Brain health, wellness to be focus of Oct. 7 Omaha Women’s Health and Wellness Conference

"Brain Power: A Healthy Brain at Any Age," will be the focus of the 14th annual Omaha Women’s Health and Wellness Conference on Friday, Oct. 7, at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.
 
The conference, which is open to the public, will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration deadline is Sept. 30.
 
The cost of the conference is $49, which includes lectures, breakfast, lunch and exhibits. A health fair room will offer a variety of screenings at no charge, including blood pressure, skin damage, glaucoma, balance and posture, body mass index, cardiovascular and oral health. Low cost screenings including lipid profile, glucose profile and complete blood count, will be available for $15, and a thyroid-stimulating hormone test will be available for $5.
 
Breakfast keynote speaker is Dennis Molfese, Ph.D., director of the Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He will discuss how verbal memory, attention span, and the ability to multi-task changes throughout our lifespan. The main session speaker, Kelly Fairbanks, Psy.D., clinical psychologist at The Nebraska Medical Center, will discuss the benefits of exercise on the brain.
 
Dana Loomis, Ph.D., luncheon keynote speaker, will discuss how cell phones might impose a risk to our brain. He is professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health. The closing speaker will be Lenice Hogan, who will share her personal story on overcoming strokes.
 
Participants will choose from afternoon sessions that include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, migraines and headaches, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, nutrition and brain health, and mind-body medicine and stress.
 
Nursing credit is available for an additional $30.
 
For more details about other speakers and the conference or for a registration form, call the Olson Center for Women’s Health at (402) 559-6345, or logon to www.omahawomenshealthandwellness.org. Conference updates also can be found on their Facebook page.
 
The conference is sponsored by the Olson Center for Women’s Health, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, The Nebraska Medical Center, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Wellness Council of the Midlands.
 
Platinum sponsor of the conference is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska.
 
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.