September 8, 2005 Source: St. Thomas University:
http://www.stu.ca/new/news/2005/sept8.htm Third Age Centre Public Lecture - Third Age Centre Public Lecture - September 13th Fredericton – Dr. Patricia Mitchell, St. Thomas University’s Visiting Chair of Gerontology, will deliver the Third Age Centre’s annual public lecture on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 2:00 pm in the Holy Cross House boardroom. The lecture is entitled “Connecting Friendship, Intimacy and Love to Health Through Memory Work”. Dr. Mitchell is the Coordinator of Gerontology Nursing Programs at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. She is a Registered Nurse and earned a PhD, MA and BA from Flinders University, and is a Fellow of Royal College of Nursing in Australia. “We are very pleased to have Dr. Mitchell at St. Thomas this year,” said Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, Chair of the Gerontology Department. “With her unique combination of front-line gerontological nursing and research in older women’s health, relationships and medications, Dr. Mitchell will be a valuable addition to our programme.” In addition to public lectures, Dr. Mitchell will teach a course entitled Manifestations of the Aging Body, engage in research activities, and provide community-based programming to those in aging related fields. “My teaching philosophy is student-centred and seeks to challenge negative attitudes to aging and aging care nursing,” said Dr. Mitchell. “I want to create a learning environment that is active and relevant, where students feel confident to debate the issues under discussion,” she added. Dr Mitchell has a strong interest in research, particularly the issues associated with nursing older women, and people with dementia. She has initiated innovative research programs in these areas. Gerontology examines adult development, aging and issues that affect the older person. It examines aging from sociological, psychological, physical, spiritual and philosophical perspectives and provides an understanding of what it means to age and how the aging process can be seen as a positive progression in human development and self-fulfillment. St. Thomas University has pioneered the development and delivery of programmes in aging and its double major in Gerontology is one of only two comprehensive Canadian undergraduate programmes in aging. The university established the Chair in Gerontology in 1987 and created the Third Age Centre for research, teaching, community development, and human relations in the field of aging. Workshops, visiting lecturers, and seminars on various aspects of aging are available to groups who serve older people. Media Contact – Jeffrey Carleton, St. Thomas University, (506) 452-0522 or carleton@stu.ca.
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