Upcoming Events
Monday, September 23, 2 pm, Bonner Development Center
Presentation by Erica Shumate, Executive Director, Benefits and Wellness, University of Alabama
Wednesday, October 16, 2 pm, Bonner Development Center
Presentation TBA
October 31/November 1, exact date and time TBA, Campus Drive Parking Deck
Meet Us at the Deck! to renew your membership, update your parking tag, etc.
Tuesday, November 19, 10 am, Bonner Development Center
Presentation by Erica Thomas, PEEHIP
Wednesday, December 11, 4 pm, location TBA
Holiday reception
Past Events
Goodall Presentation, May 22, 2024
Taylor Goodall, Elder Law Attorney with the Tuscaloosa office of Legal Services Alabama, gave a presentation on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 10 am at the Bonner Child Development Center on legal issues particularly pertinent to older adults. Mr. Goodall gave the basics about wills and trusts, health directives, power of attorney documents, etc., and he reminded attendees to be alert to fraud attempts. He reminded the audience that his services for creating simple wills are free to all Alabama citizens over the age of 60. He can be reached at tgoodall@alsp.org. An audio file of the presentation is available at https://bit.ly/TUARALegalMattersPresentation.
Special guest Grace Horne of Bon Appetit joined us following Mr. Goodall’s presentation to tell the group about From Our House to Yours, Bon Appetit’s meal pickup program. Monthly menus include a meal each week for 4 (or 2) people, including a main entree, 2 sides, and a dessert. Pick-up during the regular school year is Monday from 5pm-7pm. You can reach Ms. Horne at gracehorne@cafebonappetit.com.
President’s Luncheon, April 24, 2024
TUARA’s annual spring luncheon and business meeting was held on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at the Hotel Capstone. As usual, the luncheon was sponsored by The University of Alabama President’s Office, and President Stuart R. Bell was the featured speaker. Dr. Bell gave an informative talk about recent advancements and future directions of The University of Alabama. He was followed by TUARA president Dr. Kevin Whitaker, who delivered the TUARA president’s report and the financial report. This was followed by the membership report and the presentation of awards. (Read more about the award recipients elsewhere in this newsletter.) Finally, the members present at the luncheon voted on TUARA Executive Board members for the upcoming year. (For more details about the newly elected board members, see the report elsewhere in this newsletter.) One of our Witt scholarship recipients, Ahmed Alshariki was able to join us at the luncheon as a special guest, and he was introduced to the attendees. In addition, several attendees received door prizes presented by OLLI (the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), which also had an information table at the luncheon.
Car Wash, April 14, 2024
A free car wash was offered to UA retirees by members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at their house on University Boulevard on the afternoon of April 14, 2024. Donations to Books for the Black Belt were accepted at the event. Over thirty retirees came by to have their cars washed. The TUARA leadership was very grateful for this service and hopes to make the car wash an annual event.
Ruggiano Presentation, March 27, 2024
Dr. Nicole Ruggiano, Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Social Work at The University of Alabama, presented a talk to TUARA members on March 27, 2024, in the Judy Bonner Child Development Center. Her presentation was titled “Talking Tech: Supports and Resources for People with Dementia and their Care Partners.” For more information on Dr. Ruggiano’s work, see her Caregiver Connect website at https://caregiverconnect.ua.edu and watch the YouTube video of her TEDx talk entitled “Getting Old Should Not Mean Losing Control” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu2EdU86SMM. In addition, slides from Dr. Ruggiano’s TUARA presentation can be viewed at https://bit.ly/RuggianoPresentation.
Dr. Nicole Ruggiano is Professor and Associate Dean of Research within the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She is also an affiliated scientist for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Her research focuses on developing and testing technologies that support people living with dementia and their families. Her work has been funded by several public and private sources, including the National Institute on Aging and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Ruggiano is committed to utilizing her research findings for advocacy, public health education, and informing policy. She previously was selected as an American Political Science Association Health and Aging Policy Fellow. She has also been appointed to the Alabama Governor’s Lifespan Respite Coalition. Dr. Ruggiano is the lead researcher for the Alabama Caregiver Connect initiative, which connects those impacted by dementia with information about dementia, caregiving, and available resources.
Meet Us at the Deck!, October 26, 2023
TUARA’s annual “Meet Us at the Deck!” event was bigger and better this year. The event was held on Thursday, October 26, 2023, in the Transportation Hub Deck. At this central location, members were able to renew their parking permits, update their Action Cards, pay their TUARA membership dues, and donate to Beat Auburn Beat Hunger. This year, there were tables and displays showcasing various retiree benefits, such as the use of Bama Cash. Coffee and doughnuts were provided.