Of the 149 attendees at the 2019 Forum on Aging in Rural Oregon:

• 37% identified as non-clinical professionals (employed by an entity that provides services to seniors)
• 27% identified as health care clinicians (physical, mental, or oral health care)
• 21% identified as “other -volunteers, advocates, instructors, and County HHS Directors”
• 15% identified as policy makers or advocates for aging issues

Geographically, attendees came from the following Oregon communities:

• 21% the Coast (primarily central, but ranging from north to south coast)  
• 14% Willamette Valley
• 11% Central
• 10% Eastern
• 9% Southern
• 7% Gorge

• The Experience of Grief and Loneliness, presented by Patrick Arbore, EdD, Director and Founder, Elderly Suicide Prevention & Grief Related Services at the Institute on Aging
• Oregon’s Medically At-Risk Driver Program, presented by Kristopher Kyes, Medical Programs Coordinator, Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
• Supporting the Long-Term Care Workforce: The Use of the Project ECHO Model to Build Knowledge and Skills in Nursing Home Staff, presented by Maggie McLain McDonnell, MPH, Senior Program Manager, Oregon Echo Network, and Nirmala Dhar, LCSW, ACSW, Older Adult Behavioral Health Services Coordinator for Oregon Health Authority's Health Systems Division

• Depression, Suicide, & Aging in Rural Communities, presented by Patrick Arbore, EdD, Director and Founder, Elderly Suicide Prevention & Grief Related Services at Institute on Aging
• Introduction to Older Adult Mental Health First Aid, presented by Lois Orner, LCSW, Clackamas County Social Services Volunteer Connection Program Manager
• The Online Doctor Will See You Now: Health Resources for Rural Elders, presented by Michele Spatz, MS, All of Us Research Program Community Engagement Coordinator, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, PNW Region, University of Washington
• Navigating Rural Healthcare for Advanced Age Patients in the Years to Come, presented by Michael Knower, MD, HMDC, FAAHPM, St. Charles Hospice, and Chris Kelley, RN, MHL, Mt Bachelor Memory Care
• The Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) of Oregon: Connecting You to Community Resources, presented by Monica Sandgren, Oregon DHS-APD, Community Services & Supports, and Lacey Hanson, ADRC Program and Technical Specialist
• Independence, Rural Communities, and the Stigma of Social Services, presented by Rebecca Arce, MPP, DHS Aging & People With Disabilities, and Ashley Carson Cottingham, JD, Director, DHS Aging & People With Disabilities
• Empowering Advocates and Navigators to Facilitate POLST Discussions in Their Community, presented by Valerie Jimenez, Executive Director, Oregon POLST Program
• Positive Approaches to Care—Normal Aging/Not Normal Aging, presented by Janet Holboke, MSW, LCSW, Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist, Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc., and Rod Harwood, MDiv, MA, BCC, Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist, Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc.
• Healthy Aging through Community and Exercise: A Case-Study of Strong Women Programs in the Columbia River Gorge, presented by Lauren Kraemer, MPH, Assistant Professor of Practice, Oregon State University, Strong Women Ambassador & Master Trainer, Claire Culbertson, Strong Women Leader & Oregon State University Extension Service Community Volunteer, and Ann Dow, Strong Women Leader & Oregon State University Extension Service Community Volunteer
• MOVE-ing Toward Person-Centered Care: Practical Tools for Caregivers, presented by Leah Brandis, Lead project manager for the Oregon Nursing Home Resident Safety Collaborative at Health InSight Oregon, and Serena Hasworth, MPH, Research assistant and project manager in the Portland State University Institute on Aging
• A Hidden Crisis – The Rise of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Oregon, presented by Keren Brown Wilson, PhD, Jessie F. Richardson Foundation CEO, and Stephanie Hooper, Jessie F. Richardson Foundation, President
• Empowering Communities through the LiveWell Method™, presented by Barbara Kohnen Adriance, Founder of The Malden Collective, and Lisa McKerlick, MSN, RN, RN Facilitator/Lead Trainer, Providence Portland Medical Center

• When a Guardian is Appointed: What Happens Next? The Role of a Fiduciary, presented by Jerry Rainey, Certified National Guardian, and cofounder of Cornerstone Services
• Blue Zones Project - Purpose Workshop—Parts I & II, presented by Jessie Hecocta, Relationship Manager, Blue Zones Project, Klamath Falls
• Pruning the Pills: A Deprescribing Strategy for Addressing Polypharmacy, presented by Lisa Honsvik, RN, DNS, WIllowbrook Terrace, and Michael Knower, MD, HMDC, FAAHPM, St Charles Hospice
• Community-Based Palliative Care in Rural Oregon, presented by Donna Becker, MSW, PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Palliative Care, & Stephen Kerner, DO, PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Palliative Care
• Clinical Considerations for Cannabis Use, presented by Danielle Backus, PharmD, BCGP, Pacific University, and John Begert, PharmD, Pacific University
• Every Brain Needs Music, presented by Larry S. Sherman, PhD, Professor in the Division of Neuroscience at the Oregon Primate Research Center