UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence (CGNE) will hold its 11th annual Alumni & Friends Spring Brunch on Sunday, April 7, at the Wyndham Garden State College in Boalsburg.
This year’s celebration will highlight the past, present and future of person-centered care initiatives at CGNE and beyond, with a special tribute to the life and legacy of Donald H. Ford, dean emeritus of Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development.
Ford’s collaborative partnership with the Nese College of Nursing and CGNE was profound and personal. Among his distinguished academic career and lifelong pursuits, he was integral to the center’s Program for Person-Centered Living Systems of Care, which was founded in 2014. The program had its origins both in Ford’s groundbreaking multidisciplinary view of human development and his family’s journey after his wife, Carol, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
While the University mourns Ford’s passing in 2023, CGNE is honored to pay tribute to his work and impact as well as the relationship he had with the Nese College at this year’s special event.
Keynote speaker Susan Ryan will present, “Person-Directed, Worker-Empowered Care: Creating Conditions and Communities to Support Living Our Best Lives.”
Ryan is CEO with the Center for Innovation (CFI), the nonprofit parent of The Green House Project and Pioneer Network. She leads the organization in its mission to fundamentally transform eldercare in America and around the world. Ryan is internationally recognized in the long-term care reform arena, with a particular focus on CFI’s vision for small-home campuses that provide person-directed alternatives to traditional nursing homes.
The annual event offers attendees an opportunity to meet the CGNE team, gerontological faculty, affiliated students and collaborative partners. Attendees also will learn more about the center’s impact in education, research and translation of best practice and services; hear from Nese College of Nursing Dean Laurie Badzek; and celebrate student and community champions.
The event is open to the public. Registration is required by March 29. More details and the registration link are available here.
Participants with a valid RN license who attend the entire Nursing Continuing Professional Development program (NCPD) that is part of this event can earn 1.0 contact hour.
Penn State’s CGNE was established in 2007 as one of nine legacy centers in the U.S. originally funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and now supported by an endowment. As an interdisciplinary community of leaders and scholars with expertise in aging, geriatrics and gerontology, CGNE believes every older adult deserves the highest quality of evidenced-based care and well-being that respects their individual goals and preferences. Learn more about the center here.