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Welcome to the Art of Caregiving Summit!
We’re glad you’re here. This year’s summit features some of the nation’s most important experts and thought leaders in caregiving and creative aging and provides much-needed encouragement, addressing the challenges of providing care. Click the play button on the bottom left of the video player to begin watching the summit. Scroll below to find more free resources to aid you in your caregiving journey.
Meet The Speakers
Marc Middleton, Founder/CEO, Growing Bolder
Marc Middleton is a media entrepreneur, television journalist, author, filmmaker, speaker, activist, and consultant who focuses on the changing culture of aging. A multiple Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, Marc is the host of Growing Bolder TV, seen on public broadcasting stations nationwide, co-host of Growing Bolder Radio, CEO of Growing Bolder Press, publishers of Growing Bolder Magazine, and director of the Emmy-nominated documentary film, Conquering Kilimanjaro. Marc is a 7-time Masters Swimming world record holder and a 10-time U.S. Masters Swimming national champion. His book, “Growing Bolder, Defy the Cult of Youth, Live with Passion and Purpose,” is now available on Amazon.
Amy O’Rourke
Amy Cameron O’Rourke M.P.H., CMC is a dedicated care manager with a passion for helping people and their loved ones find peace and joy as they age. O’Rourke is a licensed nursing home administrator and certified care manager with 40 years of experience helping families and individuals navigate the care giving journey. She is the friend we all need to help navigate the caregiving journey. She is the author of “The Fragile Years: Proven Strategies for the Care of Aging Loved Ones”
Amy O’Rourke
Caregiving expert and Summit host Amy O’Rourke delivers insight into the many aspects of caregiving.
Hire a Care Manager
We Are In This Together
Take Control
Caregiving for a Parent With Dementia
The Fragile Years
Open Honest Communication
Video Resources
Kim Campbell
Page 4 in AOC Workbook
Kim Campbell was married to legendary musician Glen Campbell for 34 years. When they met, she was just 22 and he was 44. Kim shared with Growing Bolder intimate details from their star-studded story including Glen’s early battle with alcohol and drug addiction and later, his diagnosis, decline and death from Alzheimer’s disease in 2017 at the age of 81. Kim says their roller coaster marriage survived thanks to a combination of faith in God, a sense of humor and a strong circle of family and friends.
Dottie Gray
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It was remarkable that 94-year-old Dottie Gray competed in the 50 and 100 meter dashes at the 2019 National Senior Games, but when discovering she broke her hip less than a year before, it seemed nearly impossible. Dottie’s daughter Mary said it was questionable if her mom would even make it through the surgery. Mary and Dottie fought the group mindset that she was done exercising, or even walking. Doctors and physical therapists encouraged a surplus of safety around Dottie and didn’t want her walking without help. Dottie was determined to ditch the walker. She overcame pain, fought through rehabilitation, and shattered people’s expectations that no one over 90 could bounce back from hip surgery.
Ruth Hamilton
Page 5 in AOC Workbook
Ruth Hamilton lived an incredibly full life. Born in 1898, most of her 109 years were filled with teaching and learning, excitement and adventure. She was married to a Major League Baseball player and was one of the first women to host a radio show. As a teacher, she taught diction to Hollywood starlets and traveled the world giving lectures. In 1937 she came face to face with Adolf Hitler and tried to warn the world. Ruth was also the first woman elected to the New Hampshire State Legislature. Like so many supercentenarians, Ruth outlived her spouse, children and friends and wound up in a nursing home, in a wheelchair, with little engagement with other residents. That’s where her friends from Growing Bolder found her and began a conversation. Those conversations started one-sided but quickly turned into passionate discussions, with Ruth taking on the role of teacher. She shared her wisdom from a lifetime of learning. Soon Ruth was recording videos on the internet (with a little help from Growing Bolder) and, at the age of 108, became the world’s oldest video blogger.
Banana George Blair
Page 5 in AOC Workbook
George Blair, best known as “Banana George,” holds two spots in the Guiness Book of World Records: oldest barefoot water skier at the age of 87 and oldest snowboarder at 86. His nickname “Banana” came from his love of yellow. From his pants and shirts to his curtains and bedding, everything around George was yellow. He didn’t just like yellow. He claimed to be “in love” with the color yellow. Even his car and drum set were, you guessed it, yellow. Banana broke his back four times and nearly drowned twice, but that didn’t stop him from doing what he loved. He lived his life with passion, never looking back. “I don’t wait for the next thing,” Banana explained. “I make the next thing happen.” He skied on 7 continents in 69 different countries, continuing to ski barefoot into his 90s.
Eugenia Zukerman
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Eugenia Zukerman is by all accounts a brilliant woman. She is smart, she’s creative, and she’s caring. She’s a world-class flutist. She was a long-time television correspondent on CBS Sunday Morning, and now she’s come face-to-face with Alzheimer’s disease. With the time she has, she is doing everything to reach out to those who are dealing with things like dementia or even isolation and loneliness. She wrote a book called “Like Falling Through a Cloud,” full of poems with heartfelt, eye-opening insights into what it’s like to face a life- threatening challenge. Eugenia doesn’t look at her Alzheimer’s disease with fear. There is no physical pain. While she’d like to live a longer life, she says the knowledge of her disease motivates her to be positive and find joy every day.
Teepa Snow
Page 6 in AOC Workbook
Teepa Snow’s life mission is to shed a positive light on dementia. Snow is one of the world’s leading educators on dementia and the care that’s needed to cope with it. In this eye-opening conversation, she explains what caregivers and loved ones need to know about what is going on in the minds of those with dementia. Her insights can help you better communicate with and care for your loved one. Plus, she offers tips for taking care of yourself during this journey. Snow is the founder of a company called Positive Approach ® to Care , which offers training, services, and products to make the journey a little easier and understandable.
Molly Middleton Meyer
Page 6 in AOC Workbook
Molly Middleton Meyer was called to the mission of innovative caregiving for very personal reasons. After both of her parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she totally changed the trajectory of her professional life, dedicating herself to improving the quality of life for those in memory care. Among other life-enhancing programs, she’s created a unique poetry facilitation process that triggers memory and imagination. The program has a unique and, in many cases, an unprecedented ability to engage those with dementia — even many who were previously non-verbal. Her work has been featured in U.S. News and World Report, PBS, NPR, Huffington Post, and major daily newspapers across the country. Through her advocacy, she’s destigmatizing memory loss and helping redefine elder care.
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