On May 3 & 4, 2018, Wake Forest will host AGING RE-IMAGINED 2.0, an interdisciplinary symposium. Archives from our 2016 and 2017 symposiums

can be found here.

We are seeking submissions for DEAC talks (Ted-style talks), and POSTER SUBMISSIONS that address AGING from a variety of perspectives. Artists, Clinicians, Community Members, and Scientists: we want to hear from you!

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: December 1, 2017, 5pm.

Accepted poster abstracts may be may be edited until April 23, 2018.

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: January 15, 2018 and participants must be available on Friday May 4, 2018 to share their talk or poster.

FORMAT: proposals should be 500 words or less and include the title, and a list of the submission’s authors and affiliations. Please present broad ideas for what you wish to discuss rather than specific data, if applicable. You may submit a proposal for a talk that has been given at another meeting. The submission should address the problem related to aging that you are presenting, as well as insight to help people age in more satisfying ways.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Email this form and your abstract to Stephanie Reitz ().

NAME(S)/TITLE(S):______

INSTITUTION/AFFILIATION: ______

EMAIL: ______PHONE: ______

PLEASE SELECT:

The symposium will focus on four themes that inform how we age and think about aging. Which themes apply to your talk? Please select all that are relevant. These topics are elaborated on the second page.

☐ Meaning

☐ Mind (including memory)

☐ Mobility

☐ Mortality

I would like to submit an abstract to be considered for:

☐ Poster only

☐ Talk only
☐ Either talk or poster

Mobility:

● Legal and Social policies: Housing, zoning, access, driving.

● Values: Physical strength, speed, agility. Is lack of mobility a failure? Is mobility tied to self-worth?

● What are the perils of immobility? (i.e. isolation, dependence)

● Are there ways that lack of full mobility can be a gift? That is, can a slower pace of life be a benefit?

● What pragmatic concerns are important to address as we care for older parents and partners? What can we DO about mobility problems?

● What does optimal mobility look like? How do we think about life-space? How large a radius do people need for feelings of freedom and connection?

Memory/Mind:

● What is a healthy mind? What is a “good” memory?

● Techniques for sustaining or improving memory and the mind: mindfulness, meditation, etc.

● What happens to the self when a person can’t remember? Is loss of memory a failure? Is loss of narrative/life-story loss of the self?

● What is the place of collective memory? How do we as a society recognize and value it?

● How do we conceive of elders and what is the relationship between wisdom and technology? How are collective memories affected by generational segregation?

● Does aging confer resources or benefits to an individual that we could better harness? If so, if there a way to map the assets they provide?

● What is the place of expression for those whose minds and memories are limited? Where is the self when expression of it is limited?

● When should society step in? What is the line between autonomy and safety?

Mortality:

● Is mortality a problem? Or something else? Is it a gift? A failure? A transition or an ending?

● How long can people live? How long do they want to live?

● Should we want to live forever? What are we valuing when we value indefinitely extending the lives of some? And what are the ethical considerations entailed in such extreme life extension?

● Cultural and historical attitudes toward death and dying: how have we come to fear and resent old age and the inevitable end of life? What constructs our current attitudes toward our mortality?

● Within mainstream American culture, mortality usually inspires feelings of sadness, fear, anger, even desperation. What historical and/or cultural attitudes toward aging and mortality might help us cope with our mortality with greater grace and wisdom? What has changed? What could/should change?

● Is technology “good” and/or “bad” in this context? How does it help us live longer? Do we rely on it in ways that undermine our ability to healthily cope with our mortality and the mortality of our loved ones?

Meaning:

● How does aging affect our search for meaning? Is aging something to overcome?

● How does aging provide us with a shifting understanding of the self and improved self-knowledge?

● How does aging help improve our recognition of the impact of our lives and recognition of others? =

● Is it a mechanism for collecting memories and experiences and drawing meaning from them?

● What cultural attitudes toward aging and wisdom might we learn from? See section on “collective memory” in “mind/memory.”

● What is the place of social justice in creating a meaningful life? What is our responsibility to create a society that affords “the good life” to everyone, so that all have a chance to create meaningful lives?

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