Bereavement for Aging Service Professionals: Creating a Culture of Care in Times of Loss

Aging service professionals are expected to perform through continual exposure to death and loss, often without adequate space and support to acknowledge and process the cumulative and collective grief that accompanies that loss. Learn about the health impacts of grief related to loss in the workplace. Learn from evidenced-based approaches and get tools that can help our organizations practice grief-readiness. Explore ways in which you can support others through words, deeds, and rituals. Reflect on your own ability to be present with grief and loss and explore ways that you might offer comfort and support to those around you.

Intended audience: This presentation is appropriate for all professionals working with older adults. It is also appropriate for volunteers, educators, researchers, and students in the field of aging and anyone interested in death, dying, and grief in the workplace.

Presenters:

Kera Magarill, MA, Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist, Washington County

Kera Magarill is an Older Adult Behavioral Specialist with Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services. She has worked to support older adults and caregivers in a variety of residential, care and social service settings for over 18 years.

She served as faculty and taught courses in Aging Services at Metropolitan State University and worked for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Colorado Chapter before moving to Oregon to serve in her current role as an Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist with Washington County.

Kera is passionate about battling the stigma of mental health and dementia in order to create a more age-friendly community. She holds a Masters Degree in Human Services and has received certification in gerontology and dementia and special training in music therapy.

Laurel Wonder, MSW, Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist, Multnomah County

Laurel Wonder holds a Masters Degree in Social Welfare from University of California, Berkeley. She began her career supporting persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who were also impacted by severe mental illness. From this work grew a desire to safeguard the rights of vulnerable persons. Ms. Wonder transitioned to working in Adult Protective Services in Washington and Oregon.

After nearly two decades working for individual clients, Ms. Wonder is pleased to be supporting system improvement through the Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative. She has a passion for improving program policies to better address the needs of older adults and persons with physical disabilities, as well as providing training to the community. Ms. Wonder has a MSW degree and holds a QMHP in the state of Oregon. Ms. Wonder is a certified facilitator for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and several other trainings.

Registration Fee

• OGA members: Free!
• Non-members: $10
• Non-member students/seniors and registrants with limited financial means: $5

Why do we ask for a fee?

OGA is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. Events and donations are our main sources of income to fund our educational and networking programs.

Reduced or complementary event registration is one of the great benefits for OGA members! If you like our educational program - we strive to offer at least one event per month - becoming a member will pay off quickly! To learn more about OGA membership, please visit our Membership page.

However, we understand that many of us are struggling to make ends meet these days. No one will be turned away! If you cannot afford $5 at this moment, please contact us at [email protected] - thanks to the generous donations of OGA members and friends throughout the year, we can cover a small number of registrations for each event.

Please note that we offer CEUs only for our annual conference in October, not for our regular events. However, we are happy to issue a Certificate of Attendance upon request for those who attend this webinar for its entire length. To request one, please send us an email after the event.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE to receive the Zoom link. Should you encounter any difficulties registering online, please don't hesitate to reach out! Please note that payment via check is currently not possible through the online form! If you cannot or do not wish to pay electronically, please do not complete the form. Instead, contact us at [email protected], and we will guide you through the offline payment process.