Care Partners and Cook County Higher Education are pleased to present a Lunch & Learn series designed to support aging well in Cook County! Presented on the fourth Wednesday of the month from noon to 1pm at Cook County Higher Education, these free Lunch & Learn classes feature speakers from area organizations like Age-Friendly Cook County, AARP, North Shore Health, The MN Aging Eyes Initiative, and more!
For many years Care Partners has provided support and companionship along the journey of aging in Cook County. With this initiative, we hope to help our friends and neighbors proactively address the joys and challenges of growing older with dignity, purpose – and perhaps a gentle dose of humor and camaraderie besides!
Join us online OR in person at Cook County Higher Education! Thanks to the generosity of individual donors and granting organizations, a light lunch is provided free of charge for those who are able to attend in person.
Upcoming Lunch & Learn Classes
April 23 – Advocating for Yourself & Others in the Health Care System
The health care industry seems to be more complex by the day – which makes it increasingly important AND challenging to communicate our medical care needs and preferences, not to mention coordinate appointments, tests, and procedures among a multitude of providers. Dr. Jenny Delfs from Sawtooth Mountain Clinic will help us think through these issues and introduce some ideas to help us get the most from our health care visits, partner well with our providers, and effectively advocate for ourselves and others. Register here!
May 28 – Powers of Attorney & Advance Directives
In this informal session, retired lawyer Julia Rau will talk about powers of attorney and health care directives – how to effectively designate someone to handle your finances and make health care decisions if you are unable to do it yourself. She will cover questions such as: Why should you do this? What is the alternative? How is it done? What do the forms look like? What are some things to consider when choosing the right person? What are the pros and cons of naming more than one person? What precautions should you consider? How are the forms signed and what do you do with them? And, of course, Julia will try to answer any other questions you might have about powers of attorney and health care directives. Register here!
About our speaker: Julia Rau lives in Grand Marais. Before retiring in 2016, she was a partner at the Dorsey & Whitney law firm in Minneapolis, focusing on estate and disability planning, wills, and trusts. She is no longer a lawyer and does not give legal advice, but she is happy to share general insights with all of us about these important topics.
June 25 – Six Pillars of Brain Health
It’s never too late to focus on your brain health. Bette Braem from AARP will join us for this interactive session to help us explore the six pillars of brain health, discover activities that support brain health, and hopefully, be inspired by others. This session is a good overview for anyone interested in learning more about brain health and will share information on the latest research on brain health, lifestyle suggestions, and resources to learn more. Register here!
Wednesday, July 23 – What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to get older)
It seems there is a deluge of detailed information that comes our way about the physiological changes we can expect as we develop in the womb, in infancy, childhood, the teen years, young adulthood and midlife. And then we hit old age…and that stream pretty much becomes a trickle. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the bodily changes that are common as we reach our retirement years and beyond. Our guest speaker is the decidedly non-medically-expert (but hopefully informative and engaging) Christie John, Programs Administrator from Care Partners.
August 27 – Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. Join us as we welcome Jenna Pogorels from the Minnesota-North Dakota chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Jenna will help us learn about the impact of Alzheimer’s, the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, stages and risk factors, current research and treatments available, and Alzheimer’s Association resources. Register here!
September 24 – It’s Time to (Fire)Wise Up!
In September we welcome Cook County Firewise Coordinator Steve VanKekerix as our guest presenter. Steve will give us the latest on the Cook County Firewise program – part of a national effort to encourage local solutions and fuel reduction for wildfire safety. What is our county doing to mitigate the dangers of wildfire? What can individuals do? How can we be alerted about wildfires that may threaten our area? Please join us (and invite your friends and neighbors) to this important and informative session!
October 22 – Charitable Giving and Your Financial Strategy
Many of us want to financially support faith-based, political, or social causes that are important to us, but it’s not always easy to know the best way to go about it. Guest presenter Claire Smith from Edward Jones will help us sort out donation options (some more familiar than others) so we can find the appropriate charitable-giving path for our unique financial strategies and life stages.
November 19 – Details coming soon!
Note: we are meeting the THIRD Wednesday in November to avoid holding class the day before Thanksgiving.