IFA Virtual Town Hall Chat Summary 17 July 2020

The following chat summary is from the IFA Virtual Town Hall on 17 July 2020 with Mr Vinod Shah.

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Key Resources

• Janaseva Foundation
• Presentation on Janaseva Foundation Initiatives by Dr. Vinod Shah

Upcoming Events

• IFA Virtual Town Hall: What’s Next? Building “forward” better and accelerating progress
  Elevating older persons at the United Nations
  Friday 24 July 2020 at 7:00 am Toronto EDT

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Social and Familial Relationships

• What are the effects of social isolation among the older persons living in the community as opposed to Janaseva Foundation’s care homes.
• Given the number of older people living with their families, are the families and the general community supportive of older people? In other parts of the world there are quite negative attitudes to older people.
• Respecting the rights of older people is infinitely important but not always achieved. Despite societal challenges the contributions of the Janaseva Foundation are commendable.

Reliance on Digital Technology

• Given that 2/3 of older people surveyed by the Janaseva Foundation reported relying on social media and television for COVID-related news, what safeguards are in place to ensure information is evidence-informed and reliable? “Fake news” is pervasive and difficult to combat especially on digital platforms.
• The difference between Uganda and India in overcoming social isolation through technology is the level of digitalization.
• Given the recent focus on digital technology and training required to enable its use among the ageing population is there interest in continuing training initiatives and how can literacy deficiencies be addressed as well?
• With the increased use of television and social media by older persons during this pandemic, could this result in older persons relying on digital interactions more and perhaps reduce the need for face-to-face contact in future?

Stigmatization

• How willing are older people to undergo COVID testing and disclose a positive result given the associated stigmatization.
• Is there a reason for the lower number of females participating in the Janaseva Foundation’s survey on COVID-19?
• Doctors and medical staff working in non-COVID-19 medical settings refuse to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• There is interest in learning more about the roles and participation of community volunteers in COVID-19 initiatives of the Janaseva Foundation.
• The presentation is very informative regarding initiatives in the community and the utilization of volunteers and community assets.