at home, in the community of their choice. She is leading regional efforts to support organizations in adopting age-friendly policies and practices and providing assistance for coalitions to join a global network of Age Friendly Communities.
As Chair of the Board for Spirit of the Lake Community School, she is working to develop and implement intergenerational programming for school and broader community. She is passionate about fostering collaboration and strengthening networks among community organizations, public health, health systems, and older adults.
Brought to you by:
This free event is a collaboration of Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging, Northland Foundation, Duluth Aging Support and The College of St. Scholastica. It is open to all community members; including students, professionals in the aging field, and caregivers.