Speakers from across the state will be in Chautauqua County on May 20th discussing the ‘age wave’ and its affect on rural communities.
Chautauqua County Executive Gregory J. Edwards, the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), Chautauqua County Office for the Aging (OFA), and Chautauqua County Health Network (CCHN) are pleased to present a one-day conference, "Preparing for the Age Wave – Is Your Organization Ready"?
The event will be held at SUNY Fredonia’s Williams Center and seeks to bring human resource professionals, volunteer agency representatives, and business and community leaders together to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities on the horizon in Chautauqua County.
“Since I took office 3 1/2 years ago I have worked diligently with local businesses to help them grow, and Baby Boomers have been a crucial factor in that growth," said County Executive Greg Edwards. "These residents have been a generational wave throughout their lives, but now as they enter retirement, they present new opportunities and challenges to the communities in which they live. Over 20% of the population of Chautauqua County is comprised of adults over age 60 and this percentage is expected to grow in the next several years. While this will impact the need for aging services, it also offers great benefit to local businesses and employers as older workers provide an experienced talent pool with tremendous work ethic.”
Employment, technology, and volunteerism/civic engagement have been identified as challenging areas in need of future development. This conference seeks to provide best practices for each of these challenging areas, beginning with keynote presentations by state and national leaders in the morning.
Tony Sarmiento, Executive Director of Senior Services America, will speak about employment and retraining of older adults to meet current and future employment needs in rural areas.
Dr. Ken Oakley, Executive Director of WNY Rural Area Health Education Center, will discuss how technology is being used to bring education, health care, and business opportunities to rural areas.
Robin Corindo from the New York State Office of National and Community Service will offer successful strategies around recruiting, training, and retaining a volunteer workforce. In the afternoon, panel discussions facilitated by the keynote speakers will feature regional and local best practices in each interest area.
Local organizations presenting include: Workforce Investment Board, Jamestown Community College, EK Ward and Associates, DFT Communications, Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital, Lutheran Senior Housing, Willcare, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Cummins Inc, and American Red Cross.
“We will have exhibit tables provided by many of the panel presenters,” said Dr. Mary Ann Spanos, OFA Director. “However, there is no charge for these exhibits and we would love to have additional vendors who have valuable services or products that will benefit human resource professionals, volunteer agency representatives, and business and community leaders. Anyone interested in bringing an exhibit can contact 664-8445 to reserve a table.”
The conference is open to the public and anyone interested in attending can access more information at www.ccida.com. There is no cost, but reservations are required and can be made by calling 664-8445 or emailing cchealthnetwork@gmail.com.
Click to view "AGE WAVE" PDF Flyer
