NSU Horizons Spring 2012

directives and living wills. “In Haitian families, when people are sick, they do not like to talk about what might happen. If there is a living will, to them, this means that they are dying,” said Charles, who will graduate in December 2012. “This gives me the opportunity to educate people about the importance of planning.” Kathy L. Cerminara, J.D., a professor of law at NSU who teaches many health law-related courses, added, “In many cultures, decision making is a family affair, which gets complicated when there are so many people involved during a time when the person who is sick cannot speak for themselves.” Martavis Clarke, an NSU student pursuing a health law concentration, said he often discusses the importance of a living will with participants at the annual Boomers and Beyond: A Day for Health and Wellness fair held each spring at the Health Professions Division. “While we can’t give legal advice at the health fair, we can talk to people and tell them the importance of planning and show them that there are documents available. I was able to get people to think about what they would do if they or a loved one were in this situation,” he said. The annual Boomers and Beyond health fair is free to attend and open to anyone aged 40 or older. In addition to students from the Law Center, several schools and colleges, including faculty members and students from NSU’s Health Professions Division and clinical operations, provide services for the day. These include health screenings; well- ness information; insurance information; health education on diabetes, eye health, nutrition, and medication management; and prevention and disease management. NSU’s annual Senior Prom brings senior adults and undergraduate students together for an evening of “pure fun, where seniors feel young,” said Marjorie Diaz, president of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, and a junior biology major at the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. Now in its 11th year, the Senior Prom was organized by Alpha Phi Omega and the Of ce of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. At the 2011 event, residents from the retirement community The Court at Palm-Aire in Pompano Beach, Florida, were invited for a night of dining, entertainment, dancing, and conversation with volunteer students. “We had cooperation from so many organizations,” said Diaz. Members of the Haitian Student Association presented a dance and NSU radio station Radio X provided the music. “We had one man who said he hadn’t danced in 15 years, but he was out of his wheelchair on the dance oor. It’s a way to give back to people who are the foundation of who we are today,” said Diaz, who added that she already has student volunteers committed to the event for next year. Educational Outreach NSU’s Florida Coastal Geriatric Resources, Education, and Training Center was established in 2007 as an educational outreach center, and is part of a national network of 46 geriatric education centers that are federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In 2010, NSU’s geriatric educa- tion center received a grant to provide interprofessional training, with the long- term goal of increasing the number of professionals working in geriatrics. To ensure that it connects with the commu- nity, it has ve consortium partners: Aging and Disability Resource Center of Broward County; the West Palm Beach Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Southwest Focal Point Senior Center, City of Pembroke Pines; Jessie Trice Community Health Center; and Lee Memorial Geriatric Services. “These community partners really allow our students to see the positive side of a career in geriatrics. They observe what goes on at good, long-term facilities and see the efforts by caregivers helping to extend an older adult’s quality of life,” said Rokusek. It is well documented that the older adult population’s quality of life is signi - cantly higher for those who are intellectu- ally and socially active. For 35 years, older adults in Broward County have found a place to share ideas, participate in classes and lectures, and meet other like-minded individuals as members of NSU’s Lifelong Learning Institute, another component of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “The traditional retirement of our grandparents is really no longer in exis- tence. For many of our members, coming here is of paramount importance, because it represents a phase of exploration in their lives after retirement,” said Linda Maurice, director of the Lifelong Learning Institute. “Many of our members are retired professionals such as lawyers, doctors, business people, and teachers.” Whether it is educational opportu- nities for seniors or educating experts to work with the growing geriatric population, there is no question that the needs of older adults are imminent. By the year 2032…there will be more people over the age of 65 than children under 15. 8 HORIZONS