The 11^th annual celebration was held Sept. 30 at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, recognizing 35 older adults for 2022. The ceremony is an Optimal Aging Month signature event organized each year by the�� Trager Institute/Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic to create an age-friendly culture in our community.

“The whole day was so special, making me and the honorees feel like a celebrity with all the attention,” said honoree Abbie Creed, 91. “From the minute I stepped onto the property, receiving a nametag and the beautiful corsage, being escorted to my table, receiving the certificate and especially the beautiful Gold Medal and the kindness shown throughout the whole program, made me feel so special and pampered beyond measure.”

Read about the exceptional older adults listed below at the . To see more photos from the event, visit the .

Virginia Bell | Age: 100

Ann Carter | Age: 89

Julia Coulter | Age: 86

Abbie Creed | Age: 91

Denny Crum | Age: 85

Sister Julia Davis | Age: 85

Rita Durbin | Age: 91

Reverend Jerry Eifler | Age: 86

Marge Fore | Age: 93

Betty French | Age: 85

Sarah Gabler�� | Age: 96

Mary Grayson | Age: 95

Jess and Rilda Hendrix | Age: 89 & 86

Patricia Holtzapple | Age: 90

Roma Houchin | Age: 86

Delbert Keith | Age: 89

Charles Kenneth Kinberger | Age: 94

Marjorie “Margie” Manning | Age: 93

Maria Marquez | Age: 86

Bertha Mason | Age: 97

Connie Miceli | Age: 93

John Moore | Age: 89

Elaine Morgan | Age: 85

Arla Nesbit | Age: 87

Norma Niehaus | Age: 91

Eleanor Price | Age: 102

Sheldon Rifkin | Age: 87

William Schmitt | Age: 90

David Stewart | Age: 86

Betty Stotz | Age: 88

Robin Whitehouse | Age: 87

Willa Fae Williams | Age: 86

Jocille Wright | Age: 92

Bette Zeller | Age: 95

“We are thrilled to be able to honor this year’s Gold Standard of Optimal Aging cohort through such a special recognition,” said Anna Faul, executive director of the . “It is our tradition to invite the honorees to a luncheon to celebrate their inspirational and vital role in our community. Instead of an in-person event this year, we are celebrating with a creative social-distancing video tribute as well as a variety of other media recognitions. We are thrilled to have so many leaders recognize the incredible strength of our state’s older adults during this difficult year.”

The ninth celebration of UofL Trager Institute’s Gold Standard of Optimal Aging honors individuals age 85 or older who are outstanding models of optimal aging and exhibit inspirational involvement in various aspects of their lives, despite any challenges they may face.

Recipients of the Gold Standard of Optimal Aging are recognized each year in September, the Trager Institute’s Optimal Aging Month, as part of the institute’s effort to foster a more age-inclusive community.

“What makes this award so special is that it is a recognition of the active and ongoing contribution older adults make in our families and communities,” said Christian Davis Furman, medical director of the UofL Trager Institute. “This year, more than ever, we have been inspired by the example of the older adults in our lives as we navigate the current pandemic. The whole Trager Institute team is deeply humbled by their inspiring stories and grateful to be able to celebrate them, even from a distance.”

Furman was one of the original creators of the Gold Standard of Optimal Aging in 2011.

The 2020 Gold Standard of Optimal Aging honorees:

This year’s honorees include writers, avid bowlers, musicians, artists, immigrants, activists and educators. Many are active participants in the . These individuals volunteer all across the Louisville community in hospitals, homeless shelters, meals on wheels, assisted living communities, veterans’ services, the Red Cross and more. Members of this year’s cohort also are long-time advocates for social and racial justice and environmental protection. Several honorees have been active in their community’s COVID-19 response by helping to make masks for health care providers.

Profiles of the 2020 honorees are now and the video tribute will be added to the page Friday, Sept. 11.

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Now in its seventh year, hosted the awards this month, honoring Slavin in the educator category.

After teaching more than 30 years, Slavin went on to create and serve as the first director of the Kentucky Labor Institute. He lectures on topics ranging from Einstein’s views on the relationship of science and religion to the role of the administrative state in a democracy.

The Gold Standard awards honor individuals age 85 and older who lead flourishing lives, said Anna Faul, PhD, executive director of the institute.

“We do not have to be free of aging-related challenges to age optimally. It is our ability to flourish and live our best lives every day in the face of these challenges. This year’s outstanding cohort of awardees and nominees are true inspirations,” she said.

Fifteen awardees, along with 58 other nominees, were recognized at a luncheon on Sept. 7 sponsored by . The event corresponds with – an effort dedicated to promoting the positive view that aging is an opportunity, not a disease.

“The award winners demonstrate that while aging optimally looks different for every person, we can all strive to continue living our best lives at every stage,” said Christian Furman, MD, medical director of the institute.

“Hosparus Health applauds the institute for recognizing that aging is a part of life. As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life, we are honored to be a part of this event,” said Phil Marshall, president and CEO of Hosparus Health.

The complete list of is below:

• Elmer Lucille Allen, Category: Outstanding Individual, Age: 86
• Mary Atherton, Category: Years of Wisdom, Age: 100
• Elizabeth Bealmear, Category: Years of Wisdom, Age: 91
• Les Brooks, Category: Never too Late, Age: 86
• Thomas Cork, Sr., Category: Outstanding Individual, Age: 92
• Don & Patsy Hall, Category: Outstanding Couple, Age: 87 & 87
• Father Simon Herbers, Category: Compassion, Age: 97
• Beatrice Huff, Category: Kentucky, Age: 89
• Margot Kling, Category: Social Justice, Age: 92
• Margaret Martel, Category: Years of Wisdom, Age: 106
• Emma Patria Pedroso Iglesias, Category: New Beginnings, Age: 85
• Dorothy Roehrig, Category: Years of Wisdom, Age: 100
• William T. Shumake, Category: Leadership, Age: 92
• Seymour Slavin, Category: Educator, Age: 96

The is a set of evidence-based, quality of care indicators across six determinants of health: biological, psychological, health behaviors, health services, environmental and social. Some specific factors include preventive care, medication management, process of care measures, promotion of health behaviors, transportation, isolation, income challenges and food access.

The index resulted from the institute’s research associated with the

Executive Director of the institute, Anna Faul, PhD, said the need for a broader assessment tool was clear.

“The majority of other indicators are disease and setting-specific and don’t fully account for the functional and quality of life factors affecting older adults with MCC,” she said. “Other scales and measures often do not capture a patient’s life satisfaction but focus solely on medical improvement.”

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded UofL’s institute with grant funding to lead the two-day training this week for other GWEP programs at the University of Iowa, Rush University, University of Utah and Indiana University.

The workshop will focus on the customization of the Flourish Index — specifically, how to align it with the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, how the index can be used to facilitate primary care transformation and how it can be implemented by the health care workforce in collaboration with community-based services. Central to the conversation will be the index’s role in demonstrating the sustainability of comprehensive care coordination.

“We are honored by the recognition from HRSA to teach other GWEP programs about our Flourish Index,” Faul said. “The GWEP programs attending the workshop are united in our interest to develop new measures that fully capture the holistic health and well-being of patients. Being selected to host this workshop demonstrates that people are recognizing the exciting and transformative potential of our Flourish Index.”��

This workshop is part of the institute’s annual effort to celebrate Optimal Aging Month.