ISSUED: 13 April 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s departments of nursing, psychology, and social work will host the 12th Annual Aging Well Workshop titled “Lifelong Thriving: Healing the Past for a Healthy Future” on Tuesday, May 11, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. via Zoom.
Registration is due by Friday, May 7. The daylong workshop, which is funded by the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services, is free and open to the public. It will offer six continuing education units for social workers and nurses at a cost of $25. To register, visit the Aging Well Workshop webpage.
“Trauma impacts our lives and our overall health, but it doesn’t have to define us,” said Dr. Heidi Dobish, associate professor of psychology and workshop planning committee chair. “The first step toward cultivating resiliency is becoming aware of the impact of trauma while recognizing the resiliency skills we already have and methods that can grow these skills. This Aging Well Workshop is designed to promote well-being and foster resilience for professionals and lay people.”
Keynote speakers will be Dr. Joy Buck, professor emerita, West Virginia University School of Nursing; Dr. Avery Bowman, retired emergency room physician with more than 20 years of trauma experience; and Jeremy Speer, MSW, LGSW, social work lecturer at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Eastern Division and stigma reduction coordinator for the Community Opioid Response Demonstration pilot project.
The morning session will provide a general understanding of the ACEs study, the impact on aging, and how ACEs affect bio-psychosocial health throughout the lifespan. The afternoon session will provide an overview of a few specific alternatives and integrative interventions that are supported by research to help address the impact of trauma.
For more information, email Dobish or Sharon Carpenter, administrative assistant, or call Carpenter at 304-876-5332.
— 30 —
