Nearly 90% of people over 50 want to live independently as long as they can, according to a recent poll.

UC Davis Health experts are eager to help them do that through the health system’s Mini Medical School. People hoping to benefit from that expertise can now register for the 2023 program.

For more than 20 years, experts from the UC Davis School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing have educated older adults throughout the region with knowledge and tools to use in their daily lives.

“The majority of interactions that people have with our experts are in a clinic or the medical center, where we know they are focused on the clinical issue at hand,” explained Katren Tyler, the Mini Medical School’s program director. “When people assume the role of students, they can really soak in the information they need to lead the healthiest lives with the additional challenges of aging.”

Recently, National Geographic and AARP partnered in an exclusive study that shows older Americans are redefining their health, defying challenges and living with purpose. Respondents said they fear loss of mobility and mental decline far more than chronic conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes. Movement and brain health are included in this year’s program, as well as medication management and taking control of one’s wellness.

A full list of presentation topics for 2023 can be found on the website.

When people assume the role of students, they can really soak in the information they need to lead the healthiest lives with the additional challenges of aging.—Katren Tyler, Mini Medical School Program Director

“As health care providers, we must take into account what matters to our patients when mapping out treatment options,” said Tyler, a nationally known expert on aging and UC Davis Health’s vice chair for geriatric emergency medicine and wellness. “At the heart of it is how do we best help older patients live their very best lives where they are at the moment.”

Mini Medical School classes will be online delivered via Zoom.

Classes are free and open to the public.

Registration for the 2023 program opens online at 10 a.m., Nov. 8, 2022. Once signed up, participants will receive webinar links via email. The classes begin on Feb. 4, 2023. All sessions begin at 9 a.m. and end around 11:30 a.m.

The annual program is part of UC Davis Health’s commitment to older adults through its nationally recognized Healthy Aging Initiative. UC Davis Health has earned the Age-Friendly Health Systems Committed to Care Excellence designation for its approach to caring for older adults who come in to the Emergency Department at UC Davis Medical Center and for those served in the Healthy Aging Clinic. The Age-Friendly Emergency Department is the first emergency department in the Sacramento region to be recognized with the Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians.