On Lok will share outcomes and insights from its programs at On Aging 2024, the nation’s largest multidisciplinary conference on aging and the annual conference for members of the American Society on Aging (ASA), in San Francisco March 25 - 28.

On Aging 2024 will bring together aging experts, gerontologists and thought leaders from diverse disciplines to discuss solutions to the growing needs of older adults, connecting thousands of professionals working in the field. On Lok’s focus will be on PACE palliative care, the role of social work in caring for older adults, the Openhouse + On Lok Community Day Services program for LGBTQ+ seniors, and how On Lok 30th Street Senior Center has been leveraging technology to promote healthy living and combat isolation.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour our senior center and LGBTQ+ day center, where they will be able to see our programs in action and interact with staff and participants.

On Lok Chief Operating Officer Nicole Torres is a member of the conference host committee to support conference week activities and welcome attendees to the conference and the city of San Francisco.

On Lok’s presentations include the following: March 25 - “A systematic approach to addressing primary palliative care needs for aging in place in PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly).” At this roundtable session, On Lok PACE Geriatrician Alice Mao, Lead Physician Jennifer Yang, and Associate Medical Director Teresa Pham will discuss palliative care from a multidisciplinary perspective for individuals who want to pursue a quality-of-life approach at the end of life.

March 25 - The 60-minute workshop “Expanding Social Work’s Impact in Aging: Policy Developments and Opportunities” will focus on ways legislative and regulatory developments, as well as innovative care models and career ladders, will help social workers enhance the care of older adults across settings. On Lok COO Nicole Torres will present with Amy York, Executive Director, Eldercare Workforce Alliance; LaCinda Jones, Adjunct Professor, Arizona State University; Robyn Golden, Associate VP for Social Work and Aging, RUSH University Medical Center; Bonnie Ewald, Managing Director, Center for Health and Social Care Integration at RUSH; and Joanne Spetz, Director, Institute for Health Policy Studies, UCSF.

March 27 - “Not your typical center: co-designing an affirming adult day program with and for LGBTQ+ older adults” will discuss the impact of Openhouse + On Lok Community Day Services, the first program in the nation co-designed with and for the LGBTQ+ community, to support LGBTQ+ seniors in overcoming historical challenges related to discrimination, stigma, and acceptance so they may be better able to age in place. Sandra Rivas, Director of Senior Programs and Operations, Day Services will present with Jason Flatt, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health Department of Social & Behavioral Health, University of Nevada; Kathleen Sullivan, Executive Director, Openhouse; and Jarmin Yeh, Associate Professor, UCSF.

March 27 - The session and poster presentation “Journey to health: connecting seniors and breaking isolation through virtual exercise and preventive health programs” will explore the use of age-inclusive technology to support On Lok 30th Street Senior Center’s workshops and classes in English, Spanish, and Chinese, serving 1500 seniors and adults with disabilities annually, 60 percent in-person and 40 percent virtually. Members of the On Lok 30th Street Senior Center and Health Promotion Team Diana Lara Rodgers, Genny Pinzon, Luz Ibarra, and Miguel Martinez Jimenez will present. The project’s data and outcomes will be featured at the poster session On Tech @ On Aging: Tech for a Better Brain & Body.

Photo caption: On Lok Always Active raised the bar in virtual exercise classes with the creation of backgrounds from destinations around the world, developed in On Lok 30th Street Senior Center’s very own green room in collaboration with On Lok’s I.T. team. In the photo, On Lok Always Active Specialist Luz Ibarra leads the online classes with virtual backgrounds, one of the age-inclusive technologies discussed at the American Society on Aging Conference.