Aging Well with Autism (55 and Older)

In July 2013, the NLM Family Foundation and The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University co-sponsored a special one-day workshop, “Aging Well with Autism (55 and Older),” at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss several unique challenges faced by the growing population of individuals with autism after age 55. Topics discussed included access to medical and health care services as well as senior life planning initiatives for older adults with autism and their families.

MORNING SESSION: Healthcare Issues and Models

Medical Care for Individuals with Autism and Developmental Disabilities Over 55
Susan L. Parish, Ph.D., MSW
Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Disability Policy
Director, Lurie Institute for Disability Policy
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA

Self-Determination, Aging, and Family Supports
Tamar Heller, Ph.D.
Professor and Head, Department of Disability and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL

Aging into the Unknown: Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adulthood
Nora Friedman, MD
Staff Psychiatrist, Lurie Center for Autism
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Models for Clinical Care & Research: D-Termined™ Dental Program of Repetitive Tasking and Familiarization
David Tesini, DMD, MS
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Boston, MA

Models for Clinical Care & Research: Preparing Potential Research Participants for the MRI Environment
Trang Nguyen, BA
Clinical Research Coordinator
Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

HealthMatters – Innovative Health Promotion Program
Beth Marks, RN, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor, Department of Disability and Human Development University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL

AFTERNOON SESSION: Residential Planning Models

Mixed Income, Supportive Senior Housing as a Model
Len Fishman
Former CEO, Hebrew SeniorLife
Visiting Scholar, Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA

The Green House Project: Meaningful Transformation that Creates Lives Worth Living (sponsored by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
Susan Frazier, RN, MA
Chief Operating Officer
The Green House Project/NCB Capital Impact
Arlington, VA

Generations of Hope – Multigenerational Communities (sponsored by Kellogg Foundation)
Brenda Eheart, Ph.D.
CEO, Executive Director, and Founder
Generations of Hope Development Corporation
Champaign, IL

Aging Well with Autism (55 and Older)

2013

Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA