The Comprehensive Geriatric Education Program (CGEP) 2nd Annual Conference Living Well with Chronic Illness: Imagining the Possibilities was a tremendous success. Approximately 360 persons attended in person or remotely— nearly four times the number who attended last year! The speakers were selected because of their expertise in chronic illness management, the focus of this year’s conference. Dr. Rosalie Kane, a leader in aging research and first keynote speaker, set the stage with an extensive overview of long-term support services for seniors. She also shared a delightful case study (her parents) that made the abstract ideas of long term care quality and service very personal. The breakout sessions focused on management of chronic illnesses that are commonly encountered in practice (heart failure, diabetes, respiratory disease), and common geriatric syndromes that are associated with chronic illness—pain, insomnia, and cognitive impairment. Dr. Fredericka Gilje closed out the first day with a keynote presentation on depression, an all-too-common comorbidity of many chronic illnesses. The keynote presentations on the second day focused on chronic illness management methods, beginning with Myrna Seno’s presentation about the Stanford “Better Choices, Better Health” Chronic Disease Self- Management Program that is available at selected organizations in the state as well as online at https://selfmanage.org/BetterHealth/hl/hlMain. Jon Linkous closed the conference with an enlightening review of the development of telehealth and suggestions of how this technology can enhance the management of chronic illness.

The purpose of our annual two day conference is to update the knowledge and skills of those who care for older adults in a variety of rural and frontier settings. This year’s conference was held at the Crowne Plaza in Billing, enabling us to broadcast the meeting statewide to Butte, Bozeman, Ekalaka, Glendive, Great Falls, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, Lewistown, Missoula, Malta, and Plains. Nearly 150 of the 360 persons registered for the conference were able to attend thanks to this technology. We anticipate that attendance will continue to grow each year now that continuing education is a requirement for nursing licensure. The annual conference is a great way to update your geriatric nursing practice!

Linda Torma, PhD, APRN, GCNS-BC