Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Journey of Elders: Three Clinical-Educational Sessions




Recently retired from over thirty years of teaching and research in graduate medical education, Professor Alan S. Wolkenstein will be joining us for three hour long sessions to share his insights, experiences, and vision in caring for our elder residents and of ourselves. He is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist and specializes in the impact of illness on people and families, and the challenges and rewards of elder care. He is nationally recognized as a master educator and deeply appreciates and supports the knowledge, skills, and experiences of the group he is facilitating.
The three sessions will use principles of Small Group Experiential Learning (SGEL) and Adult Education. Much of the materials he will be presenting for discussion and interactive reflective learning stem from his career in teaching Human Behavior and Behavioral Medicine to Primary Care physicians in training and clinical practice, medical students, and allied health care professionals.
Come join Professor Alan as he discusses the life journey of our elders, their joys and dreams, their losses and lamentations, their on-going transformation, and the possibility of enhanced best care of them and of those of us who plan for and care for our elderly.

Goal:
Our three sessions will enable us to spend time together in exploring, assessing, and strengthening our individual and collective (professional) self-awareness, enhance our individual clinical care skills, and enrich our careers of service, dedication, and honor of our gentle elderly.
Objectives:
*Using SGEL to help us create the kind of supportive and nurturing environment to do our work best.
*Utilizing Adult Education Principles to enhance how we practice the practice of elder care.
 *Honoring our past experiences as a means to reflect on new and challenging ways to care for ourselves in the work of elder care.

Session 1: “The Lost World of the Elderly.”
Discussion of the “Lost World” Philosophy of Empathy-Based Resident Care
Use of time in the Ancient Greek tradition to enhance our work
Is our work a job, a career, or a passion?
In the Hebrew tradition (part of the afternoon prayer)
“In the moment” as a resident-care philosophy
Quality of Life among the elderly
“Critical Issues” in resident care
Feedback- Planning next session with a journal entry of your work

Session 2: “Transformative Experiences to Reflect on in Our Work”

How do we self-assess the quality and meaning of our work with elders?
Discussion of our own social support and community based group care
The three interdependent “uninvited guests” of many of our residents: loneliness, isolation, and fear
To fully heal ourselves, we must first release the pain generated by our work and in our important relationships
Feedback

Session 3: Grieving and Losses of the Elderly

From experiencing losses, to their grieving and lamentations, to their transformation
Our parallel experiences
The difficulties in “objective-based care”
How to do our own grief work- If we do our grief work, we will not burn out or become impaired professionals
“Critical Issues” in self-care
Viktor Frankl: “A Will To Meaning”
Feedback and evaluation


Thank you for participating in these collaborative sessions




Alan S. Wolkenstein, MSW
 Clinical Social and Family Therapist
Clinical Professor of Family Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Wolkenstein and Associates,LLC
Mequon, Wisconsin
262 243 5489
Alan.Wolkenstein@gmail.com


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