MUNCIE, Ind. - The impact of caring for aging adults is the focus for the 49th annual Kirkpatrick Memorial Conference on Aging April 10 at Ball State University.

Radio talk show host and author Jacqueline Marcell will give the keynote address "A Caregiver's Journey." She is the author of the book, "Elder Rage, or Take My Father...Please! How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents."

Also speaking will be Jaia Peterson, public policy director for Generations United, a Washington D.C. based nonprofit organization. She will discuss "Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children: Challenges and Joys."

Objectives for this year's conference include:

• Understanding the emotional, financial and community impact of caregiving on the caregiver, care receiver and the community at large.
• Identifying coping techniques, community resources and other sources of support.
• Examining public policy issues related to caregiving.

The Kirkpatrick Memorial Conference on Aging will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ball State's Alumni Center, 2800 W. Bethel Ave. The conference is made possible each year by an endowment that underwrites the cost.

The family of J. Walter and Arrena I. Kirkpatrick donated the proceeds from the sale of their home to Ball State as a memorial to continue their community interests.

Their daughter, Nila Kirkpatrick Covalt, decided that a workshop on gerontology would be an appropriate memorial and, upon her death, she bequeathed additional funds to this endowment. This funding allows the Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology to waive conference fees for those 65 and older as well as Ball State faculty, staff and students.

For registration information, contact the Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology at (765) 285-8259.