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Student Spotlight

 

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UAlbany Alumni on the Frontline Helping Improve Lives for Residents & Family at The Albany County Nursing Home

Left: ACNH Social Work Assistant, Thomas Rees, counsels a resident. Right: the Social Services team. L-R are Rees, Social Work Assistant Mary Bess Glusko, Department Secretary Deborah Helf, Director of Admissions, Lisa Seidel, and Social Services Department Director Andrew Hubalek.


"Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve people’s lives". Fullfiling that mission, HPPAE Alumni Tom Rees and Lisa Seidel are working hard to make a difference for residents and families in Albany County, NY.  Read more about their work, here.  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Columbia Alumni Help Aging Artists Preserve Their Legacy For Years To Come

 

Art Cart - Saving The Legacy from Research Center, Arts & Cultu on Vimeo.

"Artists are in many respects models for society, maintaining strong social networks and astonishing resilience as they age. Most visual artists never retire and, therefore, remain very productive throughout their entire lives. Documenting the Art Cart process will allow us to share six artists' recipes for healthy aging with present and future generations."

Learn more about Art Cart.

 

About the students

Sadie Rubin, MSW
Columbia University, Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education
Class of 2011

Contact Sadie at Ser2154@columbia.edu

Paul Nikolaidis
Columbia University, Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education
Class of 2011

Contact Paul at Pnn2101@columbia.edu

 

 


 

 

HPPAE alumnus Julia Vering, LMSW receives an award from RocketGrants to create an unconventional, multimedia performance engaging older adults.

The project, You Live Here Too, engages a portion of the community, senior citizens, that is often the most marginalized and cut off from contemporary art within a non-intimidating environment, their own homes and recreational sites.  It will serve as a model for therapeutic recreation with seniors. 

You Live Here Too examines the ways in which we construct identities and meaning through storytelling, congregate living and age segregated recreation.  Blurring truth and fiction through an absurd framework, senior participants will be given the opportunity to both become someone else, in the way that drama allows, and reveal their true character through the sharing of personal histories.  The project will culminate in a cohesive story that blends identities while showcasing images of aging women.

As a performance artist, musician, animator and licensed social worker, Julia serves as lead artist.  She conceived the project, wrote the script, composed the score, organized filming locations with local senior citizen service providers, and filmed the project.

As a HPPAE student (University of Kansas graduation 2008), Julia was encouraged to take a leadership role in working with the aging population, giving her the confidence and skills to seek out new ways of engaging seniors that promote positive aging. 

About Julia

                                                                                        

Julia earned a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Kansas. She designed a recreational therapy program for the inpatient geriatric psychiatric unit at the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center and currently works as a licensed social worker at Kansas City Presbyterian Manor facilitating a drama club, harmonica band and talent shows.

Learn more about You Live Here Too.