June 2020

IFA Virtual Town Hall Series: COVID-19 and Older People Alongside friends and colleagues working in the field with and on behalf of millions of vulnerable people, the IFA's Virtual Town Halls are an opportunity to share challenges and best practices related to COVID-19 and older people.

Find recordings and resources from previous Town Halls here. Recordings and Resources

Join for the next IFA Virtual Town Hall – COVID-19 and Older People: Transition from Crisis to Routine 3 July Town Hall – Register Now

COVID-19 Exposes Problems in Long-term Care Facilities

Please note that differences in testing capacity, policies, and data collection methods may result in slight variations in this data, which was available as of 25 May 2020. See the full report here.

As the world continues to face an unparalleled health crisis, older persons have become one of the most visible victims. This could not be more evident than when looking at the percentages of deaths in long-term care facilities around the globe. The IFA has developed the image above to illustrate the need for systematic reform. Read more

"Forum to Explore the Role of Patient Organisations in Vaccination" Consensus Statement and Report Launch Earlier this month, the IFA, together with the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) and leading UK patient and health advocacy organisations are launching a consensus statement and report based on the findings from the “Forum to Explore the Role of Patient Organisations in Vaccination” expert meeting.  The documents both emphasize the critical role UK advocacy organizations play in promoting health through vaccination, and what barriers must be addressed.

Consensus Statement

Expert Meeting Report

73rd World Health Assembly Statement Analysis: Older People, Vaccination

Following the World Health Assembly, held from 18-19 May 2020, the IFA completed an analysis on the statements submitted under agenda item 3, devoted to the COVID-19 pandemic response, regarding two topics: Older People and Vaccination. At this crucial time, the IFA encourages all stakeholders to engage in important conversations on both of these topics. View the Analysis

LGBTI and Long-term Care Facilities: Creating Culturally Safe Care “People can’t enjoy the later years of their life if they have to hide 90% of themselves, so it’s about ensuring their dignity and allowing them to live without fear,” says Ms. Samantha Edmonds, one of Australia’s leading LGBTI inclusive strategists, policy makers and influencers with extensive knowledge and experience in assisting ageing, aged care and health providers develop LGBTI inclusive services. In this article she shares some of the work, and resources for work with LGBTI and older people to create culturally safe care. Read More This month the IFA, in partnerships with SAGE and EGALE, hosted "Global Perspectives: Mobilizing Advocacy Initiatives for Older LGBTQI Persons" webinar.  This was the first of a series of webinars that aims to support civil society organizations in their advocacy for the inclusion of older LGBTQI persons. Watch the Recording Download the Slidedeck Dr. Jane Barratt of the IFA discusses the importance of ensuring older adults know their rights and have access to the safest and most appropriate treatments. IFA’s Eye See You Biosimilars in Ophthalmology Program advocates for vision health policies that are patient-centred, based on evidence and responsive to the diverse needs of patients, families and health care providers. Read More In these unprecedented times, ageism in a variety of forms has become a matter of life and death. The IFA has begun collecting images and stories aims to break down stereotypes of older people by showing their resilience, strength and tenacity. Have a story to share? Use #Agequality and tag @IntFedAgeing on Twitter . View the Latest #Aqequality Stories

Do you think COVID-19 will have a positive effect on attitudes towards older people? Yes Select No Select IFA Spotlights Each week the IFA highlights experts on a variety of relevant topics in spotlight articles. Here are some of the latest: See all IFA Experts When COVID-19 Meets Flu Season Biosimilar Initiatives: Discounting Cost, Not Education COVID-19 has illuminated some serious gaps in our system of care for people with dementia that need to be fixed but to fix them effectively, we need to challenge ourselves to find a stronger value base to ensure a better system. The Dimentia Dialogue podcast series explores how a human rights approach leads to stronger values on which we can renew the way we support people living with dementia. Listen Now New IFA Members The Great Lakes Age Network (GLAN) is a network of organizations working on the well-being of the elderly, with the objective of identifying and coordinating interventions relating to the protection and promotion of rights and well-being. seniors in the Great Lakes region, which includes Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo. CanAge is an independent nonprofit advocacy organization which  educates, empowers and mobilizes people on the issues that matter most to older Canadians.

The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) invites abstract submissions for symposiums, workshops, papers and poster presentations under each of the four themes to be presented at the 15th Global Conference on Ageing , now taking place from 3-5 March 2021 in Niagara Falls, Canada.

Addressing Inequalities Age-Friendly Environments Combating Ageism Enabling Functional Ability

Pre-Conference events will now take place on 2 March 2021 . Find out more about: • Vaccines4Life Summit • Age-friendly Environments Summit • Masterclasses

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