2024 Annual Meeting & Conference
OUR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
We are excited to invite you to share your expertise with us at the 69th annual GGS Conference on August 12-14, 2024. This three-day conference allows attendees to learn about new and innovative practices, develop new collaborative partnerships, and network with colleagues from across Georgia and beyond. We hope you will submit a proposal for consideration.
OUR ATTENDEES
As the largest organization of multidisciplinary professionals in the field of aging in Georgia, GGS reaches across the state to educate, advocate for, and serve those working with older adults and their families. This conference attracts social and human service agencies, government entities, students, academic professionals, health care service providers, senior housing professionals, retirees, older adults, caregivers, and others interested in aging issues.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Great Wolf Lodge
150 Tom Hall Parkway
LaGrange, GA 30240
The resort has approved a special rate of $124 a night (plus applicable taxes and fees). The reservation deadline is July 22, 2024, to secure the discounted rate. Reservations can be made by calling 1-844-473-9653 or booking online. The code will be made available when registration opens.
CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS (CEUs)
GGS will apply for approval to offer CEUs for conference sessions. The type and number of credits offered will be determined by proposals submitted and selected. Details on CEUs will be updated as soon as available.
SPEAKER COMPENSATION
GGS does not pay a speaker’s fee, cover lodging or travel costs, or offer other forms of compensation for general presenters. Presenters will receive a discounted conference registration rate. You are not required to pay a registration fee if you plan to attend only your session.
TRACKS
We invite you to share your expertise, research, lived experience, and promising practices in the field of aging by submitting your proposal for a presentation at the GGS Annual Conference. The 7 conference tracks are listed below.
Age Friendly & Livable Communities
This track introduces cutting-edge ideas to make community living more rewarding. It explores the addressing of issues and policy implementation to help create viable and friendly communities for all as our population ages. Potential topics include housing access and affordability, co-housing and multi-generational housing, addressing homelessness and isolation, access to age-friendly community resources, the benefits of multi-use communities, civic and social involvement, health and safety, options for rural communities, and more.
Advocacy
This track will focus on advocacy approaches, initiatives, and opportunities related to aging issues at the local, state, and national levels. Advocates play a critical role in improving the health and social well-being of older adults, their families, and their care partners by educating the public and policymakers about aging issues and championing policies, laws, investments, and other actions that address those issues. Potential topics include discussions of policy and advocacy agendas, grassroots efforts, equity and inclusion, state and local aging plans, and advocacy strategies and best practices.
Caregiving and Care Partnership
This track explores caregiving and care partnerships. More broadly, family and informal care partnerships and caregiving are essential to our aging society. Care partnership is characterized by cooperation and joint responsibilities, reflecting a move to be more inclusive in caregiving. Potential topics include challenges, existing programming, services for care partners, and data on underrepresented care partner experiences.
Elder Justice
This track explores the rights of older adults in all areas of life and is for all who want to learn about justice for older adults. Elder justice is fostering social structures and creating policies that enable older adults to remain in the community and live free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Possible topics include fraud prevention, financial scams, legal assistance, estate planning, service access and program development for older adults, partnering with criminal justice professionals, building capacity, local research-based solutions, mandated reporting, decision-making capacity, and civil rights in guardianship and conservatorship.
Health/Wellness
This track shares best practices, ideas for creating unique and engaging programming for older adults, and examples of multidisciplinary collaborations that have produced measurable outcomes for participants. Mental and physical health and wellness impact all aspects of aging. Older adults and their loved ones seek programs and services offering innovative and practical opportunities to support their well-being. Potential topics include nutrition, physical activity, rest, stress management, mental and behavioral health, loneliness, social isolation and connectedness, sexual health, faith and spirituality.
Lived Experience
This track focuses on persons with lived experience with first-person, direct knowledge of aging issues, systems, and services. It further opens the opportunity to understand and potentially change and influence systems, research, policies, practices, and programs in aging. Potential topics include theory exploration, person-centered frameworks, the influence of lived experience in program development, relationship building, and more presented as in-person accounts or through audio-visual displays such as recorded accounts or reading of words of those with lived experience.
Professional/Workforce Development
This track will provide training, knowledge sharing and skill development opportunities for individuals in service of or working with older adults and persons with disabilities. Professional and workforce development is necessary to meet the current and future needs of an organization through group and individual improvement. Potential topics include time management, financial planning & investing, confidence building, and leadership skills.
PRESENTATION FORMATS
Presentations in any of the following formats are welcome. All proposals are required to specify a strategy they will use to make the presentation fun, engaging, or interactive. We strongly encourage the use of in-person or audio-visual contributions of aging persons related to presentation submissions where possible.
- Workshop: A “how-to” or “best practice” session emphasizing Q&A. This format should highlight the exchange of information and the demonstration and application of ideas, techniques, and skills.
- Panel Discussion: A small group of panelists sharing different perspectives.
- Informative Presentation: Educational sessions emphasizing the latest research, trends, and initiatives.
- Fast Track: We are replacing our traditional poster session format with a short 15–20 minute presentation followed by small group discussions with the presenters. These 60 minute sessions may comprise up to 10 presentations in succession on any of the tracks we are offering. Visual displays of ideas, research, interventions, or programs are welcomed.
Concurrent sessions are 60 minutes with a maximum of four presenters, including panel formats. All proposals should include the following information.
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Title, Conference Track, and Presentation Type – Please be sure to include the presentation title, track, and presentation format for each proposal.
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Primary Contact Person and List of Presenters – Please include the following in the proposal: the primary contact and ALL presenter names, credentials, title, agency, mailing and email addresses, telephone numbers. The primary contact is responsible for receiving all correspondence related to the presentation and will forward such information to all presenters.
- Learning Objectives – List three learning objectives for each presentation. The objectives should be measurable. For example: By the end of this session, participants will be able to discuss risk factors for heart disease.
- Presentation Summary – Please provide a 50-word max summary of the proposed presentation. This description is included in the conference program and our CEU applications for all approved sessions.
- Presentation Details – Include a more detailed presentation description, including key topics and elements. The word limit is 300.
- Intended Audience – Describe the intended audience for your presentation. Include those most likely to benefit from your session.
- Mode of Presentation – All presentations are in-person.
- Technology (A/V) Needs – Request any items not listed under section about equipment. This includes a microphone, internet access, speakers, flip charts, etc. GGS does not guarantee that all requests will be honored.
- Presenter Short Bio – Provide brief bios (50 word max per bio) for all presenters in your proposal. Include each presenter’s experience and training that qualifies them to participate in the proposed presentation. Bios are for the conference program and our CEU applications.
- Presenter Resume/CV – Provide a resume or CV for all presenters for our CEU applications.
- Presenter Picture – Provide a picture for all presenters for our conference materials.
PRESENTATION EQUIPMENT
A computer with Microsoft PowerPoint, LCD projector, and screen are provided in each room. We ask all presenters to submit their presentations electronically ahead of the conference and to bring their presentations on a flash drive as a backup.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS
You will receive a notification within 10 days that your submission has been received. If you do not receive an email, please contact Jon DuMond at administrator@georgiagerontologysociety.org.
CLICK HERE to access the online submission form. If you are unable to use the online form, you may request a PDF by emailing administrator@georgiagerontologysociety.org.
The submission deadline is midnight on March 31, 2024.