Intermountain LiVe Well Center kicks off free weekly lecture series

Photo courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare LiVe Well Center, St. George News

ST. GEORGE —The Intermountain Healthcare LiVe Well Center in St. George will be hosting a series of weekly educational lectures starting Friday, with focuses on healthy lifestyle behaviors, clinical information, strategies for successful aging and more. However, the first lecture, “Violence in America and how it Affects our Local Police Force,” will be something of a departure from the rest of the series.

Teri Koenig, gerontologist and certified health and wellness coach at the LiVe Well Center, told St. George News that while most of the lecture topics involve active aging, following the shootings in Dallas at the beginning of July and subsequent events, the effect of current events on law enforcement needed to be a topic of discussion.

“After Dallas, I thought, we have to have a conversation,” Koenig said. “We are tucked up in beautiful Utah, but this must still affect our police force. How does it? Do they get special training? We don’t have the diversity of those big metropolitan areas, but we’re getting it. It’s certainly in our future.”

As a result of her own desire to know more – and educate the public as well – Koenig called her contact in the Washington City Police Department.

I said, ‘You know, I’m curious as to how all this that’s going on in America and around the world is affecting the police, and how can we better support the police?’ … I want to know, what are the police thinking? Doing? Preparing for? Let’s start the conversation.

The LiVe Well Center lectures are free and open to any members of the public. However, Koenig said their primary target audience is 50 years old and above. Other topics range from a discussion of the correct foods to eat for optimal brain health to an update on the 2016 Huntsman World Senior Games.

(See complete schedule of lectures below)

Koenig called the average attendees to the lectures “a very involved group.”

“They are asking questions. They’re very engaged,” she said. “All the lectures are free, and I try and give them information about resources in the community.”

The lectures are all part of the rolling out of senior care at Dixie Regional Medical Center, Koenig said, something which is actually the topic of the second lecture in the series by presenter Jone Koford, DRMC operations officer for senior services.

“It’s a whole new service line. It’s for seniors,” Koenig said. “We own for the state the largest demographic for people 60 and older. How is the hospital responding to that? We’re taking a look and making a strategic plan, and it’s being rolled out a bit at a time… She (Koford) is going to tell us all about the things that we’re doing for the senior community when it comes to health care.”

Lectures are not only aimed at the sick, Koenig said, but also the “worried well” – those who are well but are wondering about how aging may affect them.

The LiVe Well Center lectures are scheduled for Fridays at 10 a.m. on the first floor of the Select Health Auditorium, located at 1424 E. Foremaster Drive, just south of the River Road hospital campus.

Scheduled lectures:

  • July 29: “Violence in America and how it Affects our Local Police Force” by Officer Robb Radley of the Washington City Police Department
  • Aug. 5: “What’s up With Senior Healthcare at Dixie Regional Medical Center?” by Jone Koford, DRMC operations officer for senior services
  • Aug. 12: “How Does Intermountain Healthcare Care for our Community?” by Amber Rich, director of community benefits
  • Aug. 19: “What is Lymphedema? And How to Prevent It!” by Lorraine Moe, OT, certified lymphedema therapist
  • Aug. 26: “2016 Huntsman World Senior Games Up-Date” by Jeff Harding, Directory of Operations, Huntsman World Senior Games
  • Sept. 2: No lecture due to Labor Day Weekend
  • Sept. 9: “The Evolution of a Hospitalist” by David Grygla, MD, internal medicine
  • Sept. 16: “Food for Fabulous Brain Function” by Christie Benton, registered dietitian
  • Sept. 23: “Annual Medicare Up-date for 2017” by Gerene Mason, Medicare expert
  • Sept. 30: “Long Term Care Insurance” by Michael Gregson, MBA

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

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