Over 200 participants attended an Aging and Mental Health conference, "Promoting Emotional Well-being During Later Life," at White's Restaurant in Westport, MA, on May 24, 2011. Presented by Saint Anne's Hospital, Coastline Eldery Services and Bristol Elder Services, Mass. Association of Older Americans, and the Mass. Department of Mental Health, the event covered many aspects of mental health and aging in the day-long session. Keynote speaker Ann Webster, Ph.D., health psychologist at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine and director of the Mind/Body Cancer Program and Mind/Body Program for Successful Aging began the day with a presentation on the mind/body connection. Other presentations covered Compassionate Care, Cultural Implications in Emotional Health, and Connecting Yourself to the Community, as well as breakout sessions addressing Assessing Emotional Well-being: Intervention Strategies for Healthcare Providers, The Power of Family, and Making the Most of Your Leisure Time.  The conference was funded by the Mass. Department of Public Health and corporate sponsors. For more information, contact Trish Hunter at 774-627-1380.

(Top row) Newly-appointed Coastline Elderly Service CEO Paula Shiner introduces the keynote speaker after Chet Jakubiak, Executive Director, MAOA  welcomes conference participants. (Middle row) Ann Webster, Ph.D. from the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine leads participants, including Department of Mental Health social worker Judith Leva, in a ten-minute relaxation exercise. (Bottom row) Saint-Anne's Hospital Geri-psych program director Margaret Pfeiffer, RN, MS, and Rebecca Frias, LCSW, listen to the rest of the presentation by Dr. Webster at the start of the conference.