University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents held its 2008 Residents’ Rights Rally on Monday, October the 13th. 

The event was to be held at the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol, however due to weather conditions, the rally was moved inside to the Arkansas State Capitol Rotunda. Seating was provided for those who desired to sit.  Many Nursing Home Residents from around the state joined AANHR to bring attention to the needs of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

The rally began at 11:00a; a welcoming address was given by AANHR President, Martha Deaver.  Highlighted speakers included:

• The Honorable Mike Beebe, Governor of the State of Arkansas
• Dustin McDaniel, Arkansas State Attorney General
• Kathie Gately, Arkansas State Ombudsman
• Jerry Lancaster, Interim State President of AARP
• Dr. David Montague, Director of UALR Senior Justice Center

This is the first time that the Governor of Arkansas addressed the AANHR Residents’ Rights Rally; highlighting how important it is for us to fight to protect the rights of our elderly living in Nursing Homes. 

Thank You AANHR and everyone who came to show support for this cause!!!  

To printout or view a copy of the flyer for this event, please click the link below:

AANHR Residents’ Rights Rally Program Flyer 

For more information on the rally or AANHR, please visit:

 www.aanhr.org

Recently, the Office for Victims of Crime sponsored the UALR Senior Justice Center to send Director, Dr. David Montague, and manager, Sam Johnston, to the Assisting Victims Through Crisis and Trauma Conference presented by The United States Attorneys’ Victim-Witness Programs for the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Georgia.  The Senior Justice Center won a $1000 OVC training scholarship at a raffle held during a training earlier this year.  This one-day conference was held on the 18th of September at the Richard Russell Building in Atlanta, GA.  Featured speakers included Ed Jacobs, PhD and Brian Ogawa, PhD.  Dr. Ogawa presented a very exciting therapy used in assisting victims through traumatic experiences in life; Morita Therapy.  Named for Japan’s pioneering psychoanalyst Shoma Morita, MD–a contemporary of celebrated Western psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud–this engaging therapy pulls many concepts from nature in order to restore peace to the traumatized.  Dr. Ogawa discussed how the therapy is more like a way of life, with many practitioners in the East referring to the method as Morita-do; familiar to us through words like Taekwondo, aikido, and judo.  This ’suffix’ signifies how incorporating certain disciplines into daily life often provides enrichment and fulfillment to those who practice.  For more on Dr. Brian Ogawa, Morita therapy, or to read about the other distinguished speakers who presented at the Assisting Victims Through Crisis and Trauma conference, email manager Sam Johnston (smjohnston@ualr.edu), or navigate to our Articles of Interest section for copies of selected handouts from the conference (available soon).   

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When it comes to television, the channels for education are somewhat limited in Arkansas (unless a costly package is purchased from your cable/satellite provider). 

AETN is one of our most treasured channels, partly due to its method of operation.  AETN provides educational shows for residents in Arkansas; NOVA, music showcases, and many other special topic shows are broadcasted for our enjoyment and benefit.  However, AETN is operated by viewer donations, and without patrons giving money to the station, viewers lose many valuable options for the station to ‘purchase’ and then broadcast for us to watch. 

Twice a year, AETN holds a fundraising pledge-drive.  The Senior Justice Center has volunteered to work the phones at these drives in the past, and again when it was time for the Fall Pledge Drive this September, we were eager to show support for AETN. 

On the 14th of September, Senior Justice interns Nora Cummings, Kim Woodward, and Amanda Wherry-Carter came to help AETN raise pledges. 

In addition to our interns, Sandy Hanson (Online Coordinator/Student Advisor) of the UALR Criminal Justice department was kind enough to work the phones with us alongside Senior Justice Center Director, Dr. David Montague. 

Kyle Mays and Senior Justice Center Office Manager, Sam Johnston also assisted with AETN’s semi-annual Viewer Pledge Drive. 

 We would like to thank AETN for giving the chance to be involved with their volunteer opportunities!

 For more information about AETN or to donate online, please visit:

www.aetn.org

The Senior Justice Center has been awarded a Grant from the Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence, funding the Center to present three-part seminars to seniors, family members and caregivers in Pulaski and Saline Counties.  Using the multimedia curriculum Addressing Elder Sexual Abuse: Developing a Community Response developed by Karla Vierthaler of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the Pennsylvania Department on Aging, the Senior Justice Center seeks to educate the communities in Pulaski and Jefferson Counties on methods for creating an environment which does not tolerate sexual abuse of the elderly.

On the 11th and 16th of September, the Senior Justice Center presented to the Jacksonville Senior Center about Sexual Violence Prevention and Education geared toward seniors, family members and caregivers. 

We would kindly like to thank the people at the Jacksonville Senior Center for the opportunity to meet and work with the great crowd we encountered there. 

For more information about this seminar series or to get scheduling information, call our hotline, 501 683 7153, or send an email to smjohnston@ualr.edu  

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