Antropomotoryka nr 51 - Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego w ...

My review on the 6th World Ageing & Generations Congress, St. Gallen, 25–28 August 2010portunity to chose one from the list of professionallyprepared and given lectures (the set of three masterclasses):• “Healthcare Challenges in Ageing Society”, led byProf. Jean-Pierre Michel from Geneva University;• “Psychological Consequences of DemographicChange”, led by Prof. Hans-Werner Wahl fromUniversity of Heidelberg;• “Business Implications for Demographic Change:Lessons from the World’s Most Mature Market inJapan”, led by Dr. Florian Kochlbacher, representingGerman Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo.These lectures were in my opinion the additionalscientific attraction dedicated by the organizers tothese participants who was interested in the thematicfields proposed. Given for smaller groups of listenersthe classes in medicine, psychology and business directedat seniors requirements around the world enabledthe listeners not only to gain the newest worldscientific data and information on literature from theareas distinguished but also to take part in discussingthe problems with the lecturers. These factors havesurely enriched the scientific background of the masterclasses listeners.From my point of view the 6th Congress was a successfulevent because of analyzing the core problemsof ageing in many basic stages of oldness. Seniors,in spite of the fact that they are inhabitants of the developedor developing countries, are interested in theconditions concerning their life aspects. Moreover,they really wait for practical solutions and enterprises– such opinions of the participants were officially presentedat sessions while lasting the Congress. “Ageingis accelerating – in the developed countries it is evendescribed as hyper ageing – and becomes intergenerationalproblem”, as Prof. Kickbush noticed while closingthe Congress, it meant the challenge for the followingcongresses debates.Bearing in mind thematic fields of future meetings,she picked up briefly such problems as, the explanationof physical and psychological disability, familiarizingwith the novelties in the seniors and their families’ care,new approach towards their needs in medicine and prohealthpolicy, change of health care paradigm even inthe developed countries, search for new workplacesfor ageing people. She also put forward the developingindex of active ageing together with the fact that nowadayswomen form the majority of world’s population. Allthese subjects still require research explorations andanalyses, leading to practical solutions. Prof. Kickbushunderlining these core points and summing up thedebates of the 6th World Ageing and GenerationsCongress showed the future paths of the forthcomingCongress, truly hoping for meeting the participants inthe year 2011.– 115 –