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Abstract
The Aging Network is a federally funded group of collaborating organizations which provides support and services to older adults and caregivers. Professionals within the network are charged with staying up-to-date on current best practices, pertinent changes in federal policies, and the latest developments in aging. To promote professional networking, the dissemination of innovation, and continuing education, the Aging Network supports three annual service-based conferences at the national level. This investigation analyzed the content of 1,363 presentation sessions at these national conferences over a 10-year period. As a result, a total of 68 unique topics were identified, many of which were linked to the provision of services traditionally offered by the Aging Network including information and referral and service development. Few sessions, however, focused on organizational development, minority health and aging, gender issues, and end of life. These findings may guide conference organizers to better target topics previously unaddressed or deserving of greater attention.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the John A. Hartford Foundation, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and National Association of State Units on Aging for their support in completing this research. Dr. Cagle's efforts were supported, in part, by a T-32 training grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), 2T32AG000272-06A2.
Notes
*Conferences not offered in these years. +Data unavailable.
*Indicates major topic used for organizing only.
*Based on a review of aging-related topics from encyclopedia entries in Birren (Citation2007); Capezuti, Siegler, & Mezey (Citation2008); and Schulz, Noelker, Rockwood, & Sprott (Citation2006).