The Claude Pepper Center

The Claude Pepper Center, established in 1997, works to identify policy solutions that enhance the financial, psychological, cognitive, physical, and social well-being of older adults and their families in Florida and beyond. The Center aims to ensure older people can remain independent and engaged members of their communities.

Learn more about The Claude Pepper Center at their website: https://claudepeppercenter.fsu.edu.

Interested in supporting FSU-Opening Minds through Art? For a limited time, make a donation and receive a high-quality art print! The art piece you will receive is made by one of our OMA artists and titled "Centrifugal Force."

Visit the link to donate now!
https://give.fsu.edu/Donate/Custom/4f83884b-8ad2-43bf-0978-08dc65880919

A Florida State University College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (COSSPP) and Florida A&M University (FAMU) research team was awarded a grant from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) for the project Race Disparities and Consequences of Cancer Diagnosis on Pre-Retirement Work Disruption.

The team has received $225,000 for their year-long project beginning in March 2024. The project seeks to evaluate racial disparities related to job disruptions due to cancer diagnosis, as Black adults are at a higher risk than their White counterparts.

“Cancer diagnoses play an important role in so many people’s lives and the consequences of this extend in ways that often have long-term impacts on their financial security in later life,” said Rebekah Carpenter, primary researcher and Ph.D. candidate in Sociology. “We are hoping to identify not just the extent of that problem, but also learn whether there are specific work environment factors that increase risks of cancer and if there are work environment factors that might alleviate the consequences of cancer diagnosis on later life financial wellbeing.”

To read more, visit https://coss.fsu.edu/cosspp-research-team-awarded-grant-by-social-security-administration-ssa/

Thank you WXTL Tallahassee for featuring FSU-Opening Minds through Art! View the news broadcast here:

WATCH: Florida State 'Opening Minds Through Art' combats dementia with weekly art classes Florida State's Opening Minds Through Art programs brings students together with seniors living with dementia for weekly art classes to exercise the mind and form connections.

Two OMA workshops were held at The Claude Pepper Center with the Scripps Opening Minds through Art (OMA) team from Oxford, Ohio. Guests created abstract art while learning about the evidence-based and research-backed OMA process. It was wonderful seeing how the "no-fail OMA art recipe" allowed everyone to express their inner artist. Even though guests followed the same instructions, each project came out looking unique!

Thank you to the Scripps Opening Minds through Art (OMA) team for making this workshop happen!

We are so thankful for the Scripps Opening Minds through Art (OMA) team for joining us at The Claude Pepper Center!

The team, which includes founder Dr. Elizabeth Lokon, Associate Director Meghan Young, and Assistant Director Krysta Peterson, gave an lecture titled, Opening Minds through Art: Connecting Generations through Artmaking.

To learn more about the speakers and access a recording of the lecture, visit: https://claudepeppercenter.fsu.edu/opening-minds-through-art-connecting-generations-through-art-making-jan-18th-lecture/?preview_id=10948&preview_nonce=2953e12248&preview=true

We are so thankful for the Scripps OMA team for spreading awareness about dementia and the Opening Minds through Art (OMA) program at FSU! We had a wonderful time hosting a series of OMA events art the center, including informative lectures and abstract art fun!

Dr. Elizabeth Lokon (founder and creator of Opening Minds through Art) and OMA team will be joining us at the Claude Pepper Center next week.

Want to create abstract art with us? We are hosting two workshops where you will experience OMA hands-on, using the "no-fail" OMA art recipe!

Here are the links to the sign-ups for the workshop events:

January 18th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oma-art-making-workshop-thursday-session-tickets-791135978007?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurlJanuary

January 19th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oma-art-making-workshop-friday-session-tickets-793884589177?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Our Opening Minds through Art program held two art shows this past weekend in partnership with two assisted living facilities, The Grove and Tapestry Senior Living. The art show celebrated the accomplishments of the artists, honored our interns, and raised awareness about dementia.

We are excited to continue this program in the Spring. To learn more, please visit https://claudepeppercenter.fsu.edu/opening-minds-through-art/

🌟 Learn how you can be a Community Partner during Older Driver Safety Awareness Week! 🚗 offers FREE educational materials to help make a real impact in your community. 📦

👉 Dive into the details at fdot.info/ODSAW23 and sign up to become a partner today! Let's work together to ensure everyone has access to vital resources. 🌐

Florida Department of Transportation Florida Department of Elder Affairs AARP Florida Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare - TMH Florida Department of Health (DOH) FSU College of Medicine Florida Occupational Therapy Association HCA Florida North Florida Hospital UF Health Florida Police Chiefs Association, (FPCA) FDLE FSU College of Medicine Faculty Development AAA USF Health-University of South Florida Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program Florida Sheriff's Explorers Association Advantage Aging Solutions The Claude Pepper Center City of Tallahassee, FL - Government

Join us for a panel discussion, "Smarter Homes for Better Aging" featuring Jeff Kaye M.D, an international expert on aging and technology. The panel will also include Dawn Carr Ph.D, Director of the Claude Pepper Center, Neil Charness Ph.D, Director of the Institute for Successful Longevity, and Walter Boot Ph.D, Associate Director of the ISL.

This event takes place at the Tallahassee Senior Center on November 30th, at 10:00 AM.

Our Opening Minds through Art program is looking for student interns and volunteers for the Spring 2023 semester! This is a dynamic service-learning opportunity that allows student interns to earn credit while also contributing to the local community. Volunteers will also gain hands-on experience, but at a lower time commitment.

To learn more about our student engagement and how to apply to the program, please visit: https://claudepeppercenter.fsu.edu/oma-student-interns/

Today, religious scholars from around the world are gathering at Florida State University for the 2023 Human Rights Conference! Hosted by and the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, the conference is free and open to the public at the Claude Pepper Center. Find directions and learn more about the speakers ➡️ fla.st/E3FEQFRD

The Human Rights Conference is tomorrow at the Claude Pepper Center! Breakfast will take place at 8:15am, and our opening remarks are at 8:45am. Be sure to check the agenda in preparation for tomorrow’s schedule!

Caregivers are essential to long-term care in the United States.
If you are a caregiver in Tallahassee, FL, check out these local resources.

Are you an older adult, or know an older adult that wants to give back to the community? Check out these local Tallahassee volunteer opportunities:

Volunteering has important benefits for older people. This article from AARP details these benefits: https://aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2017/health-benefits-volunteering-seniors-fd.html

The Opening Minds through Art program at our center pairs student interns with people living with dementia (artists). These one-on-one relationships forge important intergenerational connections.

Last week during our Opening Minds through Art sessions, our artists created beautiful tissue paper watercolor pieces. Visit our Art Gallery for more: https://claudepeppercenter.fsu.edu/opening-minds-through-art/opening-minds-through-art-gallery/

Healthy Aging Month: FSU at the forefront of healthy aging research - Florida State University News September is Healthy Aging Month, and with America’s population aging faster than ever, it is an appropriate time to commemorate […]

Friday marked our last day of Opening Minds through Art training! Our OMA facilitator, Suzanne Monroe Smith, is pictured teaching our OMA interns how an art session is structured (along with some fun art-making). We are excited have this excellent cohort of interns launch OMA at the assisted living facilities next week!

OMA is an intergenerational art program that pairs student interns (art facilitators) with people living with dementia (artists). The artists convey their creativity through abstract art projects each week.

Stay tuned for more updates on the OMA program!

The Claude Pepper Center aims to identify policy solutions that enhance the financial, psychological, cognitive, physical, and social wellbeing of older adults and their families in the state of Florida and beyond.

Check out our twitter account for additional educational content and resources:

FSU Claude Pepper Center (@FSUPepperCenter) / Twitter The Claude Pepper Center aims to identify policy solutions that enhance the wellbeing of older adults and their families.

This event will be hosted at the Claude Pepper Center tomorrow. Join to learn about key signs of elder abuse, fraud, and how to prevent elder abuse in your community from experts in the field. Registration is required.

Florida State University’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, College of Law, The Claude Pepper Center, Institute, and AARP present an event in observance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

Learn how to recognize and prevent elder fraud and abuse in your community from leading experts, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris, Florida's Adult Protective Services, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Division of Consumer Protection, as well as law enforcement and aging resource specialists.

1pm-2pm: Resource Fair
2pm-3:30pm: Presentations by the Experts
3:30pm-4:30pm: Resource Fair and Refreshments

Registration is required at bit.ly/FSU_WEAAD

Tomorrow is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Tune in June 15th, at 2 PM EST:

June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day! Did you know older adults who are abused are twice as likely to be hospitalized?
In support of Florida State University College of Law and the Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy, we’re joining a live informational session on how you can recognize signs of abuse and how to protect your loved ones. We hope to see you there!
Register: http://spr.ly/6182OaKts

Rebekah Carpenter, a third-year doctoral candidate in sociology, was recently highlighted by FSU’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy for her research. Carpenter worked with CPC Director Dawn Carr, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Michigan on this Census-O*NET Data Linkage Project. This project allows researchers to easily leverage detailed data about U.S. jobs and work environments, for population-based surveys. Carpenter plans to graduate in the spring of 2025 and hopes to pursue a career in academia and continue developing her research after graduation.

As the summer months approach, please be cautious and avoid heat-related illness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating multidimensional impact on the world, especially among older adults, and specifically nursing home residents. More than 130,000 nursing home residents have died and for untold thousands their health and lives have been scarred by lingering long-term effects. The pandemic’s impact on the nursing home population brings up a critical and unavoidable moral question: why were so many of our most vulnerable fellow citizens living in such exposed circumstances?
---------------
The author, Larry Polivka, PhD, is the executive director of the Claude Pepper Center and scholar-in-residence with the Claude Pepper Foundation, at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

An Ethic of Care Needed in Long-term Care System ‘Commitment to personal autonomy is an inherent feature of an LTC ethic of care.’

The White House’s American Jobs Plan calls for spending about $400 billion over eight years on “home- or community-based care” for the elderly and people with disabilities.

It reflects the growing alarm by some experts about the nation’s inability to absorb the enormous growth in its elderly population — a challenge that threatens to strain an already limited workforce of caregivers; complicate the retirements of millions of people; and force many children, particularly daughters, out of the labor market to care for their parents.

Biden jobs plan seeks $400 billion to expand caretaking services as U.S. faces surge in aging population Close to one fifth of Biden's bill is devoted to expanding in-home care, after the pandemic intensified criticisms of America's nursing homes.

Facilities are encouraging staff members to get the vaccine, said Kristen Knapp, spokeswoman for the Florida Health Care Association, the industry group representing nursing homes.

However, low vaccination rates among staffers at long-term care facilities is common across the state. As of March 28, only 36 percent of Florida’s nursing home staff members and 40 percent of assisted-living staff members had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Majority of Florida’s long-term care staffers refused coronavirus vaccine Staff members are still hesitant to get a vaccine, but interest is growing, healthcare union leader says