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 IFA - eNews
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International Forum on Ageing in Place and Age Friendly Cities
- Event Website Live -
A new website dedicated to information and updates concerning the International Forum in October 2009 has been launched by FOIFA Japan. FOIFA Japan and the IFA invite you to visit online here. The new website includes information on the forum, venue, sponsors, accommodations, and registration information. Abstracts are still being accepted, and registration for this important event is still open. Already, you can view the event schedule and download the Forum Brochure.
The IFA is excited that this opportunity will bring together some of the leading experts and decision makers involved in the fields of ageing in place and age friendly cities for lively debates and exchanges. We hope you will be able to join us in Akita!
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Your Village Within the City
Introducing the Community of Williamsburg, Ontario Located on former farmland at the periphery of
Kitchener in Ontario, Canada, the community of Williamsburg is an innovative "village
within the city". 16 years ago, a private entrepreneur Ron Schlegel initiated a project to create an age-friendly community underpinned by principles which were ahead of their time. Mr. Schlegel understood that the essence of a
healthy community is revealed not only by where people live, but also by how
they live. Sensitivity to optimal design
is important to ensure that older adults have easy access to meaningful
destinations like parks, grocery stores, and coffee shops where social
connections are enhanced.  The adoption of a lifespan perspective in Williamsburg led
to a social infrastructure which welcomes intergenerational ties. Integral to its design is a "main street",
which is reminiscent of a small, friendly community. Today, Williamsburg features mixed and affordable, 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 - and 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.
 Recent focus group testing of the residents revealed positive 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 in the City". Williamsburg and its residents are part of this work in progress to develop living enjoyable and sustainable living environments. To find out more about this community, please contact Dr. Mike Sharratt, Executive Director of the Schlegel - University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging. |
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Supporting Family Caregivers Dealing with Dementia
Introducing the Cyril & Dorothy,
Joel & Jill Reitman Centre for Alzheimer's Support and Training - and how to get involved.
 Family
caregivers provide most of the care for people with dementia. However the challenges of caring for someone with
dementia increases the risk for depressive symptoms and physical health
problems for the caregiver. Evidence suggests that interventions
enhancing caregiver knowledge, coping skills and management of care recipient
behaviors are key elements for decreasing the burden of the carer and improving quality of life for
both the caregiver and care recipient.
The Cyril Reitman Centre in Toronto
(associated with Mount Sinai Hospital) offers evidence-based interventions, tools and resources for family caregivers
who are caring for a family member with dementia at home. The Centre's caregiver
support and training program delivers unique, targeted and tailored skill-building
interventions that provide family caregivers with the tools and support to manage
the day-to-day care of persons with dementia at home. The Centre's program focuses on such areas as practical
skill-building, improved coping/problem solving, and reduced carer anxiety to
support them in their role.
Services include a fully integrated,
comprehensive dementia care program that introduces the innovative use of
standardized patients - actors trained to simulate real-life situations - so
that caregivers, guided by expert clinical coaches, will learn how to deal with
challenging situations. At the same time, the program provides state-of-the-art
outpatient services for persons with dementia. Dementia has been called a "de-selfing"
disease, and a focus group
for persons with dementia is designed to
maximize the personhood of participants through creative means such as drama,
movement and dance, music and sound, story-telling and photography.
The Cyril Reitman
Centre is looking for family caregivers who are providing daily, hands-on care
for a family member with dementia living at home to participate in their program. More details on eligibility are available in this brochure. If you are interested in
participating in this skills-training program, please contact Anne-Marie Vico
via telephone at 416-586-4800 ext. 5192 or via e-mail. For more information on the Cyril Reitman
Centre, and their innovative programming, please visit their website here.
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In the next edition of IFA-eNews:
Update on IFAs 10th Global Conference on Ageing
Full Report on the Expert Group Meeting in Bonn on the Rights of Older Persons
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IFA 10th Global Conference on Ageing
Abstract Submission is Open
 The Council on the Ageing, Victoria (COTA, Vic) and the IFA are now inviting people of all nations, disciplines and sectors to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations for IFA's 10th Global Conference on Ageing - Climate for Change: Ageing into the Future, being held in Melbourne, Australia, 3 - 6 May 2010. Abstracts must be submitted by 7 October 2009 to ensure publication requirements are met.
This conference will provide a reliable platform
for a global information exchange and point of connection for all, working to
generate positive social change for older people. The five themes that form the
program framework - Climate Change; Social Inclusion; Human Rights; Resourcing
Change; and Healthy Ageing - are expected to stimulate new conversations as
well as explore traditional subject areas in more depth. Content experts, decision and policy makers, service providers and
practitioners, consumers and advocates, academics, studnets and all interested parties are invited to come
together in Melbourne to present and debate age related issues, policies and
practices. Please consult the program theme descriptions and the program matrix for information on the conference themes to find out where your expertise fits in.
 Acceptance of papers for oral and poster presentation, as well as workshops and symposiums at the conference will be on the basis of reviewed abstracts. All abstracts must be prepared as per the guidelines provided here.
Please read the guidelines carefully before preparing your abstract. Abstracts may be submitted here. For more information, please visit the conference website.
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Important Reminder -The IFA is still accepting bids for the 11th Global Conference on Ageing
The
IFA is inviting unique, innovative proposals from prospective host
organizations in respect of its 11th Global Conference on Ageing in
2012. IFA's Board of Directors is particularly interested in
submissions that build upon the themes and intent of the IFA's 10th Global Conference on Ageing in Melbourne in may 2010, and recommends ways that information from our conference can be best used to influence policy. We
want to know what is it that makes the future IFA Global Conference on
Ageing unique and an event which cannot be missed by all stakeholders
in the field of ageing. To make a bid or for more information, please contact IFA Secretary General Jane Barratt directly. |
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The Health Technology Exchange (HTX)
Helping develop and commercialize innovations in medical and assistive technologies
 From invention through to innovation to international invoice, HTX helps
Ontario-based companies develop and commercialize innovations in Medical and
Assistive Technologies (MAT). Core programs and services include both Research
& Development and Commercialization & Market Development, which assists
the MAT sector from product evaluation, company creation and commercialization
to international market readiness. The HTX website
showcases small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and key opinion leaders on a
monthly basis to illustrate the innovative technologies emerging from the MAT
community.
Every month, HTX features a 'spotlight' (a platform for SMEs to talk about their device(s) and voice their opinions on
their technology space) and a 'featured innovator' (a key opinion leader that offers insight on the MAT sector). The IFA is working with HTX to help profile key innovations in this sector; this month's 'spotlight' and 'featured innovator' are:
SPOTLIGHT
Platform
of Choice: Revolutionary Microarray System
The
diagnosis and treatment of diseases has evolved considerably over the past century. We continue to move away from simply seeking to identify a disease
exclusively by its physical manifestations toward more accurate, and often much
earlier detection by identification via biological markers. Read more...
FEATURED
INNOVATOR
Saving
Lives in the Operating Room
Tens
of thousands of patients die each year as a result of medical errors. A
significant source of medical errors is the inappropriate design and
implementation of equipment and information technology. Read more...
For more information about HTX, please visit thier website here.
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The IFA Website Membership Section
Notice to all IFA Members - Don't forget to log-in!
 The IFA is committed to supporting our members and serving
as a platform for resources on ageing. Remember that as part of your membership with IFA, you have exclusive access to a growing online repository of
content-rich IFA publications on a range of subjects in ageing. This includes our policy reports in full
text, a selection of commissioned papers and reports on rights and
discrimination, past editions of our journal Global Ageing, and a selection of
papers and presentations given by the IFA at conferences and meetings around
the world.
Accessing the material is easy, just use your username and
password into the login form on the front page of the website (on the right hand column), and explore the For Our Members section.
Please do not hesitate to contact the IFA if you have any problems logging in or
questions about accessing your membership benefits. If you are not a member of IFA already, it is
easy to join. Find out how by clicking here, and also explore a list of other IFA membership benefits here.
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What happens if you need Long-Term Care?
Profiling Karen Henderson, Founder/CEO of the Long Term Care
Planning Network
 With insights gained from her own challenging 14-year
dementia care experience, IFA Member Karen Henderson works every day with families and
health care professionals to help individuals prepare the provision of long term care. Karen is a well-known speaker, educator,
writer, media commentator, publisher and consultant in the field of long term
care, who has been published in leading geriatric journals in Canada. She has
spoken at engagements across North America,
has been featured frequently on television and radio and has written many
articles about her personal caregiving experience.
Karen is frequently enlisted by other organizations to
provide insight into the care giving experience. She contributed to Health Canada's Writings in
Gerontology: Mental Health and Aging, (distributed to over 3,000 physicians,
academics, students, caregivers, seniors and others interested in issues
related to aging and seniors); provided feedback to the Alzheimer Society of
Canada updated Tough Issues sheets; and wrote a new section on caregiving for
the second release of their Guide to Programs and Services For Seniors in
Ontario for the Ontario Seniors' Secretariat.
Most recently, Karen has produced a set of aging
and long term care educational resources which are unique in Canada:
- Its never too early to start a conversation...A Guide for Adult Children and their Parents
- Long Term Care: A Practical Planning Guide for Canadians
- The Long Term Care Resource CD - Everything you need to know to locate long term care information and resources across Canada
- LTC Readiness Questionnaire
- The Critical Illness/Long Term Care Planner
Karen has recently become a member of IFA and remains committed to the cause of
caregiving and long term care in Canada because she believes no one should have
to go through this experience alone, without adequate information or support. We are excited to welcome Karen and the Long Term Care Planning Network as members. For more information, please contact her by email, or visit the Long Term Care Planning Network online.
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Promise to Care
IFA Secretary General Dr. Jane Barratt's latest column for Harmony Magazine (May 2009)
 'As sure as the day is light and the night is dark,
each of us will receive 'care' from or 'care' for someone or some
people in our family or our community.' Dr. Barratt's most recent article in Harmony Magazine, entitled Promise to Care, is the first of several forthcoming commentaries on some of the most important global issues related
to family caregivers. Dr. Barratt's interest in exploring this subject area for her column is rooted in personal experience as well as professional expertise, notably her own situation as a care-giver for her own parents.
'Providing care to a loved one can be a difficult and physically
demanding experience - a time that is emotionally and often financially
taxing, and frequently at odds with work schedules and family
responsibilities.' Citing six key areas where gaps in knowledge and understanding about the ever-increasing roles of family caregivers in today's society exist, Dr. Barratt breaks down each of these subject areas and briefly explores their implications. You can read the entire column on the Harmony Magazine website here.
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Special Reminder -
Call for Nominations for the Position of IFA Director
 The
IFA is still accepting nominations for the position of Director, although the deadline is approaching quickly.
Individual members in good standing or persons representing
organisational members in good standing can make a nomination. The IFA
Nomination Committee welcomes informal enquiries about the role of
Directors or practical information about nominations and the process.
The announcement document is available here. Please contact Jane Barratt for further information or to make an informal enquiry.
All persons accepting the nomination must complete the Statement of Candidacy form -download here-
and include an appropriate biography which may be circulated to all
full IFA members. Closing date for nominations is the 31st July 2009,
by which time all the relevant information must have been received.
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The AAMEE Project: "Active Ageing of
Migrant Elders across Europe"
The Development of a European Good Practive Booklet
 The AAMEE project focuses on the promotion of active ageing and social,
cultural and economic integration of migrant and minority ethnic
elders, emphasising volunteer activities and the emergence of new
culturally sensitive products and services in the fields of, for
instance, housing, care, education, leisure, culture and marketing. As part of this project, a
booklet is currently being compiled for publication that focuses on European models
of good practice in the field of active ageing of migrant elders. This booklet will present a broad variety of projects, initiatives and services and AAMEE project organizers cordially
invite you to contribute with information about your project or service. The objectives of the AAMEE Good Practice booklet are to:
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present to the public the variety of projects,
initiatives and services for and by migrant elders which have been initiated
across Europe and, by doing so, to appreciate
and value them;
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promote the engagement for and of migrant elders, and;
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sensitise political and societal spheres for the
engagement for and by migrant elders.
Projects, initiatives or services which are in the process of
active implementation and run by organisations from the voluntary sector such as migrant self-help organisations, welfare associations, religious
organisations, foundations, non-profit associations and federations as well as
territorial authorities, public administration (e.g. municipalities, counties,
public central associations, city councils, social assistance offices), housing
companies and/or co-operatives and NGOs can submit. The draft of the booklet
will be published in July 2009, therefore the deadline for handing in the form
is 30 June 2009.
If you would like to participate in this project, please fill in this submission form completely
and send it to the AAMEE Project. Find out more about the AAMEE project on their website.
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The IFA is pleased to
welcome the newest member of the IFA team!
Madelaine Cahuas
 My name is Madelaine Cahuas and I am excited to be a project officer at the IFA! Currently, I am finishing my Hon.B.Sc. at
the University of
Toronto, majoring in
human biology and psychology. In the
fall I will be pursing graduate studies at McMaster University
in the Department of Health, Aging & Society. My motivation for engaging in
higher education and working with the IFA stems from my commitment to improving
the health of marginalized populations at all stages of the lifespan. I am very
passionate about securing equitable, sustainable and accessible healthcare for
all, particularly ageing racialized women. I have had the privilege of having
many strong, older female role models in my life. Their stories of migrancy,
perseverance and feminism have enriched my life and I hope to incorporate their
voices in all of my work.
There is something new to learn at the IFA every day, and plenty of projects and programs to keep up with. What I enjoy most is that I can
do this all in a positive and supportive space with experts in the field who are
guiding my learning. I am hopeful that my previous experiences volunteering and
working in a long-term care facility, as well as my outreach and research
activities in Toronto
and abroad will enable me to be an active and significant member of the IFA
team. I know my experiences at the IFA will only strengthen my knowledge of global
ageing issues, policy development and ageing focused research. I hope to
incorporate the knowledge I acquire at the IFA with my future endeavours
centered on improving the quality of life of persons as they age.
The IFA is proud to welcome Madelaine to our team and we are greatful for her support and hard work.
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Tackling Climate Change, Protecting Health
An International Petition to Mobilize Health Professionals in Anticipation of the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change, December 2009
 Climate change is a grave and serious threat to public
health. The reputable journal The Lancet has recently referred to climate change as 'the greatest
global health threat of the 21st century.'
But while the risks for population health are great, there are also potential public health benefits arising directly from actions taken to
mitigate climate change. For example, reducing greenhouse gases will result in declining
rates of heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease. Improving individual and population health
globally will require health professionals to speak out collectively and authoritatively
on the responsibility of governments to act urgently and decisively.
 In the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December
2009 - where it is anticipated that a post-Kyoto international framework will be secured from all
member states - the Climate and Health Council is working to mobilise health
professionals to help advocate for strong action. The Council is inviting health professionals to express support for action and leadership from governments by signing a pledge to help ensure a meaningful deal be struck in Copenhagen. The pledge is both free and anonymous, just click here to sign up. For more information about the not-for-profit
Climate and Health Council, please find them online here.
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The Economic Downturn
and its Effect on Family Caregiving
A New Publication
from the UnitedHealthcare and
the National Alliance
for Caregiving
 The economic recession and upheavals in the financial markets over
the last year has impacted the lives of countless millions throughout the
world. In the United States for example, the
financial well-being of millions of Americans has been thrown into turmoil. In these troubled times, Evercare by the UnitedHealthcare
and the National Alliance for Caregiving (the Alliance)
felt it important to examine the economic downturn's impact in the United States on
that country's 44 million family caregivers. Understanding the recession's impact on this group is
critically important as family carers contribute $375 billion USD annually to
the national economy and are a major component of the health care system by
providing long-term care in the home to people with chronic illness or
disabilities.
In April this year, the Alliance
published the findings of their omnibus survey of family caregivers, conducted in early 2009. The objective of this survey was
to understand how caregivers and their recipients are affected by the economic
downturn, with specific exploration of job situations, care-related
spending habits, living situations of carers and care recipients, emotional
impact, and the quality and quantity of care experienced by the care
recipient. You can access an overview of their key findings here.
The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of organizations
focusing on issues of family caregiving.
For more information about this survey and the full range of Alliance activities, please visit them online here.
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Sincerely yours,
The International Federation on Ageing |
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