EVENT REGISTRATION

Seth comes to St. Paul’s from a dual ministry as director of the Hospitality Center and Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Racine. He also served previously as Assistant Rector at Christ Church Whitefish Bay. Seth’s journey has been varied, including work with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, teenage girls with behavioral disorders, and as an Episcopal missionary in Taiwan. A lifelong learner, Seth earned degrees in Sociology, Music Education, Theology, and Nonprofit Management. His broad experiences living and working with those who are the most vulnerable deeply inform his commitment to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is God with Us. Seth is married to Lara and together they enjoy parenting four children.

Forethought offers a reflective foundation for each day's encounter with perhaps new and challenging ideas . This ‘listening to', ‘feeding upon’ and ‘resting in’ thoughtful shared time is an ancient sacred practice which can lead from the hearing of a few words to a deeper understanding of the themes of the day to follow.

As a new day begins --

Open hearts, minds and spirits to ideas time-honored and new as the changing times. Draw from poetry, well-remembered words and well-springs of inner wisdom. Take time to look ahead.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the broad history of aging from the Great Depression to the present.
• Explore a more diverse history of aging, including seniors of color and queer seniors.
• Understand the role faith communities have played, and could play, for older people.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

We are in a moment where there is more and more excitement about the ability to tailor medical care and self-care using increasingly available tools such as genetic sequencing, personal health monitoring devices and powerful analytics including artificial intelligence. The application of these tools to clinical practice has been called “precision medicine.” Increasingly, individual patients use these tools to participate in their own healthcare. However, optimal use of these new technologies requires ongoing study of the association between these new data types and clinical outcomes. Moreover, the substantial change in the practice paradigm has not been evaluated.

In this presentation, Dr. Whittle will review the scientific and engineering advances that brought us to where we are today, examine recent research highlighting the potential benefits of using this new data to guide clinical practice, and discuss the importance of broad public participation in the research process, not only as participants but also as “co-researchers” who bring a broader range of perspectives than is typically seen on a scientific research team.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the scientific enablers of precision medicine.
• Identify precision medicine practices influencing medical practice today.
• Discuss potential “next big things” that will impact medical practice.
• Recognize barriers to further implementation of precision medicine.
• Describe examples of research supporting the development of precision medicine.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

There is a fundamental paradox at the heart of human life: we are among the most social species on the planet whose happiness and well-being is increased when we reach out and connect positively with others. And yet, we are often reluctant to actually reach out to make the very connections that would enrich our lives. What’s holding us back? Dr. Epley will take us inside more than a decade’s worth of behavioral science research that reveals how our fears about reaching out to others is often misplaced. Over and over again, our research has demonstrated that we tend to be overly pessimistic about how reaching out to connect with others will turn out. As a result, we are overly reluctant to talk with strangers, engage in deeper conversations with friends and acquaintances, and have the honest and open conversations that build truly meaningful relationships. Beyond merely describing these results, Dr. Epley will also enable us to feel them, showing us how a happier and more well-connected life is possible if we choose the opportunities we have to be a little more social.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Consider how our expectations about social interaction can mistakenly guide our choices.
• Test our own expectations to identify opportunities for social connection that we might be missing.
• Explore happiness as a type of exercise that we can choose to perform rather than like a stable trait we simply have or don’t have.
  

ABOUT THE LECTURE

The science of the arts is providing groundbreaking research and practical applications emerging at an unprecedented pace – supporting people and communities to heal, learn, age creatively and thrive. Susan Magsamen’s work lies at the interdisciplinary intersection of science, art and aesthetic experiences. Her presentation will explore the science of neuroaesthetics—the study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the brain and body—and how this knowledge can be translated into practices that advance health, wellbeing, learning, flourishing and community development across the lifespan.

Topics will include the role of the arts in supporting individual and collective wellness, fostering creative culture and strengthening community through evidence-based approaches. Special attention will be given to the impact of the arts on creative aging and neurodegenerative health, highlighting how artistic engagement can promote cognitive resilience, emotional wellbeing and social connection for older adults, including those living with conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the emerging field of “NeuroArts” and its role at the intersection of neuroscience and the arts.
• Explain the science of neuroaesthetics—how aesthetic experiences measurably impact the brain, body and behavior.
• Identify evidence-based arts interventions that support health, wellbeing and learning across different stages of life.
• Explore creative aging strategies and arts-based interventions that promote cognitive and emotional health in older adults, including those with neurodegenerative conditions.
• Apply neuroarts-informed practices to enhance personal wellbeing, creativity and community connection in everyday life.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

Patients struggle to tell their stories to healthcare workers, and in turn, healthcare workers are unprepared to fully engage with their patients’ stories. Dr. Campbell will cover how illness and loss interrupt our trajectories and how that affects our understanding of our own Hero’s Journey. He will also be joined by several residents of Saint John’s On The Lake who will share their own stories in an interactive session.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Discover parallels between the Hero's Journey and our own life.
• Understand how the basic precepts of Narrative Medicine can help each person understand their lives and improve communication with healthcare workers.
• Explore ways to consider one’s own illness journey.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

Aging might be subject to technological interventions at an unprecedent scale, and as a result it provokes new forms of religious thought and practice in the 21st century. Where religions once helped acclimate humanity to aging, a new religion grounded in technological transcendence suggests that we can remain young forever. Professor Geraci will share how these technological versions of immortality raise questions for individuals, traditional religious groups and even governments. The extent to which the scientific salvation will come true remains unclear and is deeply embedded in both faith and financial systems, even in new forms of urban design; but it requires that we engage early if we hope to manage our way into the future. Recognizing the social and technical threads that constitute 21st century aging means we can create new forms of hope and opportunities to thrive.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Trace how the rise of modern science provoked technological intervention in aging.
• Understand the religious and political implications of those technologies (both real and hypothetical), especially with regard to the rhetoric of endless youth.
• Consider how active engagement with age-related technologies and religious views of technology can promote a more just world.
• Reflect on end-of-life realities and life satisfaction within an environment of technological promises, especially as a means toward understanding the future of aging.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

Although we are bombarded daily with advice about health promotion, disease prevention and examples of the “super agers,” Dr. Elon argues that Erik Erikson’s late life developmental task of integrity versus despair is more important for successful aging than physical health, per se. She discusses Gabriel Marcel’s distinction between problems and mysteries, the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi (the beauty of imperfection and impermanence) and the concept of Amor Fati (radical acceptance) with respect to successful aging.

As a physician, caregiver and now herself also an aging woman, Dr. Elon will share her reflections on growing old in America and how she has come to believe that aging is an ecological process and that consideration of the ecology of aging can open an alternate pathway to thinking about successful aging.

By integrating medicine, literature and personal narrative, Dr. Elon will challenge us to create together a counter-cultural subculture of successful aging based on love, hope, joy and community.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Discuss how humans are part of the earth’s ecology, as it relates to aging.
• Evaluate the dominant cultural understanding of successful aging.
• Consider how integrity in late life is achievable.