The Centre for Ageing Research and Education (CARE) at Duke-NUS Medical School is hosting the 8th Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Population Ageing Conference in Singapore from 11 to 12 October, 2017 at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore.
Themed "Ageing and Resilience in the 21st Century", the 2-day Conference hopes to draw insights on ways of defining, measuring and developing interventions for resilience in older ages. Renowned international researchers and practitioners across social and clinical sciences will have deliberations on critical social issues affecting the health and well-being of older persons and celebrating their resilience. Innovative measures both at policy and programme levels will be featured at the Conference.
Guest-of-Honour, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health & Environment and Water Resources, Singapore, will be delivering an opening address.
Recognising the need for self-reliance of older adults as family sizes shrink and longer lives challenge financial and social adaptations, resiliency has become an intense area of research internationally. Understanding and developing older Singaporeans' resilience is at the heart of CARE's work as Singapore's population is not only ageing rapidly but our older persons are living longer and spending an average of eight years in ill health.
"Studies have shown that successful adaptation to ageing requires the resilience of the individual, family, and society. At this year's conference, we aim to explore different ways of defining and measuring resilience as well as ways to enhance resilience at all levels including physical, psychological and social in older adults and their families," said Associate Professor Angelique Chan, Executive Director of CARE.
CARE will also be launching Series 2 and 3 of its Research/Policy Brief Series at the conference. The new series crystallises key research findings for use in policy and planning recommendations in an easy-to-refer format. Series 2 focusses on the predictors of falls among older Singaporeans and Series 3 focuses on the plight of caregivers of the elderly in Singapore who are not only older themselves but providing long hours of care.
More than 250 participants from 8 different countries are attending this year's Conference.
Details of the keynote speakers and featured presentations can be found below.
Keynote speakers for the conference:
1. Professor Barbara Resnick, University of Maryland – Measuring Resilience (via telecast)
An overview of the many ways in which to evaluate resilience in adults, particularly older adults, and how to determine which measure to use across a variety of clinical situations or research.
2. Professor Harvey J. Cohen, Duke University – Defining and Understanding Resilience
Discussion on the underlying characteristics of resilience; how it may be conceived from a cellular to a whole person level; and how it is related to physiologic reserve capacity and frailty.
3. Professor Hiroko Akiyama, University of Tokyo – Strategies and Approaches for Enhancing Resilience
Discussion on the challenges of an ageing population to maintain and enhance individual and societal resilience to ensure sustainability, with examples of the endeavor to enhance resilience in Japan.
Featured presentations:
1. Associate Professor Angelique Chan, Duke-NUS Medical School – Psychological Resilience among Midlife Singaporeans: Extent and Correlates
A Singapore study focusing resilience on a local cohort aged between 50 and 59 years, shows that improving social network outside of household and reducing depressive symptoms, may enhance resilience among midlife Singaporeans.
2. Assistant Professor Rahul Malhotra, Duke-NUS Medical School – Happy Elderly Live Longer
A Singapore study of elderly (aged 60 years and above) examines the association between happiness and all-cause mortality among elderly Singaporeans.
Featured research/policy brief launch:
1. Predictors of Falls Among Older Singaporeans
There are clear indicators of fall risk amongst older adults. These indicators are effective levers for fall prevention efforts. Fall risk factors include ethnic background, difficulties with mobility, hearing impairments and pain.
2. Deteriorating Health but Still Working Very Long Hours – A Profile of Singapore's Older Family Caregivers
Older family caregivers are in declining health themselves but are spending very long hours (up to 60 hours per week) caring for their family member. More than half of family caregivers aged 70-74 years do not receive help from anyone else to care for their family member.
More details about the conference, please visit: https://webapps.duke-nus.edu.sg/care/AgeingandResilience2017/
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Indra B Gurung
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