Aging Masterfully: Tips on communicating with your adult children

Austin has one of the nation’s fastest growing populations of older adults. AustinUP and Austin Public Library have partnered to present this in-person seminar series featuring professionals who will guide attendees through the issues and solutions to help prepare our community for the future of aging. 

The Seminar topic for October 18 will be “Tips on communicating with your adult children.”

Time: 10:30 AM-12 noon
Location: Old Quarry Branch of the Austin Public Library, 7051 Village Center Dr, Austin, TX 78731
Admission: Free, but advance registration appreciated

REGISTER HERE

About Our Speakers

Kim Barnes and her spouse, Mike, are adult children who are caring for their parents as they get older. Over the last few years, they’ve helped their parents through pacemakers, COVID pneumonia, Alzheimer’s, memory loss, financial scams, surgeries, selling houses, and making the tough moves into retirement communities.

Kim is a former Austin TV news anchor who is using her reporting skills and passion for caregiving to find important information, share valuable resources, and interview experts who can shed light on tough topics for Parenting Aging Parents. It’s a website and community she and Mike founded that brings caregivers together to educate and support them, as well as provide a safe space to ask questions.

Bruce Kravitz, after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, spent 18 years in the high tech industry in a variety of technical, marketing, and business management positions. In the year 2000, Bruce gladly fled the high tech industry to follow his life-long passion for helping others. From 2009 until 2014, Bruce was employed at AGE of Central Texas where he helped hundreds of seniors and their family members successfully navigate the many challenges of aging and caregiving by providing customized advice. He also created the CaregiverU educational program which provides free caregiving classes throughout the Central Texas area. In 2010, Bruce became a credentialed mediator in the state of Texas so he could better assist families with resolving their conflicts.

In 2015, Bruce founded ElderPeace Partners, a private, professional mediation firm that specializes in resolving disputes related to the care, well-being, and property of seniors and their families residing in the Central Texas area. Bruce is a member of the Austin Mediators Association, the Texas Association of Mediators, and the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. He and his wife Kathy have lived in Austin since 1991 and have one son.

Lina Supnet-Zapata, MBA, TxCG, CMC, has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. As Community Educator and Area Director for ten years in the hospice industry, she worked with families and health care providers educating and advocating for increased awareness and better understanding of issues that emerge during end- of- life care. In 2013, she joined Mir Care Consultants, Inc. and is now co-owner and Vice President of the firm.

Mir Care is a Life Care Management firm focusing on Geriatric Care and Special Needs Children and Adults. Mir Care also serves as guardian of person and was recently awarded the contract to serve as guardian of person for the indigent in Brazos County.

Lina’s passion, commitment and dedication lies in patient advocacy, consumer health education, ensuring accountability, excellence in care, and assuring individuals’ choices are honored. As a caregiver for her father and currently for her mom, Lina understands the complexities of aging and the support and guidance that adult children or those caring for elders can be challenging. Her expertise in care management allows for her to provide expert advice and guidance on coordination, care, and support during the caregiving journey. She continues her care journey as she is a caregiver for her mom who is living with Parkinson’s Disease. Lina serves on several boards and is active in community events and efforts to support elders and their caregivers in
Central Texas including the AGE of Central Texas where she is the Co-Chair for the Capital Campaign South Location and served last year as the Co-Chair for the She Thrives Program an event focused on the female caregiver. She is also on the National Board of the Aging Life Care Association where she serves as Chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. On the local level, she serves on the board of the South Central Chapter ALCA.

Lina was recently awarded the 2022 Joyce Lauck Legacy Award which honors a person whose professional commitment goes above and beyond his or her job description to impact the lives of older adults and family caregivers. She was also named the Aging Life Care Association Chapter Member of the year. When not working or volunteering, Lina spends time with her husband of 20 years, Orlando, three grown children, two dogs, playing and participating in pickleball tournaments and traveling.

Please register for each seminar topic separately.

• August 16: Aging in place and preparing for emergencies
• September 20: Having it your way, even when you can’t speak for yourself
• October 18: Tips on communicating with your adult children
• November 15: Living, dying, and leaving a legacy