COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. A national expert in the study of aging will speak Oct. 16 at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Toni Antonucci, program director, Life Course Development Program at the University of Michigan, will deliver a speech titled “Intergenerational Relationships: Past, Present and Future” beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Lodge. The speech is free and open to educators and others interested in attending. Parking is available in university lots five, six and seven at no charge.
“We are honored to have Dr. Antonucci, an internationally renowned scholar, visit Colorado Springs to share her experiences with us,” Sara Qualls, director, CU Gerontology Center, said. “As America ages, our relationships that cross generational lines become increasingly important.”
Antonucci’s research focuses on social relations across the life span, including multi-generational studies of the family and comparative studies across the life span in the United States, Europe and Japan. She is the past president of the Adult Developmental and Aging division of the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America.
The event is co-sponsored by the Intergeneration Foundation, Colorado Springs.
According to Qualls, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be more than 65 years old by 2020. In Colorado, the rate of growth of the aging population is expected to be dramatic. By 2018, Colorado will be home to 700,000 older adults, an 80 percent increase from 1998.
Beginning next fall, CU-Colorado Springs will become one of four universities in the nation to offer a doctoral degree in geropsychology and preparing clinicians to specialize in the psychiatric needs of older Americans.
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls more than 7,600 students annually.