Gerontology majors and faculty attend the Minnesota Gerontological Society Conference

Gerontology majors and faculty attend the Minnesota Gerontological Society Conference

Gerontology majors Abbie Breidenbach, Allyson Grimley, Kailey Jenks, Solveig Mundis, Alesha Petermann, and Andrea Rezac, along with Life Science Education major Jonathan Verdon and Gerontology Program Coordinator Sue Humphers-Ginther attended the 42nd annual meeting of the Minnesota Gerontological Society in Brooklyn Center, MN on April 27, 2018. This year’s conference theme was “Wellness Agenda: Healthy Communities. Healthy You.” Keynote speaker, Jim Eppel, Executive VP and Chief Administrative Officer for HealthPartners, discussed the multitude of challenges to Minnesota’s high ranking as a national leader in population health and wellbeing. These challenges include a rapidly aging population, concomitant workforce needs in all areas of the economy, but especially healthcare, and shifting consumer expectations. According to Eppel, “Baby boomers expect to live with no limitations—we want things fixed.”