Reynolds Institute on Aging Honors Susan May as Volunteer of the Year
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging held a ceremony to honor Susan May as its volunteer of the year.
The Volunteer of the Year Award is given to a member of the community who supports and promotes the various outreach activities that the Institute on Aging sponsors.
May has been a community leader for decades, supporting a number of causes throughout Central Arkansas. For much of the past year, she has served as an important member of the institute’s Opioid Prevention for Aging and Longevity (OPAL) team and its community outreach and education efforts.
Susan May holds her Volunteer of the Year Award as she’s recognized by Gohar Azhar, M.D., (left) and Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute on Aging and chair of the Department of Geriatrics in the College of Medicine.
Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute on Aging and chair of the Department of Geriatrics in the College of Medicine, told May that she is an inspiration to the institute’s staff and many others.
“We are deeply grateful and honored that Mrs. May is our Volunteer of the Year Award recipient,” Wei said. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with this visionary volunteer.”
Gohar Azhar, M.D., also praised May’s efforts on behalf of the Institute on Aging. “It’s been less than a year, and she’s done such a great job for our program,” Azhar said, referring to May’s work on the OPAL team.
“She comes every time we ask her to come, and she supports us in any way that she can,” Azhar said.
May said her favorite activities include gardening, yoga and her volunteer work at the Institute on Aging. “I love being up here and helping out,” she said during the ceremony. “It’s really a lot of fun for me.”
The OPAL program provides adults age 55 or above, as well as their caregivers, with information about opioid medications, non-opioid medications and integrative therapies for managing chronic pain. Non-opioid medications and integrative therapies such as exercise, acupuncture and yoga can help older adults manage pain without the serious side effects associated with opioid use.
To find more information about the OPAL program, click here.