We hope that your 2019 is off to a great start and look forward to seeing you at the first membership meeting of 2019 on January 24th. Remember there will be no charge for visitors attending the January meeting and all are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to introduce a friend or colleague to MASWA. All members who bring a guest will be included in a drawing for a $25 Visa Gift Card!
Keep your eyes open in the coming weeks for a survey with proposed changes to the MASWA bylaws as well as information about the Spring Luncheon and Annual Meeting set for May 9th. Save the date!
Whether you know it or not, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults are your clients or residents. Learn the unique issues facing these populations and how they affect their willingness to seek out services. This session will outline LGBT aging, describe the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities, present findings from a recent needs assessment, and identify actions you can take to make your practice more LGBT culturally competent.
Presented by:
Marsha Berry, MA, CAEd
Marsha received her Master's in Education from Eastern Michigan University. She has been a public school teacher working with special needs students and an educator for health related nonprofit organizations. Most recently she managed education programs for the Alzheimer's Association Minnesota-North Dakota. Currently she is the Education Director for Training to Serve, the MN based nonprofit that provides education, tools and resources to improve the quality of life of LGBT people as they age.
At the end of this session participants will be able to:
1. Explain biological sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression
2. Trace the historical experiences that shape LGBT older adults' lives
3. Describe the unique barriers faced by LGBT older adults
4. Identify opportunities to support welcoming services for LGBT older adults
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and that we are all looking forward to an exciting 2019! MASWA is excited to kick off our new year as well and we hope that you will all renew your memberships. Membership is individual to the person and runs the calendar year and therefore, your membership ended in December. I encourage you to join us on Thursday, January 24
th for our 1st membership meeting of the year. Please bring a co-worker or guest and spread the word about this meeting and the value of your MASWA membership. Also, remember to bring plenty of business cards and take advantage of the networking time before and after the meeting.
I truly look forward to seeing many of you in a few weeks. Please reach out to any board member if you have questions. We all look forward to strengthening our connections and getting to know each other better. My best to each of you as you begin 2019. I truly hope that each of your lives are filled with purpose, that you have peace of mind, and that your hearts are filled with love.
