Conference Schedule

From 12 pm – 1 pm, the Exhibitor Hall will be open, live music played, and lunch will be served.

Meet the Speakers

Dr. Patrick Zook, MD – Moderator

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and medically trained at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Zook and his wife, Penny have lived in St. Cloud since 1977. As a family physician there for over 40 years, he has seen and learned a lot from the great relationships he was privileged to enjoy with his family, patients, colleagues, and neighbors. These relationships and his own family’s dementia story with both his parents have instilled in him a passion to make sure that our community’s dementia care system provides the best care for our older adults living with dementia and for their families. His brother, sisters and he lived with the gaps in care that still exist today, but our community now has the power and talent to change that kind of story with our Central Minnesota Dementia Community Action Network (D-CAN) nonprofit. Our mission is to improve access to quality dementia care in our community. With the resounding community support we have felt so far, he is now very optimistic about our prospects for transformation to a better, more hopeful model of community dementia care that we have been working on for the past few years.

Steve Hoover, PhD

Steve Hoover, PhD currently works part-time as the Healthy Aging Coordinator for the Central Minnesota Council on Aging. He recently retired after 29 years from St. Cloud State University where he was a professor in counseling and educational psychology and taught courses in stress management, research, statistics as well as in developmental and educational psychology. Dr. Hoover created the Social Connect program to address social isolation and loneliness along with creating the Greater St. Cloud Area Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness. Most recently, he started the Greater St. Cloud Men’s Shed. Dr. Hoover also teaches classes for seniors including Tai Ji Quan, Moving for Better Balance; Aging Mastery; Mindful Presence: Compassionate Care for Self and Others; the National Diabetes Prevention Program; and, Health Coaching for Hypertension. He lives in St. Cloud with his wife and two dogs.

Steve will introduce the concept of Mindful Presence and overview the process of developing the skills required to be compassionately present to both ourselves and to others.

Claudia M. Revermann, Attorney at Law and C.P.A.

Claudia M. Revermann is the owner of Revermann Law where her primary focus is to educate and serve her clients with confidence and humbleness. She practices in the areas of estate planning, probates and trusts, taxation, and business and real estate law. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and, prior to practicing law, was a tax accountant in a large regional accounting firm. Claudia earned her B.A. degree in accounting from the College of St. Catherine and her J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law. Claudia was recognized for her achievements by being named as one of St. Cloud Times Media’s 5 under 40. She speaks frequently for community and legal continuing education events and has a passion for educating people. Claudia is the past president and current member of the Central Minnesota Estate Planning Council, volunteers with the Minnesota State Bar Association’s sponsored Wills for Heroes program, is a member of the St. Cloud Hospital Corporate Member Board, and also serves on the Central Minnesota Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund board. 

Claudia will be speaking about guidance on death and dying issues related to caregivers and those receiving care, including using Trusts, Medical Assistance, Powers of Attorney, and more.

Jim Otremba, M.Div, M.S., LICSW 

Jim has been married to his best friend Maureen since 1995. He is a frequent presenter of retreats and workshops around the U.S. He holds a Master of Divinity from St. John’s, and a Master of Applied Psychology from St. Cloud State University, and he is currently finishing his Doctorate in Psychology. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Minnesota, and owns a mental health clinic in St. Cloud, MN: www.thecenterforfamilycounseling.com 

For over a decade, he has presented on this critical topic of caring for the care-giver. Too many times the needs of the care-giver are not met which can lead to many physical and emotional disorders. This can lead to a well researched reality called “compassion fatigue.” He not only has treated compassion fatigue over the decades, but also has experienced compassion fatigue himself. 

Jim will be speaking about practical ways that you can learn research-based, self-care that can protect your brain and body so that you will be better equipped to be the best care-giver you can be.

Karla Krueger, Attorney 

Karla is a supervising attorney with the St. Cloud office of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. For more than 35 years, she has provided legal advice and representation to older adults on a wide variety of legal issues. Karla is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and was admitted to the Minnesota Bar in 1987. Before joining Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Daniel F. Foley of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Event Parking at River’s Edge Convention Center

Become an Exhibitor

Don’t miss this event devoted to caregivers!