Elderwerks offers senior living coordination, advocacy, and education. We provide complimentary information, referrals, and guidance to older adults, seniors, and families acting as "senior guidance counselors." Anyone with aging questions can contact Elderwerks for their person-centered assistance and referrals.
Join us online for a week of fun and learning opportunities delivered by local experts. Our annual Expo will feature presentations on aging in place, health/wellness, insurance, legal matters and more.
Each day will feature music of the decades with trivia, brain games, bingo or cooking classes. Your chances to learn, win prizes, have fun and connect with friends awaits!
Once you register, you'll be entered to win prizes. After attending each day, you will be sent an evaluation form. Once you fill out the evaluation at the end of each day you attend, you will be entered to win more prizes.
New this year, you'll have options for how you can participate.
Attend Elderwerks Virtual World. Build your own avatar, visit the sponsors in their booth, chat with the speakers, attendees, and sponsors, attend the live educational sessions, hunt for Elderwerks butterflies in the scavenger hunt, play games, and more. Participating in the Elderwerks Virtual world will also offer you extra chances to win prizes. Works best on a computer with a mouse.
Fun sessions will take place from 2:30pm-3:30pm each day. Click here to join on Zoom. The Meeting ID will be 868 6997 2935 and the Passcode is 668991. The link for the fun sessions will be the same for all five days.
For those who are attending the Virtual Aging Better Expo in Elderwerks Virtual World, Elderwerks will be sending out information on training days. We will walk through the event, discuss your options, and view the available rooms. You will receive a map, a list of sponsors to visit, the Agenda, and a list of prizes.
Agenda
August 9, 2021
August 10, 2021
August 11, 2021
August 12, 2021
August 13, 2021
August 9, 2021
Expo
8:45 AM - 9:00 AM
Keynote Presentation by Paula Basta, Director of Illinois Department of Aging
Keynote Speaker, Paula Basta talks about Illinois and aging.
Paula Basta
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Surrogacy, the Decision Makers, and the Lack of Planning
Kerry Peck, Managing Partner at Peck Ritchey, LLC, will discuss what happens when someone doesn't put all the necessary legal documents in order to protect their healthcare decisions and the finances. Families need to know their legal options before a crisis occurs, and if no legal documents are in place what the next steps would be.
Kerry R. Peck
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Planning for Healthcare Costs in Retirement
Health care planning is a key component to a solid financial plan. As you are nearing retirement there are steps you can take to position yourself for success in your next chapter. Carrie Espinosa has decades of experience helping her clients navigate their health insurance and health care. Pre-retirees increasingly cite the cost of health care as their top financial concern and appropriately so. During this interactive session Carrie will share cost information and helpful strategies to plan for your healthcare costs in retirement.
Carrie Espinosa
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Fall Prevention: I'm Still Standing!
Concerns about falling is a wide spread concern in healthcare and for all of us in the community. People over the age of 55 represent over 50% of trauma fall related visits to the ER. Learn the many ways you can lower your fall risk through understanding what risky behaviors, biological and environmental factors are putting you at risk and how easy it can be to change them so you can continue to live an independent, high-quality of life!
Sue Grossinger
12:40 PM - 1:10 PM
Making Turkey Chili with Instant Pot
Robin will give a brief overview of how to use a Instant Pot for those who may not be familiar with the appliance and would like to learn more about how it works. Then she will be demonstrating how to make Turkey Chili using the Instant Pot.
Robin Ross
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Paying for Long-Term Care: Debunking the Medicare Myths
When you are diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, not only do you need to prepare medically, you need to prepare legally and financially. Besides having the proper estate planning documents, you need to know what legal options are available in planning and paying for long-term care. That Medicare will pay for everything is a myth. This session, presented by an elder law attorney, will focus on the limitations of Medicare and how Medicaid, long-term care insurance, and personal care contracts can be used to maximize you and your loved one’s quality of life. Bring your questions.
Kathryn Casey
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Name that Tune
Do you want to have some fun? Just like the hit TV Show Name That Tune, Mary Ellen will be hosting this fun, interactive game of music from the decades. Prizes will be awarded to top performers.
Mary Ellen Heelan
August 10, 2021
Expo
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Long Term Care Planning for All Ages
Alan & Caren will be exploring the importance of planning early for long term care, including a discussion on the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.
Caren E.I. Naidoff
Alan R. Press
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
How to Keep Your Memory Sharp at Any Age
This presentation will give you some simple, practical techniques to keep your brain healthy and your memory intact.
Worldwide, a new person is diagnosed with dementia every 7 seconds. More than 5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to nearly triple by 2050. Tens of millions more will experience other forms of dementia, and 75% of older adults will suffer from memory problems.
Dr. Shane Creado
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Effective Communication
As more seniors are aging out and proud, they are accessing health and senior services at increasing numbers. How do we welcome and create safe environments for LGBTQ+ seniors? What are best practices for affirming language and effective communication? In this workshop we'll focus on the latest strategies for communicating with and caring for LGBTQ+ patients and clients. Join to learn and gain ideas to incorporate at your organization or in your clinical practice.
Jacqueline Boyd
12:40 PM - 1:10 PM
Sit and Be Fit with Destination Fitness In Home Training, LLC
Grab a chair and join John Abromowicz, Certified Senior Exercise Specialist from Destination Fitness at 12:40 pm for a fun half hour seated and standing exercise routine that can be done in your home! As you grow older, leading an active lifestyle is more important than ever. Regular exercise helps seniors maintain health, boost energy, and improve confidence. Our Senior Fitness Specialists and Exercise Therapists help create a safe, yet effective exercise routine to help with balance, flexibility, coordination and agility. We teach functional training to help strengthen the muscles used in daily activity. Whether it’s helping recover from a fall or surgery, or keeping you strong so you can experience life to its fullest! Our Senior Fitness Specialists will not only help with exercise but will also give advice on safety in the home to prevent falls and to help make daily living a breeze!
Jill Lindberg
John Abromowicz
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Aging in Place Safely Using Current Technology
Jim will help you to identify challenges and safety risks in your home and teach you possible solutions to overcome those risks.
Jim Whittington
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Music Trivia
Do you know which song gave Elvis Presley his first US No.1 of the 60's? Or how many weeks Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water stayed on the US album chart? If you do, then Join Katie Monahan Brooks from Transitions Hospice as we Groove through the Tunes of yesteryear in Music Trivia: the best of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Put on your thinking caps and your dancing shoes and get ready to boogie down for some far-out trivia questions!
Katie Monahan Brooks
August 11, 2021
Expo
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Medicare Made Clear
Participants will learn the basics of Medicare Parts A, B, C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D (drug plans). Information will be provided on how to apply for Medicare, Medicare+ working past 65 and enrolling on-time to prevent late enrollment penalties. General information on Medicare supplements will also be covered. No specific information on insurance products or pricing will be discussed.
Vicki Madigan
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Demystifying Senior Living: Choosing the Right Path
Attendees will learn about aging options and levels of care throughout the continuum, the costs involved, and how to pay for it.
Gail Niksic
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Maintaining Positivity for Your Mind, Body, and Spirit
Aging can be stressful and the people around you can influence your outlook on life. This session will talk about how to stay positive in an otherwise negative world, stay connected with positive influences, and learn how to step away from people who aren't supportive.
Cori Moschberger
12:40 PM - 1:10 PM
Stretches to Keep the Body Moving- This Class is for You!
Julia will start off by demonstrating stretches that can be done while standing or sitting. She will show you how to stretch the neck, shoulders, hands, arms, and legs to improve circulation. During the last half of the class, Julia will demonstrate standing stretches and stretches that can be done while lying on your back. These stretches will benefits issues with sciatica as well as improve mobility.
Julia Tarnorutskaya
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Veterans Benefits for Home and Senior Living Settings
This session will discuss benefits available to veterans to help pay for costs at home or in a senior living community. Mike will touch on programs and benefits including the Caregiver Respite Program, VA Caregivers Program, Veterans Pension & Survivors Pension, Agent Orange Disability Pension, and more.
Michael Iwanicki
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Brain Health Exercises
Chris will present a variety of brain exercises to strengthen your brain's memory center. She will also provide tips to help you improve your memory.
Chris Petrik
August 12, 2021
Expo
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Public Benefits & Medicare Fraud
What are Public Benefits? Are you eligible for Public Benefits? We will discuss programs that assist older adults on a fixed income like SNAP (Food Stamps/ Link), programs available to assist older adults with Medicare costs, BAA License Plate Discount/ Ride Free & other programs available to assist older adults.
The Illinois Senior Medicare Patrol empowers Medicare beneficiaries to protect, detect and report Medicare fraud. Please come and learn effective ways to prevent brace, home health, genetic testing, COVID-19 vaccine scams and more through our presentation.
Joy Aaronson
Jesus Enriquez
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Let's Talk About Dementia: Knowledge is Power
Dementia is now Americans' Number One fear. With the Baby Boomers aging into their 70s, we can no longer avoid its encroachment into our lives, whether it's our parents, siblings, friends, or ourselves. Dr. Wilson-Binotti is a clinical neuropsychologist and owner of Compassionate Neuropsychology LLC, whose primary focus is neuropsychological evaluation of the older adult population. She discusses why it is better to know about dementia than to avoid it, signs to watch for, and preparations to make. Dr. Wilson-Binotti presents the topic of Dementia with a humor that helps to defuse its power over us.
Jennifer Wilson-Binotti
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Palliative Care, It's All About Living
This session will offer a discussion of home-based palliative care and outline the benefits of enrollment for appropriate patients.
Lisa Wieland
12:40 PM - 1:10 PM
Chair Aerobics
Let's move together! A seated, fun workout to help get your heart pumping and your muscles working. Supported movement that is gentle on the joints but just enough to get you moving and smiling. Cardio for your heart and strength for your muscles is the right mix for the day! Join in the fun, don't miss it.
Jenifer Anderson
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
The Aging Brain
Monica E. Gavran, MD will discuss cognitive decline along with what is normal compared to what is pathologic. She will also share strategies to slow down brain aging.
Monica Gavran
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
The Brain & You
These brain games will make you think hard to win prizes.
SM
Sarah Moore
August 13, 2021
Expo
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Say What! Hearing Loss Treatments & Communication Strategies
Find out more about hearing loss and learn about treatments and communication strategies.
Dr. Lisa Gumina
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Loving Someone with Alzheimer's- A Retrospective: What I Learned Along the Way
The presenter, the primary caregiver for over five years for his spouse, begins by reviewing the different care giving options he selected during each phase of the disease. He highlights the common mistakes he made during this time and the things he finally did right. He then gives specific recommendations for people faced with caring for a relative or friend with dementia. He highlights financial issues that must be faced, along with ideas to benefit the patient as well as the caregiver. He concludes with an overview of Memory Café and how it can benefit those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. He uses experiences he had in the formation and day-to-day support of the Fox Valley Memory Café to emphasize success factors to providing meaningful assistance to those with dementia.
John McNeely
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Safe Travel in the World of COVID-19
Covid-19 has changed the way we travel. This presentation will focus on what the future of travel will look like. From hand sanitizers in hotel lobbies and attractions to motorcoach and airline practices, Covid-19 has transformed the world of travel. During the peak of the pandemic, travel came to a virtual standstill. We will be looking at what will be the new normal. It’s time to start dreaming of travel again, but doing it safely is what will be required. The World Travel and Tourism Council and the CDC have developed an extensive range of protocols to cover the new normal. Cleaning, sanitization, wearing masks, reduced touch points will all shape the travel experience for some time to come.
Kris Hoff
12:40 PM - 1:10 PM
Choose Your Veggies & Pumpkin Pudding
Maria Guzman will present a nutrition lesson that focuses on including the recommended vegetables in your daily meals and snacks. Participants will be able to visualize what 2 1/2 cups of vegetables looks like and identify new ways to include a variety of different colored vegetables in their meals. Maria will feature a food demonstration of Pumpkin Pudding.
Maria Guzman
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Empowering Caregivers through Support Groups
Taking care of a loved one with dementia or other long-term illness is difficult. Caregivers often feel alone, and struggle with their roles and responsibilities, afraid to ask for help. They continue to provide care, often to the point of resentment and exhaustion, never recognizing they need support themselves. Many don't even know support is available. Caregiver support groups provide education, offer emotional support and help build caregiver confidence This presentation will describe what to look for in a support group, offer stories from actual caregivers, and is presented by an experienced support group leader and caregiver who took care of her own Mom with dementia for 10+ years.
Rosemary Monahan
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Bingo Based on the Week's Events
Did you attend the educational sessions? Walk around our virtual world? If so, this Bingo is for you. GREAT prizes go to winners and if you think the week was fun, the last event of the week will be even better!
Speakers
Joy Aaronson
Benefits Access & Information Specialist at AgeOptions
John Abromowicz
Certified Senior Exercise Specialist at Destination Fitness In Home Training, LLC
Jenifer Anderson
Group Exercise Director of Advocate Good Shepherd Health & Fitness Center
Paula Basta
Director of Illinois Dept. on Aging
Jacqueline Boyd
Founder, Owner of The Care Plan
Kathryn Casey
Partner & Certified Elder Law Attorney at Dutton Casey & Mesoloras
Dr. Shane Creado
Board-Certified Psychiatrist, Sleep Medicine Physician at Amen Clinics
Jesus Enriquez
Information & Outreach Specialist at AgeOptions- Illinois Senior Medicare Patrol
Carrie Espinosa
Owner, Principal Advisor at Horizon Benefit Services
Monica Gavran
Doctor at Northwestern Regional Medical Group
Sue Grossinger
Senior Services Coordinator at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Dr. Lisa Gumina
Audiologist at Finer Hearing
Maria Guzman
Community Educator at University of Illinois Extension- Illinois Nutrition Education Program
Mary Ellen Heelan
Neurologic Music Therapist, President & Owner at Heelan Music
Kris Hoff
President & CEO of Happy Times Tours & Experiences LLC
Michael Iwanicki
Superintendent at Veterans Assistance Commission of McHenry County
Jill Lindberg
Owner, Exercise Physiologist at Destination Fitness In Home Training, LLC
Vicki Madigan
Owner and Benefits Consultant at Madigan Insurance Group