What to Expect from the 21st Annual Littlefield Leadership Lecture
By Megan Hinners
The 21st annual Littlefield Leadership Lecture is set to take place on Tuesday, October 6.
This year’s lecture will look a bit different from previous years as the event will be held entirely online, but the exceptional content offerings will remain the same. This year’s event will focus on aging science and the care of older adults, and will feature a keynote speaker who is no stranger to the UW–Madison School of Nursing, associate dean for research and Charlotte Jane and Ralph A. Rodefer chair, Dr. Barbara Bowers, PhD, RN, FAAN.
Dr. Bowers will be joined by noted researcher and leading authority on aging and long-term policy, Dr. Robyn I. Stone, DrPH, senior vice president of research with LeadingAge, and co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center at UMass Boston. The two will discuss gerontologic science and practice in an armchair conversation that is expected to appeal to not only those involved in health care, but the general public as well.
“Almost everyone will be a caregiver at some point in their lives,” says Bowers. “Most people have very little understanding of the system and services designed to support and care for older adults, and very few of us have been trained to do this work. While we can only scratch the surface, this discussion should help people understand some of the challenges they are likely to face and be better prepared.”
Attendees of the event can expect an evening focused on a wide range of topics related to aging science and the care of older adults. “We plan to discuss the evolution of systems in the U.S. that support older adults, how we, as a society, care for older people, what the challenges have been and how we’ve responded,” says Bowers. We also want to touch upon some of the challenges that a caregiver faces, what we have learned from the pandemic that will help us care for older adults, as well as some highpoints, achievements, and promising nursing practices.”
Registration for this year’s event will be open through the beginning of the lecture on Tuesday evening. The free, virtual event can be accessed through the Littlefield Lecture Series.