OATS has participated in the annual American Society on Aging (ASA) conference, the nation’s largest multidisciplinary conference on aging, for 11 years. This year’s conference in San Francisco marked the 70th anniversary of ASA in the city where it was first established as the Western Gerontological Society. The sold-out conference took place March 25-28.
OATS and ASA have a long history of collaborating to ensure that the aging field understands the importance of helping adults use technology to improve their lives. OATS also participates in ASA trainings and advisory councils, making ASA both a key venue for networking and information sharing as well as an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and friends.
At ASA 24, OATS again sponsored the Age Tech Stage. On the stage:
- A standing room-only crowd heard from four noted funders and foundation leaders on a panel titled “Innovation Trends in Philanthropic Funding and Investing,” which explored innovation in funding and how transformational events like the pandemic and the emergence of AI are impacting fundraising.
- The panel “Broadband Equity and Multilingual Programming in
California” featured Scott Adams, Deputy Director of Broadband and Digital Literacy for the CA Department of Technology, who discussed the state’s digital equity plan. The panel highlighted multilingual programming developed by OATS and offered through Senior Planet classes and workshops.
- “Building Innovation Partnerships at Scale,” a 60-minute workshop session, explored innovation and scale in partnership building. Jeannee Parker Martin, President & CEO of LeadingAge California, provided examples of innovative partnerships, and Kristina Demery, Manager of the Senior Planet National Licensing Program, described the impact of replicable partnership models.
- And building on the theme of innovation, the “Tech and Innovation” panel featured innovators and entrepreneurs who looked at tech trends in the aging space, while “End of Life” explored new approaches to death and dying. “Tai Chi” for Health and Wellness,” presented by three expert practitioners, got the conference crowd up and moving.
Tom Kamber, OATS Executive Director, led our final workshop session, “Is AI Age Friendly?” AI is a hot topic, and a packed room heard Tom and three noted experts engage in discussions about AI and ageism, successful AI applications in the aging sector, and innovative approaches that integrate AI with human-centered care to enhance wellbeing in older adults.