NEWS:

Much more attention needs to be paid to the positive effects of the use of art in healthcare. Art makes people feel better and helps them to better cope with their illness. Art can also mean a lot in the social domain and prevention, and in shortening hospital admissions.

The first Global Citizen Science for Health conference was held from 29 October to 1 November 2023. This is the registration of the keynote "The Participatory Turn in Health Research: Its Roots, Methods, Ethics, Validity and Future" by professor Dr Tineke Abma.

With contributions from 21 authors, the book "Prevention of frailty among older persons in Japan: A community-wide approach" reflects the decades of first-hand experience of Prof. Tsujii, a former senior official at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

On 16 and 17 October 2023, the ILC Global Alliance held a meeting in Tokyo, Japan, co-chaired by Julie Byles and Margaret Gilles. The attendees included representatives from ILCs in Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, the UK, and the USA as well as the Secretariat.

In June / July this year, Prof. Jaco Hoffman, Prof. Vera Roos and Dr. Rayne Stroebel visited the International Longevity Centre (ILC) in Singapore as members of ILC South Africa. The visit aimed to share common themes around socio-gerontology and to learn from examples in Singapore to establish a community for successful ageing.

ILC South Africa is pleased to announce that Rayne Stroebel has joined its leadership team as an Executive Member. He serves alongside Professors Sebastiana Kalula and Jaco Hoffman, based at the University of Cape Town and North-West University, respectively, who are ILCSA’s Co-directors. Retired Professor Monica Ferreira remains Honorary President of ILCSA.

See ageing as a source of power instead of as a sign of decline and vulnerability, is the message of the newly published book “Silver Empowerment”, in which scientists from various disciplines discuss ways of improving self-reliance of elderly people. Promoting an age-friendly society is the main topic.

"Let the elderly be included, they matter" is the message that Tineke Abma would like to convey. On Friday, June 23, she delivered her inaugural lecture 'The Art of Belonging' following her appointment as professor of Elderly Participation at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. This is a brief summary of her inaugural speech.

Members of the ILC Global Alliance got together at the IFA’s 16th Global Conference on Ageing in Bangkok, Thailand, last June. Representatives of ILCs from Canada, Singapore, United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia, as well as ILC GA Secretariat Silvia Perel-Levin, attended the conference.

In the forum moderated by HLPF Chair Lachezara Stoeva, President, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ovide Mercredi and other participants discussed the effective and inclusive recovery measures to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explore actionable policy guidance for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs at all levels. Speaking as an older Cree man, who has spent his adult life fighting for the rights of First Nations people, Ovide challenged Member States to commit to real change by addressing the SDG goals in a comprehensive manner.