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Maui County is rich with resources for residents of all ages. But there is so much
information at our fingertips that when a need arises it can be challenging to know where to begin.
In 2024 the monthly Aging Matters column will take an in-depth look at a variety of agencies and organizations that focus on the needs of older adults and their families. Some articles in the column will highlight a community or organizational leader while others will include wisdom and lessons learned by those who are manuevering the aging process.
The goal of this year's approach is to provide a starting point and a guided tour of key players in the Aging Network without adding to the feeling of information overload or fatigue. To kick off the new year this article highlights two events that will take place in the coming weeks. Both offerings have in-person and virtual participation options for greater access across the county.
Wisdom Gone Wild Screening & Discussion
Each month Akaku hosts a public engagement event as part of their Akaku Upstairs series. They will kick off the 2024 screening event season on January 27th with Wisdom Gone Wild, a documentary by Rea Tajiri, from PBS's American Documentary POV (Point of View) film program.
In this documentary the filmaker collaborates with her Nisei mother as they confront the painful and curious reality of wisdom "gone wild" in the shadows of dementia. To learn more about the screening, in-person and webinar participation options on Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, and registration requirements visit www.akaku.org/salons. Immediately following the film, Akaku will facilitate a discussion with audience members and a panel from the Maui County Office on Aging, Maui Adult Day Care Centers, and UH Manoa-Cooperative Extension. Participation is free but as space is limited, registration is required.
Brain Health Lunch & Learn Series
Dementia is not a part of the normal aging process, meaning that not everyone will develop changes in the way they think, remember, and process information. As a follow up the Akaku screening of Wisdom Gone Wild, UH Manoa-Cooperative Extension will host a four-month workshop series on research-based strategies to maintain brain health across the lifespan. This lunchtime series will be held from noon to 1pm on the first Thursday of the month in Kahului and a virtual workshop that covers the same content will be repeated the following day. Offering the workshops during lunchtime and in both in-person and virtual options will allow more people --working and retired -- to participate across Maui County.
Brain Health workshop topics are listed below and a flyer can be accessed at https://go.hawaii.edu/Han:
Brain Health Basics: February 1st (in-person) and February 2nd (virtual)
The Brain -- Heart Connection: March 7th (in-person) and March 8th (virtual)
The Brain -- Food Connection: April 4th (in-person) and April 5th (virtual)
The Brain -- Social Connection: May 2nd (in-person) and May 3rd (virtual)
Workshops are free but registration is required. For additional information and to register send an email to heather8@hawaii.edu. Watch for the next Aging Matters column in the Saturday February 17th edition of Maui News to learn about the county's hub of aging and disabilities resources, the Maui County Office on Aging.
n Heather Greenwood is with the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Cooperative Extension, Maui Intergenerational and Aging Programs. Aging Matters covers topics of interest to the aging Maui community and appears on the third Saturday of each month.