Building partnerships through collaboration.
View previously recorded virtual sessions focused on wellness, working remotely and other professional development topics.
3/23/2023: Watch Get Engaged and Avoid Burnout at Work
Duration: 40 minutes
Learn how developing your self-awareness through the use of assessments such as the DISC communication style assessment and StrengthsFinder can help you to become more engaged at work. Connecting your interests and strengths with your role at UB can significantly reduce burnout and help you to experience work in a whole new way.
5/25/2021: Watch Supervisors' Learning Forum: Servant Leadership
Duration: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Join us for an interactive introduction to the idea of servant leadership – the stories behind it, the research supporting it and most importantly, how to do it. This presentation will explain what servant leadership is, address some of the myths around it and provide some tactical tools to try putting it into practice immediately.
Our speaker, James Lemoine, is an Assistant Professor of Organization and Human Resources here at UB. His research focuses on leadership, ethics and creativity and has been published in the Harvard Business Review and Business Horizons, as well as prestigious academic journals like the Academy of Management Annals and Journal of Applied Psychology.
10/7/2020: Watch Supervisors' Learning Forum: Candid Conversations
Duration: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Why do people struggle with difficult conversations? When individuals don’t know how to address concerns or provide constructive criticism to coworkers, people become disengaged, defensive and resentful. Candid Conversations provides a roadmap to help individuals maneuver even the most difficult conversations. More importantly, it emphasizes the importance of creating a collaborative, caring environment where meaningful conversations can take place. By the end of the workshop, participants will understand the necessary steps for creating a caring environment and will leave with a script to help them navigate their next critical conversation.
9/16/2020: Watch Emotional Intelligence: The New Science of Success
Duration: 59 minutes
Emotional Intelligence is the capacity to recognize and effectively manage emotions in ourselves and with others. Our ability to deal effectively with our emotions in the workplace is critical to our success as employees and coworkers. Emotional intelligence is becoming an important skill set as the pace of the world increases and our environment makes more and more demands on our cognitive, emotional and physical resources.
In this one hour session, learn how emotional intelligence in the workplace increases your ability to make effective decisions, build relationships, deal with stress and cope with change. We will also explore several techniques to manage your emotions with confidence and positive results.
5/1/2020: Watch Do You Have Change Fatigue?
Duration: 1 hour
Change fatigue is the response individuals have when they perceive that too much change is occurring. There are many things in organizations that contribute to change fatigue including people’s individual characteristics, leadership influences and organizational initiatives. At least with organizational changes there is usually an end in sight, a benefit to be had in the end, a reason or purpose. COVID-19 has up-ended everything from how we live to how we work and it leaves us asking “why?” or “what should I do?”. There are so many unanswered questions and no roadmap to follow. Even when we do get an answer, it changes the next day or week. What can we do to prepare ourselves and support our teammates in adjusting to all of this change as we progress to a new normal at UB? Join us for a conversation about how we can enable ourselves to move through these changing times with confidence and courage and adapt to this evolving situation.
4/24/2020: Watch Eliminate Conversation Chaos by Increasing Feedback
Duration: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Conversation chaos is the sum-total of the hundreds of counter-productive and ineffective conversations that take place over the course of a day, week or throughout a project. Remote work situations can contribute to this chaos, but strategically reducing it can help make teams more successful. When all that people have is words on a screen, they tend to interpret them in the worst possible way. Video conferencing makes it more difficult for people to decipher the meaning and sincerity of each other’s words and actions. To combat some of this, managers need to create an environment in which people feel comfortable enough to share what they really think and feel through peer feedback. Feedback isn’t just a supervisor’s responsibility, it’s a team responsibility to help each other learn and grow. Leaders need to set that tone and help them to connect with each other on a deeper level if they are to thrive in the new normal. Let’s discuss how we can do this for our teams as we continue to work remotely at UB.
4/17/2020: Watch Don’t Get Stuck in the Performance Zone
Duration: 40 minutes
Working hard but not progressing the way you hoped? You're not alone. We are stuck in a non-stop culture of do, do, do and go, go, go. If this world crisis has taught us anything, it’s that doing and going are less important than we thought. Learn a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that's work, parenting or creative hobbies. The key is to keep learning in order to always feel like you're moving forward. Watch this TED Talk titled, How to Get Better At the Things You Care About (11 min), and then join us for a discussion about embracing the Learning Zone for sustained growth and progress toward the improvements you have been thinking about. Now is the perfect time to invest in your growth and development.
3/31/2020: Watch Effectively Manage Remote Employees
Duration:1 hour, 3 minutes
Managing remote employees is very different than team members in an office. Join our interactive discussion forum, moderated by UB HR, to learn the most effective practices and share what your colleagues have been experiencing managing their staff during this remote work situation.
3/30/2023: Watch Mindfulness
Duration: 55 minutes
Join the Wellness Team from Independent Health in this informative workshop. Bring peace of mind and balance to each day through mindfulness, a state of active and careful attention on the moment. This presentation provides participants with information and tips on how to practice and improve mindful living.
3/26/2020: Watch Discover Your Best Self: An Exploration of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Duration: 1 hour
This introductory session is a fun and engaging opportunity to learn effective practices to slow down, quiet the mind, reduce your stress, increase your attention and boost your confidence.
Duration: Approximately 30-40 minutes
Join Christopher Wilson, Change Management Specialist, every Tuesday for a 20-minute guided meditation session to restore your body, reduce your stress and calm your mind so you can perform at your best.
4/28/2021: Watch Basics of Strength Training
Duration: 45 minutes
This presentation will discuss the basics of strength training. The presentation will include the principles behind strength training, the benefits, common myths and how to structure a workout.
11/5/2020: Watch Workspace Workout
Duration: 30 minutes
During this presentation learn new exercises to do at your desk space with no equipment needed. Your wellness specialist will discuss the importance of movement and provide additional information about physical activity!
10/15/2020: Watch Physical Activity 101
Duration: 45 minutes
Learn the basics about physical activity, including heart rate zones, aerobic vs. anaerobic exercise and tips for increasing cardiovascular health, balance, flexibility and muscle mass. Employees will receive a workspace desk workout plan after the presentation.
9/30/2020: Watch How a Sedentary Lifestyle Affects Your Biological Age
Duration: 40 minutes
You may have heard that sitting for long periods of time can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, obesity and depression. But did you know that being sedentary can increase your biological age by eight years? Learn what happens to bodies that sit still more than move, along with simple ways to add more movement to your day. Employees will receive a tip sheet on incorporating movement during the day.
5/12/2021: Watch Why Diets Fail Us: An Introduction to Intuitive Eating
Duration: 1 hour
An overview of the effects of dieting, with an introduction to intuitive eating, a non-diet framework that sheds the “diet mentality” and strengthens trust in our bodies and enjoyment of food to help to guide optimal eating. Join registered dietician, Janice Cochran, MS, RD, and Dr. Jennifer Temple, Director, UB’s Nutrition and Health Research Laboratory, as they discuss the concept of intuitive eating and the reasons why diets fail us.
5/5/2021: Watch Beat the Heat with Hydration
Duration: 35 minutes
This workshop will discuss why hydration is important and what dehydration looks like. This presentation will also provide hydration considerations and how to make it a habit!
Watch Hannah’s Healthy Meals: Red Lentil Dahl
Duration: 3 minutes
Watch Hannah’s Healthy Meals: Greek Bowls
Duration: 5 minutes
3/3/2021: Watch Eating, Obesity and Stigma: Separating Weight from Health
Duration: 1 hour
Weight concerns are prevalent in society and are exploited by the billion-dollar weight loss industry. As a consequence, our health-related goals often center around body weight, which we conceptualize as eating less and exercising more. In this talk, we will explore how our eating and activity habits are shaped, why it is so difficult to change our eating and activity habits, how behavior change theory can inform the development of healthier habits, why we should reconsider conflating health with thinness and how we can create a more inclusive environment for people of every size.
11/11/2020: Watch Added Sugar Isn’t Always Sweet
Duration: 30 minutes
Added sugar has recently been a common ingredient in many foods, thus making it difficult to limit. Please join this presentation as we will explore how added sugars reflect health, common names of added sugar in food, artificial sweeteners, and strategies to lower consumption of added sugars
8/20/2020: Watch Supermarket Savvy
Duration: 1 hour
You are what you eat – and you eat what you buy. Join Lauren from Independent Health as she provides a virtual shopping tour with advice for making healthier choices. Become a meal prep expert and learn food safety tips for proper care inside and outside of the kitchen.
5/21/2020: Watch Mastering Meal Prep
Duration: 55 minutes
Putting healthy home-cooked meals on the table requires time and planning. In this session, you will receive ideas and advice for things you can do ahead of time to cut the time you need to get healthy meals on the table in a flash.
11/20/2024 Watch Maximizing Your 2024/2025 Independent Health Benefits
Whether you are a current Independent Health member or if you are interested in learning more about health insurance through Independent Health, learn about some of the value added benefits from IH, such as the Health Extras Wellness card, Teledoc, Brook, FitWorks and MyIH.
10/30/2024 Watch Setting Yourself Up for Success – Building Confidence and Self-Assurance
This course explores how to build self-confidence and self-efficacy with an understanding of why this is important for personal growth. Participants will learn how to set wellness goals and take steps toward improving their overall well-being.
10/8/2024 Watch Managing Stress to Avoid Burnout
Stress and burnout are impacting all of us. But, did you know that ignoring day-to-day stress is what causes burnout? In this session, you will learn about the warning signs of stress and what you can do to prevent burnout.
12/7/2023 Watch Maximizing your Independent Health benefits
Whether you are a current Independent Health member or if you are interested in learning more about health insurance through Independent Health, learn about some of the value added benefits from IH, such as the Health Extras Wellness card, Teledoc, Brook, Foodsmart, FitWorks and MyIH.
11/9/2023: Watch Feeling Stuck?
Do you sometimes feel as if you are on the proverbial treadmill? You may be trying to make progress in work, in a relationship, or another area of life, but you feel stuck, or trapped? Is it making you unhappy? Come to this virtual webinar to learn why people sometimes get stuck, and acquire new skills that may help you become unstuck.
10/17/2023: Watch the Power of Positivity
Duration: 45 minutes
We often overlook the impact our thoughts can have on our well-being, allowing stress and negative thinking to dictate how we feel and react. Instead, discover how positive thinking can improve your overall well-being!
While you can’t control certain circumstances or the actions of others, you can control how you react to specific situations and your attitude. Your mindset has more power than you may realize, and our thoughts and subconscious impact how we feel, what we do, and how we react to the things around us.
Because of this, maintaining a positive attitude is one of the best things you can do for your overall health and well-being. This presentation will cover ways to help you create and maintain positive energy in your life including:
3/23/2023: Watch Get Engaged and Avoid Burnout at Work
Duration: 40 minutes
Learn how developing your self-awareness through the use of assessments such as the DISC communication style assessment and StrengthsFinder can help you to become more engaged at work. Connecting your interests and strengths with your role at UB can significantly reduce burnout and help you to experience work in a whole new way.
12/14/2022: Watch You are Unique, Just Like Everyone Else: Embracing Your Self Worth
Duration: 40 minutes
In this workshop, you will learn how to develop an empathetic, compassionate and accepting relationship with yourself. You will understand the importance of reducing negative self-talk and discover ways to cope with factors that influence your self-esteem to improve your self-worth and appreciate your uniqueness.
12/6/2022: Watch How Physical Movement, Nutrition and Daily Routines Impact Mental Health
Duration: 45 minutes
When do you feel at your best and your worst? Is there a pattern in your daily, weekly, or monthly routines that leads to those feelings? This workshop will discuss science-informed practices in physical movement, nutrition, and one’s daily routine that impacts mental health.
11/23/2022: Watch How to Beat the Holiday Blues
Duration: 30 minutes
Suffering from depression over the holiday season? Learn why people get depressed over the holidays and tips for preventing the holiday blues.
9/28/2021: Watch An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure — Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome
Duration: 1 hour
This presentation focuses on metabolic syndrome, which affects about 25% of the U.S. population, and reviews three associated chronic disease states that significantly increase risk of heart attack and stroke: diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Learn how to prevent metabolic syndrome and control it medically and through lifestyle changes.
4/14/2021: Watch Inflammation 101
Duration: 45 minutes
This presentation will discuss what inflammation is and how it can impact our health. Learn the signs, common causes and what problems inflammation can trigger. Includes a discussion on both prevention and treatment.
3/31/2021: Watch Humorous Coping Strategies: Why You Should Take Humor Seriously
Duration: 1 hour
Using humor to cope with negative emotions and adversity can help you feel better and improve communication with your support network. Learn about why and how to use humorous coping strategies to manage stressors and laugh more often.
1/5/2021: Watch Hurdling the Psychological Barriers Keeping You From Your Health Goals
Duration: 1 hour
Time constraints, caretaking obligations, fatigue - there are plenty of factual barriers standing between you and your health goals. You may have already found creative ways around these barriers only to hit a new layer of obstacles: the psychological roadblocks of resistance, procrastination, overwhelm and self-doubt. In this presentation, Master Certified Life and Business Coach, Linda Bucher, will show you how to hurdle those psychological barriers so you can get out of your own way and move toward your goals.
Linda is a Master Certified Life Coach and Business Mentor who is passionate about helping smart, driven, successful people to get out of their own way and GO BIG in life and business. Incorporating 25 years of corporate experience, more than 10 years as an entrepreneur, and an MBA, with her multiple life coaching certifications and diverse experiences, Linda sits in a unique place to help people unleash the bigness inside and turn dreams into realities.
12/9/2020: Watch Work Life Balance is a Myth: The Secrets to Finding Your Own Harmony
Duration: 50 minutes
Most of the world's population spends about one-third of their adult life at work. That leaves the rest of their time for family, recreation, sleep and other priorities. Balancing work with home life is a daily struggle and that is especially important right now with many people working from home. Work-life demands impact our interactions with our families, friends and others in our personal and professional circles. Finding the right balance between work and home life leads to more efficient, productive work and higher satisfaction in life overall. In this interactive session, you will uncover your personal priorities to help find the right mix that works for you personally.
11/18/2020: Watch Sweet Dreams Are Made of ZZZ’s: Getting a Better Night’s Sleep
Duration: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Join Daniel Rifkin, Medical Director, Sleep Medicine Centers of WNY and Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at UB as he discusses how you can improve the quality of your sleep.
11/12/2020: Watch Healthy Habits That Can Improve Mental Health
Duration: 50 minutes
This seminar we will discuss habits and how our behaviors can affect not only our mental health but our overall health. We will look at what might affect healthy behaviors and how starting small can make a big difference.
8/6/2020: Watch Whole Well-Being
Duration: 50 minutes
Join Lauren from Independent Health as she provides information on how emotional health, nutrition, physical activity, sleep and environment influences our overall health. This session includes tips to modify unhealthy behaviors, manage stress and achieve a better work-life balance.
7/22/2020: Watch Depression, Anxiety and Ways to Cope
Duration: 45 minutes
A growing number of people suffer silently with depression and anxiety. Join Lauren Smith from Independent Health as she covers the signs and symptoms to look for, treatment options and resources for help.
5/6/2020: Watch Living Your Best UB Life
Duration: 43 minutes
UB HR recognizes that it is difficult to achieve work/life balance. Understanding the benefits available to you as an employee can only assist you in all aspects of your life. The Benefits and Work-Life Balance department in Human Resources will present information about your leave benefits, using your accruals and other programs that may help you have a comfortable work-life balance such as mediation services, fitness and wellness classes, career coaching and lactation support.
4/30/2020: Watch Fostering a Positive Mindset in These Challenging Times
Duration: 50 minutes
Studies have shown that positive thinking can improve your creativity and energy levels, increase your success and productivity and lead to improved health. With the current situation, it is easy to fall into a trap of negativity. In this session, you will learn how to overcome negative thinking and re-frame your mindset to one more positive and optimistic.
4/8/2020: Watch Coping with Stress
Duration: 50 minutes
As COVID-19 spreads and more of us are working from home, stress and anxiety are even more prevalent right now as we juggle kids, work, worry and lack of normal routines. In this session, you will learn what causes stress, how to recognize stress, and ways of coping with and managing stress.
4/7/2020: Watch Building Resilience: What, Why & How to Become Resilient
Duration: 40 minutes
Everyone wants to perform well when the pressure's on, but a lot of us withdraw in times of stress or adversity. If you can build your resilience, you'll have an easier time facing new challenges and learn a valuable skill. Being resilient is also a key component of emotional intelligence. Watch this LinkedIn training video, Building Resilience, to learn how to bounce back from difficult situations, by building your "resiliency threshold." Then, join in on a discussion on April 7 with ODE and EAP about this training to review highlights and get your questions answered about building resiliency. There could not be a better time to become more resilient.
3/7/2023: Watch Planning Your Garden for Summer
Duration: 50 minutes
Join Susan Steck as she discusses garden planning. This workshop will review goals you have for your garden, site selection, suggested plants (especially those that are low maintenance), tips for planting and getting inspiration for the season.
5/25/2022: Watch Discovering New Ways to Build Self Efficacy
Duration: 40 minutes
The percentage of adults who consider themselves to be thriving has dropped in recent years. Employees will explore ways to build self-confidence, understand why this is important, learn to set wellness goals and take steps toward making a change to improve an area of their life.
10/7/2021: Watch Ask a Gardener
Duration: 1 hour
This is your opportunity to ask experienced home gardeners questions about your own garden. What type of plants work best in shade? How about a sunny, dry spot? What plants will the deer not eat? How about clay soil? Weeds – what can I do?
5/13/2021: Watch Art Break: UB Art Galleries' Cravens Collection
Duration: 35 minutes
Cravens World displays a collection of archaeological, ethnographic and art objects from all over the world, some of which date as far back as 4,500 BC. Donated to the UB College of Arts and Sciences in 2010 by Annette Cravens (1923-2017), MSW ’68, this collection of over 1,100 objects can be viewed and researched in a visible storage system at UB Anderson Gallery. Over the past year UB Art Galleries Graduate Assistant Ashley Cercone has been doing research into the artists who made the objects in the collections and on this tour she will share her findings!
4/21/2021: Watch Art Break: Karyn Olivier - Everything That’s Alive Moves
Duration: 30 minutes
Take an art break and go on a virtual tour of Karyn Olivier's exhibition Everything That's Alive Moves!
Karyn Olivier makes monuments. She investigates scale, public memory, and how they relate to issues of inclusivity and acceptance. The exhibition Everything That’s Alive Moves brings together two themes the artist has focused on in recent years: larger-than-life scale and the minute, modest gesture. An obelisk sculpture, a car made entirely of shoes, and a brick wall built using discarded clothing as mortar are among the works selected to be reimagined and constructed on-site at UB Art Galleries.
The tour will be led by UB Art Galleries curator Liz Park and graduate assistant and MFA candidate Maria Barrientos.
3/30/2021: Watch Thinking Spring: Starting Seeds and Other Gardening Tasks
Duration: 1 hour, 5 minutes
While the winter winds are still blowing, there are some gardening tasks that you can do now, like starting seeds at home. We will discuss the principles of seed starting, what you might need, and what types of plants to try. In addition, we’ll take a look at some gardening jobs to undertake while your garden is still asleep.
3/11/2021: Watch Art Break: Philip Pavia, East Pediment, Sun-up (1965-66)
Duration: 35 minutes
Take an art break and learn about UB’s newest public art piece by Philip Pavia, East Pediment, Sun-up (1965-66) and the exhibition of his drawings and sculptures at UB Art Galleries!
As a leading sculptor in the American postwar movement, Philip Pavia (1912-2005) was passionate in his belief that sculpture could produce breakthrough visual dynamics that might parallel the achievements made by the avant-garde action painters of his generation. He would chisel, lean, and stack marble blocks, suggesting movement in bold, gravity-defying compositions referred to as “scatterings.”
Organized in conjunction with the unveiling of East Pediment, Sun-up (1965-66), a large-scale, outdoor sculpture recently installed on UB’s North campus, Drawings and Small Sculptures documents Pavia’s process. Pavia’s sketches are presented as ideal counterpoints to the carved stone and bronze sculptures, they are not exact studies for sculptures, but they are related forms and ideas. Pavia described them as “butterfly thoughts” that passed through his mind.
9/23/2020: Watch Fall Gardening: What to do When
Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Autumn is fast approaching, along with rain, frost and falling leaves. But that doesn’t mean that your garden is completely finished for the season! There is much that can be done to extend your current blooming plants, introduce new varieties and also prepare your garden for winter. This session will explore different plant varieties to extend the blooming season, and also includes activities you can do to ensure your plants survive a Buffalo winter.
8/5/2020: Why Think Through Photographs?
Duration: 55 minutes
Thinking Through Photographs is an exhibition of questions and prompts in the form of a downloadable PDF. Initially conceptualized as a gallery installation of text, books, and other resources, this project now lives on UB Art Galleries’ website as a free resource for teachers and students of photography, as well as anyone interested in digging deeper into what it means to make a photograph in 2020. Join curator Liz Park for a discussion on how to use the PDF as a set of tools and why we need to take the time to think through photographs.
7/16/2020: Watch A Regional Resource for Birdwatchers
Duration: 1 hour, 3 minutes
Presenter: Gerry Rising, retired UB faculty member
The isolation required to address the coronavirus has led to increased interest in the natural world around us, particularly in the birds that enhance our backyards and parklands. Mike Noonan and Gerry Rising have developed a website that supports those whose interest is so captured, and it has been popular with birdwatching beginners. We'll talk with Gerry about the website, birdwatching and ornithology.
6/17/2020: Watch Bee-ing Friendly to the Bees: Basics of Beekeeping and Supporting Pollinators in Your Garden
Duration: 1 hour
Join David Hoekstra, clinical assistant professor of biological sciences, who runs the UBBees research and outreach initiative, to discuss the basics of beekeeping, and/or supporting the bees by planting pollinator friendly plants at their houses. Learn about all the differences between a yellow jacket, honey bee, carpenter bee, bumble bee, and other kinds of bees.
6/4/2020: Watch Art Break: Virtual Exhibition Tour with UB Art Galleries curator Liz Park
Duration: 45 minutes
Take an art break and go on a virtual tour of Sally Cook: 1960–Present!
A painter of dynamic scenery, intimate portraits and sumptuous still life, Buffalo-born Sally Cook has been a vital part of the arts community in Western New York since her early years as a student at the Albright Art School in the 1950s. This survey brings together major paintings from her earliest abstract canvas dating 1960 to the most recent figurative works. The exhibition also highlights her work as a poet and her painterly engagement with the poet Emily Dickinson who provides an ongoing inspiration for Cook.
Led by UB Art Galleries curator of exhibitions Liz Park, this tour will give an overview of the exhibition and UB Art Galleries.
5/29/2020: Watch Planting Annuals & Ask a Gardener Workshop
Duration: 50 minutes
Annual flowers bring color and beauty to your garden in a fast and easy way. This session will provide tips on how to plant your newly purchased annuals to perform their best. We’ll talk about soil preparation, fertilizers, proper location and containers. Then we’ll get into your gardening questions. Notice how we didn’t say ask an expert – we might not be able to answer all your questions, but let’s bring some issues to the table!! To help the presenter prepare for your questions, we request that you email your questions in advance to wellness@buffalo.edu.
4/22/2020: Watch Bushes, Blooms and Bulbs – Oh My!!
Duration: 1 hour
Having blooms nearly all year long is an important goal for gardeners. Not only does this add to your curb appeal (and property value), it supports our pollinators and is good for your mental health. We’ll discuss what plants you should consider to extend your bloom time to nearly four seasons.
11/16/2023 Watch Financial Wellness
Financial wellness for yourself and your loved ones is critical to your overall health. As we age, we have our own financial security in mind, as well as that of our loved ones. Having the tools available to be prepared and navigate these mazes is essential. This program will share valuable information about family financial preparedness at all stages of life. The program will discuss your goals and the risks of reaching those goals. We’ll address more complex estate planning, including when an estate becomes taxable, discuss trusts as an estate planning tool, and touch on retirement, long-term care planning, and caregiving.
10/19/2023: Watch Preparing for Caregiving
Duration: 1 hour
The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in many families becoming caregivers because of the concern over safety and lack of access to facilities. Now, in addition to your life and responsibilities, a whole new commitment has been added to your already full plate. This session will address important considerations for planning when caring for an elderly or disabled family member at home. It will provide important information on different forms of Supplemental Needs Trusts for the protection of assets and excess income of the disabled individual while maintaining eligibility for government benefits. It will also cover special challenges when planning retirement benefits, reviews asset protection techniques, and Medicaid Planning considerations. It will also touch on the different forms of Guardianships.
9/28/2023: Watch Understand and Simplify the End of Life
Duration: 55 minutes
At the death of a loved one, everything may feel overwhelming. In this session, we will discuss estate administration, including subjects such as how assets pass to loved ones when it is an Estate Proceeding necessary in a Surrogate's Court to appoint an executor and how that process works. It will also touch on methods to avoid probate to make things easier on your loved ones while accomplishing your estate planning goals.
8/24/2023: Watch Understanding Trusts
Duration: 55 minutes
Trusts play an important part in estate planning. Whether incorporating into your last will or creating a stand-alone trust, they serve different but important purposes, such as protecting a minor, protecting an heir with financial challenges or disabilities, simplifying estate administration by avoiding probate or taking steps to protect your assets, or minimizing estate tax. Trusts do not have to be complicated or scary. This session will discuss the many reasons to have a trust, the types of trusts available, how they work, and how they can be helpful to your family.
7/20/2023: Watch Asset Protection and Long Term Care Planning
Duration: 55 minutes
Whether you have sizeable wealth or a modest estate, the cost of long term care can quickly deplete your estate. Planning for home care, assisted living or nursing home care may be complicated, particularly in terms of Medicaid eligibility. Medicaid provides payment for nursing homes and some community-based long-term care. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions surrounding the Medicaid program and how eligibility is determined. Knowing the rules is crucial to putting them to work with your own planning. This workshop will explain Medicaid eligibility, the rules about transferring assets and other actions that can impact eligibility. We will also discuss legal techniques that can be implemented to protect your assets, whether you are planning well in advance or have an immediate need for care. This program will provide basic knowledge necessary to minimize the potentially catastrophic effect the cost of long term care can have on family wealth.
6/29/2023: Watch Basic Estate Planning: Wills, Powers of Attorney and Living Wills/Health Care Proxies
Duration: 1 hour
Estate planning is the process where a person develops a plan to organize their personal and financial affairs in order to deal with the possibility of mental incapacity or death. Estate planning is not just a plan to die, but addresses your plan to live. This session will review the essential estate planning documents we all should have and why, including Wills, advance directives, and Powers of Attorney. Everyone has a story - does your estate planning address all your chapters? This workshop will touch on different types of planning tools to assure your legacy passes according to your wishes.
2/9/2022: Watch Ask the Organizing Expert
Duration: 1 hour
Wellness and Work/Life Balance is pleased to welcome back Jamie Shaner, owner of Home Solutions of WNY, Inc. She brings back her expertise about Residential and Office Organizing, Decluttering and Downsizing and Senior Move Management to all of us here at UB.
12/8/2021: Watch Ask the Estate Planning Expert
Duration: 1 hour
As an estate planning lawyer, Judy Wagner recognizes that estate planning is most effective when done in advance of a crisis, but that life is often unpredictable. Whatever the timing, anticipation of a client and their family’s needs is a crucial component to effective estate planning and Judy applies this philosophy as an estate attorney. This workshop is designed to answer your specific questions about Estate Planning. Registrants will submit questions prior to the sessions.
11/18/2021: Watch Ask the Elder Care Expert
Duration: 1 hour
Judy assists clients with Medicaid planning, long-term care planning and wealth preservation, developing effective plans to assure her clients receive the best care, and where possible, implement asset protection and crisis planning techniques. This workshop is designed to answer your specific questions about Elder Care.
9/30/2021: Watch Office Organizing: Tips for Bringing Order to Your Workspace
Duration: 55 minutes
Jamie Shaner of Home Solutions of WNY, Inc. returns to discuss the process, the products, and the perks of getting your physical and electronic office clutter under control. Jamie is an organization expert and has presented several workshops for UB Human Resources over the past several years. Her programs continue to be requested and are some of our most popular.
10/22/2020: Watch Caregiving for an Elderly or Disabled Family Member
Duration: 50 minutes
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many families becoming caregivers because of the concern over the safety of, and lack of access to facilities. Now, in addition to your own life and responsibilities, a whole new commitment has been added to your already full plate. This session will address important considerations for planning when caring for an elderly or disabled family member at home. It will provide important information on different forms of supplemental needs trusts for the protection of assets and excess income of the disabled individual, while maintaining eligibility for government benefits. It will also cover special challenges when planning with retirement benefits, review asset protection techniques and Medicaid planning considerations. It will also touch on the different forms of guardianships.
10/8/2020: Watch You Want to Retire When? Financial and Retirement Planning in Turbulent Times
Duration: 55 minutes
7/2/2020: Watch Home Office Ergonomics
Duration: 35 minutes
Are you working from home for all or part of your workday? Proper office ergonomics is just as important at your home office station. Join us for solid advice and creative hacks for how to adjust your home office ergonomics to minimize force, maintain good posture and avoid excessive repetition.
You will learn:
4/23/2020: Watch Downsizing and Minimizing Your Stuff
Duration: 1 hour
Whether it’s for yourself or a loved one, this seminar discusses important aspects of downsizing, such as when to start, where to start, and how to start the downsizing process. Jamie also touches on minimizing your “stuff” – focusing on how to decide what to keep and what to toss.
4/16/2020: Watch Five Steps to Getting Organized
Duration: 1 hour
This seminar features Jamie Shaner's tried and true step-by-step approach for successfully tackling any organizing project. The focus will be on the “stuff” that fills our closets, cupboards and drawers as well as attics, basements and garages. No more junk drawers! She will go into more detail about how to handle the daily flow of mail and paperwork in our lives, as well as how to set up a filing system and eliminate paper piles once and for all.
4/2/2020: Watch So Your Kid Wants to Play a College Sport?
Duration: 30 minutes
This session will include a discussion about NCAA scholarship rules, eligibility regulations and recruiting guidelines, as well as the differences in Division I, II and III. Our presenter is Kelly Cruttenden, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance here at UB.
Looking for more learning opportunities? Check out the free courses promoted by SUNY Center for Professional Development on various topics including coaching skills, time management and communication.
Michele Poitras
Wellness and Work Life Balance
Kerry Gangi
Organizational Development and Effectiveness (ODE)
The University at Buffalo is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with any disabilities. If you require accommodations to participate in this session, please contact Organizational Development and Effectiveness (ODE) at (716) 645-4459 or training@buffalo.edu prior to attending the workshop. Please allow ample time for ODE to work with the Office of Accessibility Resources to arrange accommodations.
Looking for an upcoming session? Visit the HR Virtual Workshops and Programs Page for access to registration for all of our future sessions.