Two free programs for older adults will be offered in the spring/summer Community Health Education Series sponsored by the UCSF/Mount Zion Center on Aging, an affiliation of the Goldman Institute on Aging and UCSF. Leading the programs will be medical experts from the UCSF Medical Center, part of UCSF Stanford Health Care.

"Healthy Hearts" will be the topic of the first half-day workshop on Saturday, May 2. Heart disease today is a major cause of death in the United States and the most common cause of death in older adults. About 55 percent of all heart attacks occur in people over the age of 65 and 84 percent of cardiovascular death occurs in this age group. To help people better understand heart disease in older adults, the program will focus on how the aging process affects the heart; the risk factors for heart disease; the most common problems in older adults; and the role of exercise and nutrition in maintaining a healthy heart. The program will be presented by Judith Walsh, assistant clinical professor of medicine; Gary Milechman, assistant clinical professor of medicine; and Ann Thorson, director of the Heart Disease Reversal Program at UCSF and the California Pacific Medical Center.

A second program on Saturday, June 6 is geared toward women. "Breaking the Silence: A Workshop for Women on Urinary Incontinence," is being offered in response to many requests for an in-depth program on the subject. Incontinence is a symptom of an underlying problem and is not a natural consequence of growing older, according to UCSF medical experts. Topics to be covered in the program include the causes of urinary incontinence; how it is evaluated; how to talk to a health care provider; and strategies for staying dry. Behavior modification, bladder modification, bladder exercises, drug therapies, containment devices and surgery are among the treatments that will be discussed.

Clinical experts from the UCSF Women's Continence Center who will present the workshop are Janis Luft, Mindy Goldman, assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and Leslee Subak.

The goal of the programs is to present high-quality health promotion and disease prevention education to older adults and their families, enabling them to become informed consumers of health care who take a pro-active role in maintaining their own good health and well-being. The faculty is selected from leading academic, clinical and health policy experts and the programs are designed to bring to a lay audience the latest information on the most pressing health care issues that are a concern to seniors.

Both programs will be held in the auditorium of the UCSF Laurel Heights Conference Center, 3333 California St., San Francisco, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The programs are free, but pre-registration is required to obtain seating. Interested persons may call the Education Office at the UCSF/Mount Zion Center on Aging at 415/750-5342 for information and registration.

by Abby Sinnott

1st appeared 4/14/98

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