2018 MAIA Concurrent Sessions

MAIA offered 36 concurrent sessions over two days. 

Concurrent sessions are a blessing and a curse.

Yes, it's wonderful to have an array of topics presented when attending a conference.

However, it's painful to choose among competing sessions.

See an earlier post for information about the 2018 MAIA plenary and keynote speakers. 

This was my experience during the 2018 Mid-American Institute on Aging and Wellness, which took place August 9th & 10th on the campus of University of Southern Indiana

As my name badge indicates, I was one of the people helping with the conference. Briefly stated, serving in the MAIA committee as a "Blue Shirt" further enriched my experience before, during, and after the conference.

But being a committee member didn't include the ability to time travel. Consequently, I can only report on a fraction of presentations.

Check out #maiarocks on Twitter for other attendees' photos and summaries of sessions. 

See an earlier post that lists Twitter and Facebook pages for many of the 2018 MAIA presenters and sponsors.

2018 MAIA Keynote and Plenary Speakers

MAIA 11th anniversary swag bag, program, and tee.

What Is MAIA?

For the last eleven years, the University of Southern Indiana in partnership with Southwestern Indiana Council on Aging & MORE! (the local Area Agency on Aging) has organized an inter-professional gerontology conference. This year, the conference ran August 9th and 10th with a pre-conference workshop on the 8th.

2019 MAIA Preview

Located in Evansville, Indiana, this two-day event offers keynote and plenary speakers with national--if not international recognition. In addition, dozens of other presenters also offer great information about promoting wellness across the entire life span. 

The participants are local health care workers, university students, and members of the broader Tristate (IN, IL, KY) community.

Many healthcare professionals attending earn CME credits (continuing medical education), but a good portion of those present are not healthcare professionals; they are community members who are pro-active about their physical, financial, social, and emotional health.

Last week was the third time that I attended the Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness (MAIA). However, it was my first time serving as one of the organizers as a member of the Blue Shirts team. 

This gave me the opportunity to see the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. I'm grateful for all that USI, SWIRCA, the sponsors, vendors, and all the presenters do in order to make this event informative and exhilarating. 

By looking at the program ahead of time, I had a chance to read more about all the presenters before they arrived. However, with six concurrent sessions happening three times a day for two days, it was impossible for me to attend all 36 sessions!

Let me first report some key details about the keynote and plenary speakers. (Details about the 2018 concurrent sessions are now available here.)