Oley Conference Fosters Community
Lisa Crosby Metzger
The Cape Codder Resort was hopping this June as over
three hundred Oley members joined there for the 22nd annual Oley
Consumer/Clinician Conference. Titled “Safe and Sound on HomePEN,” the
conference was marked by a high level of attendance and by active participation
by the attendees. A strong sense of community prevailed, and those new to Oley
gatherings (as I was) were quickly made to feel welcome. And there was plenty
to keep everyone busy.
Many Regional Coordinators came to the conference
early to meet and discuss ideas about how to serve the Oley community. Faye
Clements, RN, discussed listening skills with them. Don’t hesitate to call the
RCs, and let them try out the new techniques they learned.
Wednesday night saw a bittersweet tribute to Dr. Lyn
Howard, who has officially retired from clinical practice after more than
thirty years at Albany Medical Center’s nutrition program. Numerous personal
stories confirmed how much Dr. Howard has contributed, and how much she will be
missed. Dr. Howard will continue on as Oley’s Research and Medical Director.
Thursday and Friday were packed with informative
sessions on homePEN issues, with a trip to the tidal pools and miniature golf
for the younger attendees. Session topics ranged from probiotics to reducing
complications to managing pain. As usual, an afternoon-long enteral workshop
was held on Friday.
Each afternoon the exhibit hall was crowded with
conference-goers talking to exhibitors about the latest equipment or getting
questions answered, and on Thursday evening the silent auction was lively—with
“silent” referring only to the bidding. The donation of numerous items for the
auction and generous bidding resulted in over $3,700 to go toward Oley
programs.
The youth had opportunities to gather at several
points during the conference: for the annual Jammin’ Jammies pajama party, for
the youth activities, and for a teen roundtable session titled “Teens and
Transitioning.” There was a huge turnout of youth this year!
A new addition to the program was a town meeting held
Friday night. It was a great way of facilitating dialogue within the Oley
community. Attendees made several suggestions that hopefully will take root at
Oley as the year progresses. Saturday morning featured a walk through
Hyannis—another fund-raising success story—and a picnic at the village green,
complete with rock painting (thanks, Sheila!) and a relay race (who was that
woman who took our team’s suitcase?).
Overall, the conference was noteworthy for the wonderful sense of camaraderie, and lovely scenes of old friends gathering and new friends meeting, as well as the tremendous wealth of information available from a variety of sources—from presenters to exhibitors to other attendees, both consumers and clinicians. It was my first Oley conference, and having been once, I’ll eagerly await my second.
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2007 Conference Photos |
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