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 International Federation on Ageing
IFA - eNews |
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Beijing 2008: IFA Board Meeting
For the first time in the history of IFA our Directors met in Beijing, China for our first Board Meeting for 2008 which was followed by a regional meeting on the topic 'Ageing in Place' followed by a series of inspiring site visits. The China National Committee on Ageing (CNCA) lead by its President Mr Li Bengong were exceptionally generous and warm hosts for the events and we know that our partnership will be strengthened through this time together. A special note of thanks is made by the IFA Secretary General to Mr Xiao Caiwei, Ms Su Jinghua and the team at the International Department of CNCA for there dedication to ensure that this meeting was positive and productive for all concerned.
During the two-day Director's meeting there was great opportunity to discuss our positioning internationally, to review our priority area and commence our next 5-year plan. This meeting also marked the coming together of Directors from the Asia-Pacific region under the leadership of Mr K R Gangadharan (Regional Vice President). Our Directors from Australia, China, India, Korea and Japan took the opportunity to understand the common core issues in the region and discuss how best to further the role and relevance of IFA.
Corresponding to the Board Meetings this year was the 1-day regional workshop on the theme of 'Ageing in Place'. This workshop was a preliminary event in preparation for IFA's Senior Officials Meeting on 'Ageing-in-Place' to be held in conjunction with the 9th Global Conference on Ageing. The Beijing workshop featured a series of important presentations from Mr Yan Qingchun, Vice-President of the CNCA, IFA Directors Dr Hisashi Hozumi, Mr Robert Chagnon and Dr Grace Clark, and Director of the Population Science Institute at Peking University Prof Zheng Xiaoying. Following the presentations were several site visits in the Beijing area, specifically to the Beijing Qinan Community Center and U3A by the Beijing City Committee on Ageing, where participants viewed first-hand Chinese innovations around 'Ageing-in-Place' facilities. |
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A group photo of the IFA Board of Directors in Beijing.
IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing and Expo Ageing & Design - September 2008 |
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2008 Conference Update
An update on IFA`s Policy Work
Age Friendly Cities: New Developments in Nova Scotia and Quebec | |
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IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing Update: Special Call for Abstracts
Abstracts submitted for the IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing have exceeded our expectations in both the standard and content. In reviewing our commitment to delegates to examine in depth several key aging issues, we are still seeking a number of submissions in specific subject areas to complete an otherwise outstanding programme.
Abstracts addressing income security, social protection/social security; emergency preparedness; poverty prevention; positive images of aging, intergenerational relations, volunteerism and product design are welcome and encouraged.
Please do not hesitate to contact Dr Jane Barratt (IFA) at jbarratt@ifa-fiv.org or Mr Alain Dufour (ADM) at adufour@vdm-adm.ca, if you have any questions about this special request. Please visit the abstract submission link on the Conference website to submit an abstract and register today! |
IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing: Senior Official's Meeting
A unique element of IFA's global conferences is a special one-day Senior Officials Meeting. IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing will once again feature such a meeting, to be held on the September 4th, just prior to the opening ceremonies. The purpose of the Senior Officials Meeting is to provide a forum for senior government officials to examine current trends in policy and practice as they relate to the ageing population.
Representatives from many governments around the world will be in attendance at this year's Senior Officials Meeting to examine the theme 'Ageing in Place'. Many governments are creating livable communities through a range of ageing-in-place initiatives: this meeting will provide an opportunity for officials to showcase Ageing-in-Place best practices and to hear first hand how other governments are responding to the same issue. The final Senior Officials Meeting programme will be constructed around the mutual interest of delegates in order to promote dialogue and interaction among delegates, some of whom may represent countries who are well advanced to those countries who have not yet been able to tackle the problem.
Senior officials attending this event will also fully participate in the IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing and contribute to a variety of symposia and paper sessions designed to appeal to all conference delegates, covering issues central to good ageing-in-place policy and practice. Details on conference registration and the submission of abstracts can be found on the conference website: (www.ageingdesignMontréal.ca)
For more information on the Senior Officials Meeting, please contact Mr Greg Shaw at gshaw@ifa-fiv.org, or at +1 514 396 3358. |
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A Must-See Session at IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing:
Art Diverseum
A unique and engaging highlight for IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing in September will be a symposium entitled 'Floating Time', presented by the Junkei-kai Art Project Group. This symposium brings together the visual aesthetics of art with the latest innovations in care facilities in Japan.
 The Medical Corporation Junkei-kai in Japan, under the leadership of Dr Hisashi Hozumi, incorporates at least one art installation with each new care facility built. Further, installations are also being successfully incorporated into existing care facilities.
The art projects at these facilities have been recognized internationally for their efficacy in stimulating elderly people and responding to their isolation. Japanese contributors to Floating Time have noted that by integrating the arts into healthcare there were significant differences in clinical outcomes but also increased quality of patient experience and levels of care. Dr Hozumi believes that bringing art into the fields of medical and welfare services is based on the principle that art is necessary for to the future of these fields; the creativity expressed through art is an important medium for inspiring innovation in the medical and welfare care sectors.
This exciting symposium will be one of the many highlights of the 9th Global Conference on Ageing. Please visit the conference website for more details on all aspects of the conference. Find out more about the project and its background here! |
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Announcement: Two new IFA Board Members
The IFA is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Elizabeth Mestheneos, newly-elected President of AGE - the European Older People's Platform, and Mr Jan Lorman, President of ZIVOT-90 to the IFA Board of Directors.
 Dr Elizabeth Mestheneos' is President of AGE - The European Older People's Platform, a network of organisations directly representing over 22 million older people in Europe. AGE aims to give voice and promote the interests of the 150 million older citizens in the European Union and to raise awareness of the issues that concern them most: please visit www.age-platform.org
 Mr Jan Lorman is President of ZIVOT-90 in the Czech Republic; an organisation that strives to improve the quality of life for older people through programs and services with the specific aim of enabling them to live independently and remain in their own home: please visit www.zivot90.cz/
The IFA recognizes the strong personal and professional leadership that both Dr Mestheneos and Mr Lorman bring, as well as their commitment to ensuring that policies and programmes make a real difference in the lives of older people. The Board is excited to have this opportunity to include their expertise and experience and look forward to their contributions as part of the IFA team.
For more details on our international Board of Directors, please follow this link.
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Disasters Emergency Committee Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone Appeal
Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on Saturday 3 May with winds of up to 240kmph, leaving a trail of devastation, sweeping away homes and destroying crops. The death toll, now feared to have reached over 100,000, continues to rise and over 1 million people are thought to be homeless. Rescue and recovery efforts are now underway however debris is littered across roads making it hugely difficult to reach people in the worst-affected areas. There are great concerns about access to supplies of drinking water, food and fuel for those survivors still living in the cyclone's wake.
 The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) in the UK has launched an urgent appeal to help those affected by Cyclone Nargis. The DEC is an umbrella organisation that launches and coordinates the UK's national appeal in response to major disasters overseas.
Older people face particular challenges during emergencies, but are not often identified as a vulnerable group and their needs are often overlooked. Help the Aged is a member of the DEC and, with its partner HelpAge International they are supporting the efforts to alleviate the situation of older people affected by the disaster. HelpAge International is the only international organisation focusing on the needs of older people in this emergency situation.
For more information about the efforts of the DEC or to donate to the appeal, please visit their website at www.dec.org.uk
**We would like to thank Jacqui Morrissey of Age Concern England for extending this information to us. |
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Age Friendly Cities Update:
Age-friendly Communities - British Columbia |
The Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) has recently developed a province-wide programme for action with a vision to create communities that are well-serviced and liveable for persons of all ages and abilities. Entitled Age-friendly Communities, it represents a partnership between the Union of BC Municipalities, the provincial Ministry of Community Services and the provincial Ministry of Health.
Age-friendly Communities builds on the findings of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Age Friendly Cities Guide, and the Canadian Healthy Aging and Wellness Working Group of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial (F/P/T) Ministers Responsible for Seniors Age-friendly Rural and Remote Communities: A Guide. These two documents have established a foundation upon which citizens can assess how age-friendly their community is, with the objective of setting priorities and developing plans to enhance their age-friendliness.
Age-friendly Communities includes a full range of activities, and a special programme highlighting these initiatives is also available. The full document can be viewed here. In conjunction with other promotional material, a guide-book entitled Age-friendly Communities: A Guide for Local Governments To Getting Started is being distributed to elected officials and staff across the province.
Key activities to date include the launch of a website containing important tools and information for policy makers, community planners, and older people themselves. Also available is an Age-friendly Brochure introducing the programme and suggesting a plan-of-action toward implementing Age-friendly principles in the community, which can be viewed here.
For more information, please visit the Age-friendly Communities website, or make contact by Phone: (250) 652-7087 or at E-mail: age-friendly@FNTCS.com.
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The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse announces winner of the Rosalie Wolf Memorial Award:
Dr Ariela Lowenstein |
 The IFA is proud to learn that Dr Ariela Lowenstein, IFA Director and Professor at the University of Haifa, is the 2008 recipient of the international Rosalie Wolf Memorial Award. This award is presented annually by International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) to "an individual who has demonstrated dedication and commitment to the ideals of Rosalie Wolf to prevent and reduce elder abuse and promote awareness through one or more of the following: research, education, policy, practice." The award is in honour of the life of INPEA's founder, Dr. Rosalie S. Wolf. of the USA.
Dr Lowenstein is a Professor in the graduate Department of Aging Studies and is Head of the Center for Research and Study of Aging, Faculty of Welfare and Health Studies, at the University of Haifa, Israel. She is also the Head of the Center of Excellence on Aging and Migration. We extend our congratulations to Ariela for this very well deserved award. |
For this edition of IFA eNews we want to send out a special thank you to Dazhang 'John' Xu, who generously volunteers his time every week at the IFA and is an important contributor to our team. We are grateful that people like John are willing to share their time, knowledge and expertise with us.
Thank you for your support John!
International Federation on Ageing | |
