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Business Council for the United Nations: Panel Discussion on Management of Mass Gatherings
"Mass gatherings such as sports events, festivals, music concerts, religious events, and political rallies present substantial economic and social opportunities for hosting nations. Managing large-scale planned events like the FIFA World Cup - or reacting to spontaneous gatherings - can stretch the capacities of routine health and public safety measures in hosting nations and place severe strains on infrastructure and the delivery of services. How to address these challenges was the subject of a panel luncheon hosted by the Business Council for the UN on December 10 at the Delegates Dining Room at UN Headquarters."
IFA Secretary General, Dr. Jane Barratt was present at the aforementioned luncheon, serving as moderator for the panel. Panelists discussed the need to take a life-course, multi-agency approach to strategic health planning. It is only through viewing the issue through these lenses, panelists discussed, that effective management of "influx[es] of large numbers of people of all ages from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds [...] anticipating all eventualities, such as disease or terrorism, including crowd and environmental management" could be possible. In this regard, particular attention was given to the importance of life-course immunization.
Attendees of the luncheon were privileged to have the opportunity to hear from Ambassador Abdallah Yahya A. Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations. Ambassador Al-Mouallimi spoke about The Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which sees between 3 million to 3.5 million worshippers gather to travel across Mecca, Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah. Intuitively, a mass gathering of this magnitude requires a great deal of coordinated preparation to ensure the provision of quality health services to all participants. Ambassador Al-Mouallimi spoke on this issue, detailing some of the preparatory and preventative measures which are taken each year to guarantee the health and safety of worshippers.
The full official summary of the session is available here.
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''Longevity is Power... Economic Power'' - Webinar
Hosted by IFA as part of Grantmakers In Aging webinar Series "Conversations with GIA"
Join Us! Wednesday, February 19th, at 9:00 a.m. EST
The rapid aging of the world's population will have a profound and enduring impact on the global economy, future government budgets, and, most of all, the quality of life for older adults.
 Businesses of all types-including manufacturers, service providers, retailers, and entrepreneurs-need to understand that these changes can provide strategic opportunities for future growth at the community, national, and global level. Businesses that plan for this trend by adopting age-friendly practices and providing more opportunities for the growing audience of older adult customers and employees will come out ahead of their competition. This webinar, offered by the International Federation on Ageing as one of GIA's partners in its Community AGEnda initiative, brings together global experts and industry leaders. Presenters, Stephen Johnston, Co-Founder, Aging 2.0, and Gregor Rae, Chairman and CEO, BusinessLab, will spotlight older adults as the largest consumer market of our time and explore the multifaceted socio-economic dimensions and possibilities of an ageing population as well as the importance and practicalities of becoming an age-friendly business. This webinar is specifically scheduled to make it available to the largest possible number of domestic and international attendees and presenters. If unable to participate in the live webinar, you can view it online in GIA's Webinar archive within five business days of the live session. Live Twitter Conversation Take part in the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #AFBwebinar to interact live with us and speakers! To register for this webinar, please visit https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/542819950. |
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IFA Patron Members
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IFA 13th Global Conference on Ageing - Calling for Bids
 The IFA is now calling for bids to host the 13th Global Conference on Ageing. We are inviting organizations to submit proposals that illustrate the dynamic and transformative opportunities of an ageing population. The IFA is interested in proposals focusing on a single-themed conference that highlights emerging trends and the global significance of an ageing population.
Since 1992, IFA has convened thought provoking global conferences, that have brought together international leaders representing various sectors; NGOs, government, academia, civil society, and industry. Working in collaboration with the IFA, the host organization will be internationally recognized and will have the opportunity to build stronger networks, foster future development opportunities, and engage in dialogue with international leaders to build a relationship beyond the conference.
Please submit your proposal to the IFA Office by February 28th, 2014.
Submission guidelines available here.
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Strengthening the Rights of Older People
 The Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP) is holding a side event in New York City on 13 February, 2014 during the United Nations 52nd Session of the Commission for Social Development.
The right to access health and social care, the right to employment, and the right to social protection are human rights yet older people are sometimes denied these fundamental rights through existing international conventions. Notwithstanding the establishment of the UN Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) in 2010, to strengthen the protection of the human rights of older people, greater awareness and political will is necessary on the various positions and arguments related to the topic in order to move toward a consensus approach on how best to protect the rights of older people globally. GAROP is hosting this interactive session which aims to provide a status report on the work of the UN OEWG and the UN OHCHR, describe current and pending advocacy efforts regionally and nationally, provide a forum for civil society engagement, and discuss the role of civil society in national & regional strategies to support a collaborative and progressive agenda at the 5th session of the UN OEWG (2014). If you will be in New York during the CSD and wish to attend the session, please email info@rightsofolderpeople.org and register your interest. |
To learn more about this event and the work of GAROP, please visit the newly launched GAROP website here.
The report from the 4th Session of the OEWG on Ageing is now available here. |
G8 Dementia Summit
On December 11th, 2013, G8 Health Ministers attended the G8 Dementia Summit in London, UK, to discuss with researchers, pharmaceutical companies and charities from all over the world on how to shape an effective international response to dementia.
The country delegates agreed to identify a cure, or a disease modifying therapy by 2025, by developing an international plan for research, increasing the amount spent on dementia research as well as the number of people involved in clinical trials.
A global envoy for dementia innovation will also be established, following in the footsteps of global envoys on HIV and AIDS, and Climate Change, to share data from dementia research in the G8 countries. Finally, they encouraged open-access to all publicly-funded dementia research to make data and results available for further research as quickly as possible.
Read the communique of this summit here, and the declaration here.
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IFA 12th Global Conference on Ageing
"Health, Security and Community"
10-13 June 2014 - Hyderabad, India
Calling for abstracts! Please submit your abstract here today to guarantee a place in the program. We are also calling for posters! The guidelines are available here, and you can learn more about the sub-themes of the conference here.
The plenary panel abstracts are now available here.
Announcing new speakers:
A full list of speakers and biographies is available here. The Senior Government Officials Meeting (SOM) will take place on June 10th, 2014, and will focus on connecting formal and informal care. A 10 minutes survey has been developed to allow you to share you experience and expertise on informal caregiving. The survey forms a strong basis to develop a program for the SOM to ensure it is meaningful and productive for all delegates. To take the survey, please visit: http://pwc.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9GEJPEhpOt7rZ53. |
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What a 94-year-old Track Star Can Teach Us About Ageing
 Olga Kotelko is a Canadian track-and-field athlete who is rewriting the record books and piquing the interest of scientists by defying the normal trajectory of human ageing. She has a positive attitude about everything, by choosing not to let any negative matter affect her. She has always been very active, and took up track and field at 77, enabling her to set 20 world records in 2009 alone, the year she turned 90.
Her inspiring way of ageing relates to many studies demonstrating the positive consequences of a healthy and optimistic view on an ageing body. Indeed, as remaining active is now a well-known means to age healthily, psychologists have proven that perceiving oneself older than one actually is leads to accelerated ageing of the body.
Read the full article here.
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Conference Presentations Now Available Online to IFA Members!
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The presentations from the International Istanbul Initiative on Ageing, 2013, the IFA 11th Global Conference on Ageing - 'Ageing Connects', Prague, 2012 and the IFA 10th Global Conference on Ageing - 'Climate for Change, Ageing into the Future', Melbourne, 2010 are now available in the 'Members Only' section of our website. |
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Canadian Home Care Handbook - A Practical, Visual Guide for the Home Caregiver
A complete guide for Canadians providing short or long-term care at home, this illustrated manual focuses on the caregiver as well as the sick or disabled person being cared for. Reliable, straightforward advice and specially commissioned images provide helpful visual explanations for topics from basic nursing techniques and first aid emergencies to room-by-room improvements to make home care easier. Fully adapted for Canada to include useful information on federal and provincial benefits for caregivers, tips on funding and useful contacts. It includes over 10 pages of Canadian resource listings. |
To purchase a copy of the handbook click here.
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AGAPE AGE Cameroon: Walking for Health
 On World Heart Day 2013, Bupa and the World Heart Federation announced a global walking challenge, called Ground Miles; the target is to walk 5 million miles. AGAPE AGE in Cameroon is pleased to have contributed 1000 miles to the challenge. Activities took place in Mbengwi, Cameroon where several other physical exercises were conducted in addition to walking. Over 727 persons from ages 9 to 97 participated. Additionally, there was a lecture on the importance of walking and physical activities and a screening for undetected raised Blood Pressures, Blood Sugar Levels, Body Mass Index, with counseling and referrals for persons with abnormal results. Administrative and traditional authorities participated in the day's events and promised cooperation on follow-up programs. |
Read the full article here.
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Global Ageing: Issues & Action Journals are Now Available for Free!
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The IFA journal "Global Ageing: Issues and Action" Vol 8.2 Technology and Long Term Care (2013) and Vol 8.1 Rights of Older Persons (2012) are available for purchase through the IFA Book Store or downloadable free through the Members Only Section.
All other back issues of the IFA journal can now be accessed at no cost. Please return to the Recent Publications page from time to time to access a variety of resources related to ageing and older people.
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Closing Note
Dear Readers,
If you are interested in submitting an article for a future edition of the IFA eNews or wish to make comments or recommendations on how we might improve this publication please email Greg Shaw (gshaw@ifa-fiv.org) or Juliette Davodeau (jdavodeau@ifa-fiv.org) You can contact us by telephone +1 416 342-1655.
The IFA is now on Facebook and Twitter! Join our Online Community! 
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