|
 International Federation on Ageing
IFA - eNews |
|
 |
Conference Program Reflects the Importance of
Ensuring Enabling and Supportive Environments
The United Nations Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) is truly reflected in conference program now posted on the conference website.
'Ensuring enabling supportive environments', the third priority of MIPAA is capture in substantive sessions on subjects such as include: Elder Law, the Elderly and the Internet (launch of a new Canadian study), Elder Abuse, Mature Employment, Communities for the Future (Design, 2025), Age-Friendly Cities, Aging in Place and Caregiving.
Invited symposia and workshops for 1.5 - 2 hours from many of the leading national and international agencies of civil society and all levels of governments and academic will inform and interact with delegates from at least 57 countries. True to our word this conference framework we hope will provide great time for questions, sharing information and being part of an interactive platform in and beyond Montreal.
We particularly welcome presenters of some 300 paper sessions which support the invited sessions adding the flavor and 'bottom up approach' from many practitioners in the field of service provision in community and long term care sessions. For the first time a student forum is created by and for students to learn presentation skills and be a true and relevant member of the IFA family.
We are delighted that nearly 50% of the current delegation is international from every region of the world with a large contingent from China, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia.
Register now and be part of the delegation that creates more than a conference but in effect an interactive platform for your voice and those representing the interests of older people globally. |
|
Growing our Global Community |
The IFA is pleased to welcome the Canadi  an Academy of Senior Advisors (CASA) as one of our newest members. Founded in 2003, CASA has striven to help create "a society that understands the processes of aging, and honours and respects the unique roles of seniors in [their] communities." CASA is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, and is the exclusive training institute for the Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) Designation course in Canada.
The CSA course consists of 24 distinct modules and is offered as a three and a half day live course or a self-paced program completed within six months. It is a supplement for professional licenses and demonstrates the understanding of the basic processes of aging and how it influences health, social and financial considerations. In addition CSA's are bound by a code of conduct that is monitored by an independent Board of Standards.
 President and co-founder Rhonda Latreille, is a dynamic speaker and consultant who has worked with corporations, governments and non-profit groups in communication, social policy development, program design and management. She has published manuals and studies as well as providing editorial review for a number of research projects and academic papers in such areas as criminal justice, forensic mental health, victim services and crime prevention. President and co-founder
Vice-president and co-founder Dr. John Crawford is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal for his service to the elderly and disabled in Canada. A retired professor of gerontology, Dr. Crawford continues to offer his extensive expertise in aging and health both in a consultative and academic capacity.. For more information on CASA or the CSA please visit their website. | |
|
|
|
|
|
IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing and Expo Ageing & Design - September 2008 |
| Join us in Montreal |
|
|
| Next Edition |
|
2008 Conference Update
Announcing IFA Presidency Awards
Announcing the host of the 10th IFA Global Conveference | |
|
|
Williamsburg - Creating a village within the city to enhance social connectedness
A Must-See Session at IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing
RBJ Schlegel Holdings Inc. and the University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging, based in Ontario Canada, will be giving a feature presentation at IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing on the Williamsburg project. The Williamsburg project is a land development project to create a 'village within a city'
Owned and operated by the Ronald Schlegel family, this company is involved in long term care and retirement home operations, and commercial and residential land development.
Author(s): Sharratt M.T.1, Kaczynksi A.1, Bender V.1
Institute(s): 1Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
The essence of a healthy community is revealed not only by where people live, but also by how they live. Sensitivity to optimal design ensures that older adults will have easy walking access to meaningful destinations like parks, grocery stores, and coffee shops where social connections are enhanced.
Williamsburg is an innovative "village within the city" that was initiated 16 years ago and driven by 13 guiding principles which were ahead of their time. For example, a lifespan perspective has led to a social infrastructure which welcomes intergenerational ties. Integral to the design is a "main street" which is reminiscent of a small, friendly community. Mixed housing includes affordable houses, architecturally distinct urban villas overlooking a five-acre village green, and higher density seniors' apartments which will have a preferred location close to local retail shopping, medical services, and recreational opportunities. All stores are within a ten-minute walk from the seniors' apartments. Contiguous with these apartments is a seven-acre upland woodlot which provides ready access to a pedestrian trail system linking residential developments to the west and to the north. Adjacent to the main street is a five-acre village green or "passive park", which acts as a meeting place and will be enhanced by a children's play area/creative playground, band shell/gazebo, and water feature which can be used for skating in the winter and splash pad for children in the summer.
Recently, focus group testing of the current residents revealed positive attitudinal and behavioural support for the village concept. Residents (young and old) have responded to the principles underlying Williamsburg and they have embraced the vision of "Your Village Within The City". Nevertheless, they do need to be reminded periodically that "they" are part of this work in progress.
For more information on the Williamsburg project contact the Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging: sharratt@ria.uwaterloo.caFor IFA's 9th Global Conference Programme click here.
|
|
Policy Measures Providing for Ageing in Place - Austria
A sneak preview from the Senior Government Officials Meeting of September 4th 2008
The desire to lead a self-determined, independent life in surroundings of one's own choice, even if there is a need for care, represents an equally significant challenge for infrastructure, housing and social policy. Care counselling should be an obligatory element in the procedure leading to the award of long-term care benefit. A decisive role for the preservation of high quality of life in the future will be played by quality assurance in both institutional care and care at home, with the involvement of voluntary helpers of various ages who encourage communication.
To improve the compatibility of care and nursing with working life in cases of family hospice leave and day care, a further extension of support and care respite measures will be required.
In local community services, the new demography-sensitive terms of reference should be legally defined and innovative regional cooperation promoted.
At the same time, a high level of voluntary participation will be needed on the part of older citizens to structure their living space in the community; it will be necessary to utilise their expertise in life after employment, together with representatives of various generations. This will serve to give their own lives meaning and at the same time it will benefit the population as a whole. When strategically conceived, the empowerment of socially weaker, disadvantaged or endangered persons promotes social balance and cohesion, and simultaneously creates inter-generational projects for cultural and social diversity and quality of life, as it is in the focus of the pilot project "GEMA Gemeinsam Aktiv" (Active Together) in Upper Austria. Read Full Paper here. |
Chronic Disease and Aging: From Research to Policy to Practice
An International Dialogue: Meeting the Challenge in the Quebec Healthcare System
SOLIDAGE, a research collaboration between McGill University and Université de Montréal, will host an international symposium on Chronic Disease and Aging in Montreal, Canada on November 6, 2008.
The main purpose of this conference will be to discuss how Quebec can meet the challenges, due to demographic changes, that face its health care system. The event is supported through a grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research that seeks to address issues of importance to both Canadian and provincial health authorities.
Quebec faces a rapidly aging population, with the greatest demographic increase of persons over 80. Chronic disease may impact individuals throughout the lifecycle; however, it is most prevalent in later life, contributing to the onset of frailty, disability and dependency and is a major burden due to illness and mortality. For these reasons, chronic disease and associated frailty are extremely pressing issues in Quebec (as in many other parts of the world), especially in the context of an ageing population. Meeting these challenges is necessary, both to improve the health and quality of life for the aged and to sustain the province's health care system.
With prominent professionals from countries such as Canada, the United States, Israel, England and France, this symposium seeks to foster international dialogue to discuss how Quebec's health care system can best meet these challenges, learning from domestic and international experience.
To get more information about and/or register for the symposium click here.
|
Art as a Window into the Visual World of the Legally Blind
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of legal blindness in developed countries for people over 55. Despite its prevalence however, there is little public awareness or understanding regarding this condition.
Adam Hahn, a 29 year old painter from the United Kingdom, was inspired to better understand the experiences of people who suffer from AMD by his late grandmother's experience. "Grandma had macular degeneration. It was my way of trying to understand how she saw the world and how it affected her." People often don't talk about these experiences because they don't want to trouble those around them.
Seeking to accurately depict how people with AMD viewed themselves, Adam closely consulted with AMD patients to paint 'self' portraits. The first step was to manipulate photographs through the input from subjects who used their peripheral vision to make suggestions. In the actual portraits he diminished the clarity in the painting to create the illusion of the degeneration process.
Don Curran, past chairman of AMD Alliance International and an AMD patient himself, lauded the way Adam depicted him in a portrait, allowing others to view how he sees himself and the world around him. Don emphasised how these portraits will be able to clarify the difficulties that arise from AMD variation between individuals, which make often make simple blindness easier to comprehend then partial-blindness.
Peter Coffey, a research scientist at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, stated that "the impact of the disease is thought to be as bad as a stroke or chronic pain, yet the psychological support that you would get for those diseases is not there for people who suffer from AMD." Furthermore, he noted the importance of the exhibit in helping clinicians and health care providers to better understand how AMD patients view the world around them.
For more information on AMD or the AMD Alliance please visit their website amdalliance.org.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of legal blindness in people over 55 in the developed world. It affects more people in the United States, than either cataracts or glaucoma. However, despite its prevalence there is little public awareness. Surveys state that awareness varies from as little as 6% in Japan to as much as 24% in Canada, with the only exception being the United States where public awareness is 46%. |
Older Adult Project
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
The city of Mississauga, Ontario in Canada has developed the Older Adult Plan in attempts to address the demographic shifts and challenges that are being created as the "boomer" generation is reaching older age.
The purpose of the action plan can be summed up in its vision statement, "As an age friendly city, older adults in Mississauga will lead purposeful and active lives, will live in their community with dignity, integrity and independence, and will experience a diverse range of lifestyle opportunities to pursue their personal interests."
Mississauga's action plan has developed out of extensive research and consultation with the involved sectors of the community, including residents, organizations and service providers. In addition it looked at looked at current leading edge programs for older adults, including programs in Ottawa, Toronto and New York.
The plan is made up of ten main guiding principles that are supported by goals and corresponding action plans.
To get more information about the action plan or to read the Older Adult Plan click here. |
| We look forward to welcoming delegates and participants to the IFA's 9th Global Conference in Montreal in September! | |
