Day 2 International Federation on Ageing Conference

AlexandreKalacheEvery conference has it highlights. Two from Day 2. Since working in this field a name has kept coming up, that person being Dr Alex Kalache currently the president of the International Longevity Centre in Brazil. Dr Kalache pioneered the concept of “active ageing” and developed the Global Movement on Age-friendly Cities whilst at the World Health Organisation. He was head of the WHO Ageing and Life Course Programme from 1995 to 2007.

As delegates we were totally captured as he wove together in his speech on “Building a Culture of Care” the personal with the professional, the theoretical and the practical. Here is one quote that will stay with me. “For people in need of care to be treated with respect and dignity, carers must also be treated with dignity and respect.” He also talked about what he calls the “family insufficiency syndrome”, the unwillingness of family to visit and care for their elders and the need to rekindle a culture of care. COTA Queensland have a You Tube of him speaking on another ocassion. Click here.

Last year in Istanbul I met Dr Ruth Finklestein from New York, we have kept in touch. I was looking forward to catching up with her and learning how New Yorks inaugural Age Smart Employer awards had gone. She wasn’t able to attend at the last minute. However a colleague shared 8 strategies they had identified from reviewing the companies that were recognised as age smart employers.

  1. Prioritize recruitment of older workers & streamline hiring process
  2. Invest in training & development for older workers
  3. Invest in age-related training & tools for managers
  4. Promote organizational sustainability through knowledge transfer & mentoring
  5. Maximize productivity through ergonomic & environmental tweaks
  6. Support workers of all ages with flexibility & caregiving benefits to boost engagement & reduce turnover
  7. Invest in employee’s health to improve retention & ultimately cut costs
  8. Streamline transitions from work to retirement to benefit both employers & employees

Check out the Age Smart website. Click here.

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