From WOOD COUNTY COMMITTEE ON AGING
Professors and graduate students from BGSU are seeking input from older adults (55 years of age and older) regarding having difficult conversations in close relationships. Sandra Faulkner, professor in the BGSU School of Media and Communication, Wendy Watson, professor in the BGSU College of Health and Human Services, and graduate students in the Relational Communication Seminar are interested in how older adults talk about difficult topics in their friendships, family, romantic, and peer relationships. The purpose of the project is to collaborate with older adults in Wood County to develop a set of best practices for talking about difficult topics and develop a workshop for how to discuss those topics in close relationships.
Faulkner, Watson, and students are interested in hearing experiences with talking about race in close relationships and ideas about the best ways to talk about race in close relationships.
There will be group interviews in a focus group-style at the Wood County Committee on Aging (WCCOA), 140 S. Grove St., Bowling Green or via Zoom with around 6 to 10 individuals. In these groups, participants will talk informally to share their thoughts on these subjects and to discuss it with peers. The sessions will provide Faulkner, Watson, and students with valuable information and a chance for them to develop a best practices workshop on how to handle difficult conversations.
Those interested in participating are asked to register for only one focus group session. The focus group dates are as follows:
- Thursday, Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m. – WCCOA
- Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. – WCCOA
- Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 4:30 p.m. – WCCOA
- Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 4:30 p.m. – WCCOA
- Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1:30 p.m. – Online via Zoom
To register, contact the Wood County Committee on Aging and ask for the programs department at 419-353-5661 or email programs@wccoa.net. For more information, contact Sandra Faulkner at sandraf@bgsu.edu or 419-372-1998.
