Aging is our common future
Results of the III National Conference "Society for all Ages"
On October 9, the III National Conference "Society for All Ages", organized by the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, ended in Moscow. During the two days of work, the conference participants held two plenary discussions and 12 working sessions on various aspects of the topic of aging in Russia and in the world. Within the framework of the conference, prizes were awarded for the Quality of Life 2.0 contest, a joint project of the Skolkovo Foundation and the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation. The winners who took the first two places become applicants for a grant from the Skolkovo Foundation in the amount of 5 million rubles for the development of the project.
Main topicsAging is our common future.
Most of the discussions of the conference began with this thesis. Life expectancy is rapidly increasing, elderly people already make up about a quarter of the population of large cities. Statistics say that their number will only grow.
One of the main tasks of modern society, according to the participants of the conference, is the destruction of the stereotype that aging is a problem, retirement age is a period of survival, and an elderly person is a burden for the young and able–bodied. During the working sessions, the speakers and guests of the forum tried to find out what the environment in which we are aging is and how to make it friendly, convenient and useful.
In this context, the conference participants considered a variety of topics, including: the role of the family, the city and the state in the life of an elderly person; the quality of life and attitude to old age in society, ageism and age discrimination; employment organization and opportunities for self-realization of the older generation; the formation of a comfortable accessible space and thoughtful infrastructure; the development of a system of social and medical services; decent retirement and much more.
An event for the whole countryOpening the conference, Maria Morozova, General Director of the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation, noted that every year the interest in the topic of the older generation is growing.
"I am very glad that we are meeting here for the third year in a row to discuss issues that we do not always think about in everyday life," said Maria Morozova. – Every year the scale of the "Society for All Ages" conference grows, the circle of participants expands, we learn about new initiatives and developments. There is more talk about the problems of aging in our country. And I urge you to use every opportunity to make this topic important for the whole society."
In her welcoming speech, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Galina Karelova called the conference a real event not only for specialists, but also for all citizens. "Older people in Russia can and want to benefit society, they feel young and confident. There are a lot of such people, worthy programs appear for them. It is important that we have a huge impulse and desire to unite and implement projects that were simply impossible to imagine before," Galina Karelova added.
In turn, the director of the Social Information Agency Elena Topoleva-Soldunova reminded how important it is that the elderly themselves participate in the process of finding solutions. "Society is changing, the needs of the elderly have been taken into account. Our conference is not only a platform for one–time communication of specialists, but also gives an impetus to continue the painstaking work that is constantly being carried out," she said.
Theories and practicesBy tradition, the "Society for All Ages" conference has become a platform for open dialogue.
Participants from different countries and regions of Russia shared their knowledge, practical experience and initiatives to create an environment conducive to healthy aging.
In the section "Social and medical care: when a person is in the spotlight", Jan Press, Head of the Outpatient Geriatrics Department, Head of the Department for the Scientific Development of Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University named after Ben-Gurion. In his report, the expert spoke about Israel's experience in the development of geriatric medicine, inviting participants to explore the prospects of this kind of activity in Russia.
Invited expert from the Open Space Research Center, as well as Professor of the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture Catherine Ward Thompson in the section "Territory and Community: adaptation of the environment for the elderly in urban and rural areas" presented methods of arranging comfortable public spaces for representatives of the third age in the UK.
The official representative of the International Federation of Aging at the UN, Helen Hamlin, has become an inspiring example of how old age can be happy and full of energy. 93-year-old Ms. Hamlin, who flew to Russia from the United States, asked the audience not to be afraid of old age and be kinder to the older generation: "While living your life, do not forget about the main thing – the value of every day of it. It's never too late to be productive, to try something new, to think in a new way. Let's not pretend that the elderly do not exist and aging will not affect us. The society of the future is a society of kindness, devoid of barriers and prejudices."
The participants of the section "Independence and Development" presented studies proving that mental development continues at retirement age, and moreover, memory training and continuing education contribute to improving the physical condition of an elderly person. Experts and practitioners have identified problems that prevent older people from engaging in vibrant, full-fledged social and cultural activities. According to experts, the main components of qualitative aging are regular physical activity, meaningful activity and inclusion in society, and all these conditions can be created with the help of modern technologies and practices.
Ideas and solutionsExpert opinions, studies and conclusions recorded during the conference are of great importance for the development of the system of support for the elderly at the state level.
The main ideas, comments and suggestions will be collected in the final resolution of the conference, which, in turn, will become a working basis in the process of developing the "Strategy of Actions in the interests of elderly citizens until 2025" – the main document defining the social policy of the state in relation to the older population. Proposals for the project "Strategies of action in the interests of elderly citizens until 2025", its advantages and disadvantages were discussed at the final plenary discussion of the conference, including taking into account the new knowledge acquired during the forum.
"Traditionally in Russia, all hopes for solving social problems were placed on the state. But now, due to a number of demographic, economic and social problems, the state is sending quite clear signals that it alone cannot cope with this challenge. The resolutions of our annual conferences "Society for All Ages" are an expert resource, a source of ideas and possible solutions. We can influence the emergence of a worthy "Strategy of Actions in the interests of elderly citizens until 2025" – an important document for the development of our country. And thanks to the active participation of the community, this strategy has a chance to become truly high-quality and real," said Maria Morozova.
Special projectsThe projects implemented in the conference space allowed the guests and participants to immerse themselves even more in the theme of the silver age with the help of visual images.
In the halls of the Infospatial exhibition center, one could see works from Igor Gavar's photo project "Happy Together" – pictures of married couples showing an example of happy longevity together: one of the heroes lived together all their lives, someone found love in adulthood. The second exhibition, "Our Chronicle", told the history of the country in the destinies of people – portraits of elderly heroes, "children of war", were made by photographer Maria Alekseeva.
In addition, this year's "Society for All Ages" conference for the first time prepared a special project that goes far beyond the discussion halls. The International Film Festival "It's Never too Late" started during the conference and will be held in seven more cities of Russia until November 2015. Its program includes more than ten topical feature, documentary and animated films about the role of older people in society, shot by European, American, Asian, Australian, and New Zealand directors.
An important event in the forum program was the open defense of semi-finalist projects of the competition of innovative technologies and developments "Quality of Life 2.0", organized by the cluster of biomedical technologies of the Skolkovo Foundation with the support of the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation. Developments aimed at improving the quality of life of the elderly, adapting the older generation to the modern urban environment and maintaining full physical activity were presented to the jury.
According to the results of the jury's work, two projects became winners of the competition: "Conducting clinical trials of a test for early independent rapid diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction" (Cardio Plus LLC) and the project "Remote laboratory diagnostics".
Cardio-plus is a technology of rapid tests for home diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A special feature of the test is the ability to indicate one drop of blood from the finger of two cardiomarkers: cardiac fatty acid binding protein (sBSFA) and troponin I. An increase in their content indicates the onset and/or development of AMI disease. The testing is based on the immunochromatographic method.
"Remote laboratory diagnostics" is a set for obtaining, storing and transporting biomaterials in the form of dry samples for laboratory analysis. Both projects are now, according to the terms of the competition, applicants for a grant from the Skolkovo Foundation in the amount of 5 million rubles each.
The third place, an invitation to the status of a Skolkovo resident and, accordingly, the opportunity to receive support for all programs of the Skolkovo Foundation was awarded to the project "Personalized Assistant for the Disabled", which is a desktop device that understands natural human speech and can talk. It can, in particular, help blind and deafblind people with Internet access and in managing a smart home.
Facts and figures650 people from Russia, USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, France, Israel, Kyrgyzstan took part in the III National Conference "Society for All Ages".
At the site, the organizers were assisted by 12 silver volunteers over 60 years old from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The summary of each session of the conference was drawn by three artists and compiled an informative exhibition-a summary of 50 drawings, which will soon be available on the conference website.
Details about the III National Conference "Society for All Ages" can be found on the website www.ageing-forum.org .A resolution issued following the conference will soon be available on this website.
The main theses of the resolution of the conference "Society for all ages":We are specialists and practitioners from all over Russia and from other countries interested in improving the quality of life of older people.
- Among us: scientists, entrepreneurs, cultural figures, journalists, representatives of authorities, public organizations, as well as activists;We have determined that the key problem affecting the quality of life of older people is the maladaptation and even hostility of the environment to life in old age;
- In order to discuss approaches to solving this problem, we formulated the concept of "quality of life", which has two interrelated perspectives – external and psychological;
- We tried to look into the future in our discussions to determine how we can influence the environment in these two areas;
- We see the following key tasks to change the environment for the quality of life of the elderly:
- Further formation and strengthening of the community of interested specialists to influence the processes of forming an environment for a decent old age;
- Development of a joint action plan to change public opinion, overcome stereotypes of old age, fight ageism and form an image of positive aging;
- The introduction of an individual approach to determining the needs and organization of care for the elderly, contributing to the longest possible stay of an elderly person in the family, in a familiar environment.
- In particular, support should be provided to families and relatives taking care of the elderly, it is necessary to develop hospital-substituting technologies;It is necessary to introduce barrier-free environment approaches into urban planning and architectural solutions;
- It is necessary to develop the market of medical and social services by introducing stimulating regulation, clear quality standards and criteria for assessing the needs of older people;
- It is necessary to establish a process of stimulating the employment of the elderly population and involving employers in active work with older people;
- It is necessary to form a system of providing leisure services for the elderly and meeting their needs for self-development and education;
- It is necessary to develop self-organization of older people in relation to representatives of the third age in local communities;
- It is necessary to increase awareness of the term "Society for all ages".
- For more information, please contact:
Taya Marakhovskaya, Lead project manager at the communication agency "Rules of Communication" (conference operator),
+7 915 003 79 45, taya.pr@gmail.com
+7 915 003 79 45, taya.pr@gmail.com
Oksana Tymoshchuk, Head of the Public Relations Service of the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation,
+7 903-619-67-63, otimoschuk@timchenkofoundation.org
+7 903-619-67-63, otimoschuk@timchenkofoundation.org
Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation. ReferenceThe largest family foundation in Russia.The Timchenko family has been engaged in charity work in Russia and abroad for more than 20 years. In 2010, in order to achieve long-term results of family charitable projects, the Timchenko Foundation was established. The foundation's activities are aimed at supporting active longevity, the development of non-professional children's sports, assistance to foster families and children, the development of Russian regions by means of culture, international humanitarian cooperation. These strategic directions are aimed at the systematic solution of social problems in Russia, and also contribute to the strengthening of international relations. We are changing the attitude of society towards the older generation, striving to improve the quality of life of older people in Russia. We develop sports, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of age, physical data and place of residence. We promote the cultural development of Russian regions, the preservation of Russian cultural and historical heritage, and also develop a "cultural bridge" between Russia and other countries of the world as a basis for building good-neighborly relations. We ensure the well-being of children left without parental care. We help people who are changing their lives and the world around them for the better. We are working for the present and the future of the country. In December 2015, the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation turns five years old.
The official website of the foundation: timchenkofoundation.org
Conference website: ageing-forum.org
The website of the film festival "It's never too late": nikogdanepozdno.org
Facebook and VKontakte groups – "Society for all ages"
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
14.10.2015