18Mayjun14 Newsletter (Recovered)
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BASTING IS OPENING NEW DOORS FOR May-June 2014 DEMENTIA PATIENTS When Anne Basting was growing up Basng Profile 1 in Janesville, unlike most children, she pre- President’s Message 2 ferred the company of adults over children. She attributed this to a personality trait and Exec. Director’s Message 2 believes she was among a group of children Book Report 3 just like her. Instead, it could be that WALL Conference 3 Basting’s personality was simply a preamble Happenings 4 to her destiny. Past President’s Message 5 An associate professor of Theater at the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Peck Calendar 6-7 School of the Arts and founder of UWM’s Save the Dates 7 Center on Age and Community, Basting has SIG Notes 7 uniquely inspired partnerships between aca- Anne Basting Officer Nominees 8 demia and service providers of adults beset May Day 9 with dementia while developing methods that improve the quality of life for them through the technique was too challenging and ulti- Contact Us 11 the use of art therapy. Memory loss is a nor- mately unsuccessful. Next she tried triggering New Members 12 mal part of aging, Basting said. However se- memories with a technique called TimeSlips vere dementia can result in people losing the by presenting the dementia sufferers with ability of self expression, thus giving way to things, people and pictures from the past like, silence and withdrawal. the Marlboro Man, and prompting them to A playwright, Basting found story- makeup stories about the items. The experi- telling to be effective in bringing persons ment was successful. Basting said previously weathering dementia back into their commu- uncommunicative patients responded to the nity of family, friends and care givers thus technique with stories that could be woven improving the quality of their lives. into narratives that read like a book. She later In a 1996 experiment with nursing used the narratives for writing a play featuring home residents, Basting applied reminiscent older adult actors that was performed in Mil- techniques by asking those with dementia to (Connued on page 10) remember special moments in their lives, but Message from President Mike Roller Let me begin this note by extend- —Achieve financial stability ing a special thanks to outgoing —Accomplish curriculum growth Board President, Phil Rozga, for —Accelerate public relations his dedication and service. Fortu- —Enhance social and cultural experiences nately, Phil will remain on the —Expand and diversify membership Board and his insights and con- —We’ll be discussing action taken toward the achieve- tinuing contributions will be most ment of each initiative at every Board meeting and I’ll be report- appreciated. ing on our progress in future newsletter articles As I assume my new position as Board President, I do In addition to my Board responsibilities I will continue so with a deep appreciation for the role the Osher Lifelong for a time as Chair of the Public Relations Committee as we Learning organization can and does play in our lives. I see my have a host of activities and programs in play that require atten- role as helping to make the organization better and stronger, tion. If any of you are interested in joining the committee please and will appreciate hearing your comments about how that can let me know for we can use your help. be accomplished As a major step toward improving programming and Looking forward, you can expect that Board and I … opening leadership and teaching positions to more Members, working in concert with Executive Director Kim Beck and his the Leadership and Development Committee recently devel- staff … will focus on the following five key initiatives set forth in oped a skills / interests survey that each of us will be asked to the Strategic Plan the Board developed in late 2013: (Connued on page 3) Message from Executive Director Kim Beck Every now and then I reflect on You can appreciate that I was extremely supportive the different chapters of my life: when David Georgenson brought up the idea of programs on Early childhood; High school and navigating the second half of life. The first step we agreed on college; Finding my way in the was the short course that was presented this past February. early 80’s; Graduate school; Get- From everything I hear it went extremely well. During that four- ting married; Starting my career; week period, there was plenty of lively discussion about living a Being a parent. Each stage pre- productive and enriching life as an older adult. sented new challenges and rewards. Of course, there was al- I hope this is just the beginning of a new chapter for ways that moment of sadness when one chapter ended before our Osher Institute. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if in a few years, not another began. And if you are like me, you might have never only would folks join our institute because we offer excellent suspected the path that life would take. Things I felt were fail- enrichment programs, but would find this a place where they ures ended up being the most important lessons I learned about could discover a direction for the next stage of their lives? How life. Looking back, I certainly appreciate the successes more gratifying it would if older adults would seek us out as a way of and more as they become distant memories. And I wonder exploring their life journey! from time to time what the next chapter will bring. Like each of Are you interested in taking advantage of this oppor- the preceding chapters, I ponder it with a mixture of excitement, tunity? Why not consider joining David for an informational apprehension and hope. (Connued on page 3) 2 I May-June 2014 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Books of the Great War – One Hundred Years Ago June 28, 1914, Sarajevo, Bosnia. years. to get some understanding of the war. The Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, is assas- In a previous Osher Outlook Barbara Tuchman’s book, The sinated. This begins the mobilization that (November-December, 2012) I reported Guns of August apparently influenced leads to Word War I. As we enter the cen- on the book A World Undone: The Story President Kennedy as he dealt with the tenary of the war, you may be interested Of The Great War 1914 To 1918 , by G. 1962 Cuban missile crisis. This Pulitzer in doing some reading on the topic. Find- J. Meyer. This book presents an explana- Prize winner covers the origins of the war, ing something is not hard. The Economist tion of the beginnings of the war, the en- the first weeks of the war, and the new (March 29-April 4, 2014), reported that suing stalemates, discussion of leadership, inventions/weapons used to create devas- about 25,000 books and scholarly articles and the never ending killing. The author tating warfare. have been written on the war since 1918. notes the ending of long standing empires John Link The New York Review of Books (February and how the war may have set the stage 6, 2014), reviewed six new books on the for World War II. I thought this book was war. There will be more over the next few well written and provides sufficient detail (President’s Message, Connued from page 2) WALL Conference complete sometime in the near future. Several of our newest Members have already completed the survey at their welcoming Make Plans Now to Attend sessions and their responses have really helped to refine the process. We very much appreciate your active support. The 13th Wisconsin Association of Lifelong On a final note, let me once again appeal for your help Learning Conference will be hosted by our Osher Institute in recruiting new members. When the organization reaches 1000 at UWM. It will be held at the downtown conference members it qualifies for a second one million dollar endowment center September 3-5. The theme is “Milwaukee Feeds … funds we need to ensure continuing programming excellence. and Supplies the World.” Learn about and experience So, please tell your friends, your family, your neighbors and yes some of the hidden treasures of our wonderful hometown. … even complete strangers … about the enriching experiences Attend sessions on ways to improve lifelong learning in- the organization can bring to their lives. stitutes. All members are encouraged to attend. Highlights include: —A welcome dinner featuring historian, John Gurda —A chance to learn from Visit Milwaukee City Develop- (Execuve Director ‘s Message, Connued from page 2) ment Commissioner Rocky Marcoux —An architecture tour of the Milwaukee Art Museum meeting on May 20? He will be sharing plans for organizing a with Barbara Brown Leigh’s reflections art education Special Interest Group on this topic. Please look for more details —A special, private reception and dinner overlooking the in this newsletter. It may be just the elixir to enrich your life! (Connued on page 11) UWM School of Continuing Education May-June 2014 | 3 What’s Happening at Osher Lately? Osher members at the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear Spring Go Explores can put it on another calendar, it is well rather an opportunity to learn from many worth it. sources including fellow Osher members, A busy spring for Osher mem- The Central Library was another how to develop your unique path. This bers. Have you ever heard of Mr. Chud- stop for the spring explorers. Not just rare SIG is an outgrowth from the course of- now? A visit to the Chudnow Museum of books, but a rare opportunity to explore fered in the Spring of 2014.