Debbie Howard of Aging Matters International, Japan, has joined The 8th Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology (AGen2022) on the panel for “Missing You: Resilience, Renewal and Rebuilding Intergenerational Contact Within Families”.
Lowell Sheppard of the Never Too Late Academy, Japan, and James W. McNally of the University of Michigan & the NACDA Program on Aging, United States, have also been chosen to discuss this topic. The addition of Ms Howard completes the panel.
The presentation will also be available for IAFOR Members to view online. To find out more, please visit the IAFOR Membership page.
Speaker Biography
Debbie Howard
Aging Matters International, Japan
Debbie has lived and worked in Japan for more than 30 years, where she founded Japan Market Resource Network (JMRN) in 1989, which merged with Carter Associates in 2012 to form CarterJMRN.
Debbie translates consumer research into clear strategic direction for global clients across a wide range of categories (including Age-Tech). She served as President and Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) from 2004–2007, and as President Emeritus (2008–present). Debbie is also a former caregiver on a mission to change the way the world looks at caregiving so the impacts are not so devastating. Her work focuses on providing companies with support programs for working caregivers to mitigate the related risks of absentee-ism, employee turnover, and extra healthcare costs. With the launch of Aging Matters International (AMI) and TheCaregivingJourney.com in 2016, Debbie brought her market research acumen to the world of caregiving. Her first book, The Caregiving Journey: Information. Guidance. Inspiration. (Flower of Life Press, 2018), supports individuals in going beyond logistics in managing their caregiving situations with ease and grace (www.TheCaregivingJourney.com).
Her second book, The Caregiving Crisis: What It Costs Your Business and How to Fix It, is available from late February 2022, and helps companies with practical ways to support their employee caregivers.
www.TheCaregivingCrisis.com
Abstract
Missing You: Resilience, Renewal and Rebuilding Intergenerational Contact Within Families
The year 2020 was a time of resilience, with widespread separation and the suspension of family contact and intergenerational support. Following this was a time of rebuilding and renewal as vaccines for the COVID-19 virus slowly became more available, and as a result, the re-emergence of intergenerational visits and the re-initiation of suspended contacts. As we enter 2022, we begin to create a “new normal” that will allow for the safe return of intergenerational support, visiting, and sharing. While many problems remain, concern for our elders is creating new ways to interact while reducing the risk of infection. Families are reuniting and finding ways to support and share experiences in a post-pandemic world. This plenary session will share the stories of three researchers and their experiences in attempting to maintain and re-establish physical and emotional contact with elders isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their stories express the shared concern, fear, and hope that we all experienced when cut off from our families during the pandemic.
