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Residents of reirement communities have led and continue to lead fascinating lives. That’s what my new Canadian friends reminded me of last night.
More than 30 members of the international community dined together last night at AAHSA’s Annual Meeting in Chicago, USA.
Check out the pictures below.
AAHSA, IAHSA’s chapter in the US, held its 47th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Philadelphia this week. The theme of the event was One Voice, a call for all AAHSA members to come together to speak out for residents they serve.
CEO Larry Minnix captured the excitement and energy of the conference through AAHSA’s Future of Aging Services blog.
Improving the lives of the elderly is something we all can come together on. Whether you’re from up-state New York or the Australian Outback – you can come together and be ONE VOICE on the important issues affecting the world’s elderly and the people who care for them. From 12-15 October, AAHSA will hold its Annual Meeting & Exposition and IAHSA will be there adding our global voice to the chorus.
On Sunday, 12 October from 15.30-17.30 come hear about Age-Friendly Cities and the New Urbanism. From this forum you will:
- Realize how global ageing and urbanization are the great accomplishments and challenges that will define the 21st century.
- Learn how the World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a leadership role in addressing these trends through their Global Age-Friendly Cities Guide.
- Appreciate how the Age-Friendly Cities initiative can help to inform and advance the rise of New Urbanist approaches to senior living and long-term care.
The main speaker is Mr. Alex Kalache, Director, International Centre for Policy on Ageing, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/New York Academy of Medicine (Immediate Past Chief, Ageing & Life Course Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland).
On Monday, 13 October 10.30 -12.00 Robyn Stone, Executive Director, Institute for the Future of Aging Services, American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging, Washington will lead a forum on the Findings from the IAHSA European Workforce Study. Dr. Stone and the panelists will cover:
- Main findings from an IAHSA/IFAS study of European professional and paraprofessional personnel employed in home care and nursing homes.
- Compare and contrast these findings from Europe to the experiences of providers from the United States and other countries.
- Consider how innovations and best practices discussed can be adapted to your organization.
If you are from outside the US and plan to attend the AAHSA meeting, please let us know! We are planning a special event for our international attendees and don’t want you to miss out.
I would like to introduce you to Sarah Mashburn and the AAHSA Future of Aging Blog. Sarah’s insightful posts are worth adding to your “Must Read” list. In addition to covering topics of importance to AAHSA members, Sarah often reaches into the global news room to find things from other countries that are worth sharing with readers in the U.S. Her most recent post focuses on Britain’s Putting People First campaign (something you may also have read about on the IAHSA blog). I also recommend that you read her post on the Silver Tsunami.
Linking into the Future of Aging blog is just another way that IAHSA is building a global community across borders. We hope you enjoy this fantastic resource!
This week I had the honour of being part of a high-level dialogue on long-term care, hosted by AARP International and the German Ministry of Health. The dialogue convened an elite group of experts and opinion leaders from both the US and Germany for a discussion that highlighed important common challenges and opportunities on key long-term care issues. The aim of the long-term care dialogue was to develop a platform for exchange and dialogue, conduct policy analysis, and identify best practices to inform policy debates in both the US and Germany.
IAHSA & AAHSA were well represented in the program. Dr. Robyn Stone, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, addressed the important issue of workforce in maintaining a viable ageing services system. Barbara Manard, AAHSA Health Strategist, contributed to the dialogue on long-term care financing options. And Dr. Majd Alwan, Director of CAST, convened a panel on the value of technology in ageing services. My panel focused on long-term care insurance, with a discussion of the relative merits of a voluntary insurance market [US] versus a mandatory one [Germany].
This was a very important discussion that enlighted participants from both sides of the Atlantic. And I was able to meet new colleagues while renewing old friendships. That is what makes a great meeting.
Concurrent with the meeting, AARP International released a policy paper that compares long-term care in Germany and the US. A copy of the paper can be found here.
As I entered the Orlando Convention Center on Sunday morning I came upon an incredible exhibit of 52 quilts telling the story of living with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative is a grass roots effort to raise awareness and fund research for Alzheimer’s disease. It was started by Ami Simms whose mother is one of 5.1 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. “I began the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative because I think it is possible to make a difference, one quilt at a time.”
The exhibit is beautiful and moving. Experiencing these quilts made me realize how many ways Alzheimer’s affects so many people. They also eloquently demonstrate how powerful art can be in telling a story.
Throughout the conference I will proudly wear my “I saw the quilt’ sticker.
Blog Alert!!! Attention all of you faithful IAHSA Blog readers!! IAHSA’s going to Florida to be part of the Annual Meeting of AAHSA, IAHSA’s US affiliate.
We will be posting our thoughts and experiences the whole time we’re there, so watch out for the sun……
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