Marieb College Hosts Think Tank on Aging

March 25, 2022 / Trudi-Ann Dyer

On Monday, March 21, 2022, Marieb College of Health & Human Services hosted over twenty community agencies at the Think Tank on Aging. The goal of the event was to learn from community partners about opportunities and challenges as we seek to develop new and innovative programming to support workforce needs related to older adults in Southwest Florida.

The day started with two dynamic presentations, Dr. Aysegul Timur, the Vice President and Vice Provost of Strategy and Program Innovation spoke about the “Southwest Florida Demographics and Economics”, and its impact on older adults, the other was from Marieb College Associate Dean, Dr. Tom Felke who spoke on the “Considerations for Coordinated Care”. One of the statistics that was discussed stated that Florida ranks last in the U.S in regards to long-term services and support. This further highlighted the dire need for the think tank and consequently more resources in SWFL.

Following the presentations, attendees separated into three focus groups. Valuable feedback was provided from them on how to better support older adults in Southwest Florida, specifically in Lee, Hendry, Collier, Glades, and Charlotte counties. The day ended with lunch and closing remarks. It was stated that the event is just the beginning of a planned effort for Marieb College to move forward with the support and expertise of the community partners to better serve older adults.