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Assisted living for aged adults

Vanessa Miller's parents are older than those of most 23-year-olds.

"I'm the child of older parents," Miller said. "They're senior citizens; let's just say that."

Her parents' relative age is part of the reason why Miller, a graduate student in the Professional Media Practice Program and a reporter for the River Region Evening Edition, chose to organize a town-hall meeting to deal with the issue of assisted living for aging adults as part of her graduate project.

"It's an issue that's obviously important to me," Miller said.

The meeting will be held 4:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 303 S. Poplar St., and will provide the public with the opportunity to speak with experts in the field.

"We're hoping to educate the public about different options for their loved ones who need help," said Lindsey Mastis, a River Region employee involved with the meeting.

The meeting will begin with a 10-minute video Miller created that highlights the concerns held by many families of senior citizens.

The video, titled "Caring for those who cared for you," is divided into three sections. The first will focus on the options for a senior couple that choose to remain at home. The second part will focus on the issues that bring families to consider assisted-living facilities, and the third section will give viewers an idea of the pros and cons of assisted-living centers by focusing on a senior couple that makes the move.

After the video, visitors may listen and give questions or comments to a panel of experts on assisted-living options.

The list of panelists includes: Dr. Kathleen Chwalisz, co-director of the Telehelp Line for Caregivers, a free support line that operates seven days per week at 866-438-7852; Howard Saver, administrator at Prairie Living in Chautauqua, an assisted-living center; Winnie Howell, social service coordinator at Century Assisted Living; Janet Squibb, administrator at River to River Residential Corp., which owns three assisted-living centers in Illinois; and Maggie Kemp, who works with the Shawnee Alliance for Seniors.

Miller estimated the meeting will last about one hour.