Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
David Kaufman
Simon Fraser University | Canada
Keynote: Social engagement for aging well: Theoretical and practical perspectives
Biography:
David Kaufman is a Professor in the Faculty of Education and Associate Member of the Gerontology Department and Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. He has presented more than 200 lectures and/or workshops worldwide and has published more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and three books. He serves as a reviewer for many journals, granting agencies and professional associations, and has received more than $4 million in funding. He currently is funded through an AGE-WELL Canadian National Centres of Excellence grant to study digital games and digital storytelling for older adults.
Abstract:
Older adults are prominent digital game players with the number of older adults who play digital games increasing from 9% in 1990 to 34% in 2014 and continuing to increase since then. With the increased popularity of digital games among older adults, it is useful to investigate how this form of leisure activity may be benefiting the older generation through enhanced cognitive skills and social connectedness. These aspects have been identified by older adults as main concerns about aging. This study employed a closed-ended cross-sectional survey developed by the author and his team aimed at understanding older adults’ (aged 55 years and older) experiences of playing digital games and their opinions regarding these. The questionnaire included questions about older adult respondents’ characteristics, experiences of playing digital games, patterns of playing, and opinions about digital games. It was administered to older adults in shopping malls, local community centers, nursing homes and seniors’ centers. Participants’ chose mental exercise, followed by enjoyment, as the most commonly selected benefits of digital game playing. The majority of respondents also reported an increase in all five specific cognitive benefits listed in the questionnaire: focusing attention, memory, reaction speed, problem-solving, and reasoning. Many reported that digital games also increased the socio-emotional benefits of developing self-confidence, dealing with loneliness, and connecting with family. In conclusion, digital games appear to hold great promise for enhancing older adults’ cognitive skills and social lives, but more targeted interventions are needed to understand how to unlock these benefits.
Break: Networking & Refreshments 10:50-11:20 @ Sylt Foyer
- Ageing Biology | Elderly Care | Geriatric Services | Geriatrics and General Practice | Gerontology | Geriatrics and Mental Health | Geriatrics and Neurological Disorders | Palliative Nursing
Location: Berlin, Germany
Session Introduction
Angie Ng Kwee Sew
Econ Healtcare Group Pte Ltd | Singapore
Title: Care of the elderly: Golden or Burden?
Biography:
Angie Ng has more than 40 years of extensive healthcare experience working in the public and private hospitals both in Malaysia and Singapore providing nursing leadership, management, and nursing education expertise. She obtained her Doctorate in Education from the University of Western Australia at the age of 53 competing among the younger generations. Currently, she is the Director of Nursing in one of the largest private nursing home in Singapore.
Abstract:
The healthcare for the elderly has indeed arrived at the right moment, at a time when the elderly population in the world is increasing and needs better attention. The increase in life expectancy is glaring across the globe and Singapore is no exception. The government has been building many nursing homes to accommodate to the increase needs of our elderly. However, our biggest challenge is getting the right attitude and competent staff to provide this delicate care for our elderly. The reality of caregiving is, it is stressful, and be it at home or nursing home or skilled nursing facilities. Unfortunately, not everyone is suited to this role. It really takes a special commitment to any
caregiver to provide care to the elderly with passion. Even more so when our caregivers are foreigners and many of them came over for just a job. Let's face it, caring for the elderly is a very labor intensive job, and is emotionally trying
to say the least. Even more trying is the added responsibility when the elderly has behavior issues or getting sicker. On the other side of the coin, I passionately believe that ageing means changing- a potentially rich progression
through life. We can’t avoid the process of growing older, but we can avoid atrophy of the spirit. Caring for the elderly is like taking care of our young children, they are most precious and vulnerable. Hence, it reflects poorly on
caregivers when they are mistreated when they are admitted to our facilities as our duty is to look after and cherish them.
Cheryl Ching Ling Lim
NTUC Health Co-operative Ltd | Singapore
Title: Assessing appropriateness of intergenerational (IG) activities involving seniors with dementia in Singapore
Biography:
Cheryl Lim is the Senior Executive, Programmes and Projects in NTUC Health Silver Circle, an NTUC social enterprise that provides an integrated suite of
health and eldercare services to meet the growing needs of families and their dependents. Cheryl has been developing and managing the Intergenerational (IG) Programme for NTUC Health Silver Circle senior care centres across Singapore. As a Health Science graduate, she had prior experience in Health Promotion evaluation, as well as Early Childhood. This had led to her interest and research on IG in bringing children and seniors together, empowering them to be the agency for promoting each other’s health and wellbeing, through interaction, reciprocal learning and co-creation.
Abstract:
Research in the recent years has shown seniors have greatly benefitted from participation in intergenerational (IG) programme. However, IG research involving seniors with dementia and appropriateness of activities is still lacking. Based on the framework of person-centred care by Tom Kitwood, activities planning focus on senior’s interests and explore their strengths so that they may feel dignified and are actively engaged participants. This paper will explore and discuss about the pilot IG activities’ appropriateness and the effects on the seniors. The pilot IG programme was conducted in NTUC Health Silver Circle day-care centre in Singapore involving seniors with mild to moderate dementia, aged ranging from 70 to 95 years old. Results indicated that activities which provided seniors the opportunity to have a nurturing role; sharing their experiences and reminiscing about their younger days; as well as activities catered to their interest yielded a better wellbeing score. On the contrary, activities with too many instructions have indicated poorer wellbeing score. Findings suggest that IG activity should have instructions that are simple and minimized to 3-steps or less. Seniors’ past occupation, interests, strengths and abilities should also be taken into consideration for their active participation.
Rodney Jilek
Aged Care Consulting and Advisory Services Australasia Pty Ltd | Australia
Title: Providing culturally appropriate residential aged care – The Australian experience
Biography:
Rodney is a registered nurse and holds undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Nursing and Management with a specialization in the care of older people (Gerontology). Rodney has worked in the aged care industry since 1989, and was a clinical adviser for the Department of Health and Ageing where he provided advice directly to the Aged Care Complaints Scheme and the department more broadly through Ministerial and Expert Technical Reference committees. His current role is Principal Advisor of Aged Care Consulting & Advisory Services Australasia Pty Ltd, a Sydney based boutique consultancy focusing on residential aged care.
Abstract:
With a diverse multicultural community, Australia now faces an increasing demand on aged care services that are tailored to those from culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) groups. While previous approaches have been very successful for a number of larger ethnic communities, including those of Italian and Greek origin, it has not proven successful for communities with much smaller populations residing in Australia. As a result, Australia now sees increasing pressure from an increasing number of smaller CALD groups to establish aged care homes to provide targeted services for their particular communities. This presentation will explore how Australia has addressed this challenge on a national level through mainstream services since the introduction of the Aged Care Act 1997 and will discuss how this approach will now change under the new Consumer Directed Care model being introduced on 1 July 2019.
Break: Lunch Break 12:50-14:00 @ Restaurant Rienäcker
Tran Thi Minh Thi
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences | Vietnam
Title: Intergenerational perception of living arrangement in the old age: Familization and rising market of elder care in Vietnam
Biography:
Tran Thi Minh Thi is the Director of the Institute for Family and Gender Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. She gained Master degree of Sociology at the University of Washington, US and PhD degree of Sociology at Kyoto University, Japan. She is a principal member in studies on gender, welfare, care, community development, health, and family. Her recent studies on the elderly issues included: “Construction of effective network for well-being of the leftbehind elderly in rural community through cooperative studies between Ha Tinh and Quang Ngai provinces, Vietnam and Minamata city, Japan” funded by TOYOTA in 2015; “Elderly Care in Transforming Vietnam: Policy and Structural Perspectives”. 2015-2016, funded by Vietnam Government in 2016-2016; and “Strengthening social engagement in elderly care in changing economic and family structure in Asia: Policy and practical dialogues between local communities in Vietnam and Japan”, funded by the Toyota Foundation in 2017-2018.
Abstract:
Asian societies are known of our strong connection among family members and filial piety is a highly valued practice in Confucian culture. In Vietnam, family is long-term seen as being significant for elder care. The traditional concept that parents should live with their older children as an alternative to financial support, improve the efficiency of the provision of care, and increase the emotional support the parties can provide for each other. Due to increasingly migrating, working pressure, and individualization, there is an increasing withdrawal of family caregivers from caregiving upward their parents. Meanwhile, Vietnam is observing changes in demographics and family structure such as fast increase of population aged from 65, the extension of life expectancy, which is linked to an increase in the number of elders in need of care, drop in fertility rate, resulting in a shrinking supply of family caregivers.
Using our very new dataset from the national study on Family Values in Contemporary Vietnam, which surveyed 1750 people aged from 16 to 70 in 2017, this paper would analyze the role of modern family in care relations from
the perspectives of old and young generation and the interaction between family network, professional practice and government in care policy within Vietnamese aging context by analyzing questions on current and old age living
arrangement (i.e. living alone, living with spouse, living with sons, living with daughters, living in residential care center/nursing home and living with relatives/others) with involvement of the public policies and services.
Muhammad Hammad
Mediclinic Welfare Hospital | UAE
Title: New approach to dizziness with clinical method
Biography:
Muhammad Hammad has done his education in bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery from Hamdard University during 2000-2005. He then worked as trainee resident medical officer at National institute of cardiovascular diseases at Karachi from 2006-2007. Dr Hammad is the member of Royal College Of Emergency Medicine MRCEM at London, UK. During 2007-2009 at Patel general hospital he served as resident medical officer in intensive care unit in Pakistan. Then he moved to Aga Khan University hospital to serve as emergency postgraduate resident from 2010-2011. From 2011-2015 he worked as Emergency doctor at Al Dhaid hospital. Currently he is working as an Emergency Doctor at Mediclinic Welcare hospital, Dubai.
Abstract:
Introduction: Dizziness is the most common condition or symptom to be present in Emergency departments or rooms in most of the part of the world. It can easily be miss- diagnosed as Central verses Peripheral Vertigo if not deal with proper history and examination in EDs by Emergency Physicians or clinicians. Dizziness cane be defined as ‘’Spinning movement in surroundings’’ or whirlpool like feeling. Dizziness is common among elderly age with many different reasons apart from Peripheral or Central causes of Vertigo which includes Risk of Fall, Trauma, Dietary intake, Walking aids, Organic diseases, Vision problems etc. My presentation will focus on new method of Diagnosing Dizziness in Emergency Departments as quick and easy three steps which includes Three clinical tests which are 1. Nystagmus, 2. Skew test and 3. Head thrust test. 40 years old female known case of I.H.D, HTN and DM presented with moderate dizziness which is since one month and gradually increasing, associated with nausea, vomiting and headache. She also fell down twice in this month. She doesn’t use walking aids. She lives alone. On multiple medications for her comorbidities. She was at the shopping mall and suddenly felt quite dizzy and became better but not settled and now in E.D.
History of fall: If yes then preceding symptoms, clear cause of fall etc. Palpitation, use of medications which can cause dizziness, consumption of alcohol, walking aids, previous episodes. Different meaning for the different patient- Some describe as Disequilibrium, Light headedness, etc. Vertigo: Sensation of disorientation in space with the hallucination of movement. BPPV: Most commonly recognized form of vertigo. Attributed to calcium debris within the semicircular canal (canalithiasis).I feel like the room is spinning when I turn my head Lasts seconds, but may feel destabilized for hours after an attack. No ear pain, tinnitus, or hearing loss.
Diagnosis usually made by history:
• Dix Hallpikemaneuver
• Positive in 50-80% of patients
• Canalithrepositioning maneuvers
Medical therapy usually not helpful due to transient symptoms
Meniere’s disease:
• Excess endolymphaticfluid pressure
• Episodic, acute vertigo lasts minutes to hours
• Unilateral tinnitus, hearing loss, ear fullness
Vestibular Neuritis:
• Viral or post viral inflammatory disorder.
• Rapid onset of severe persistent vertigo with nausea, vomiting, ataxia.
• Sometimes combined with unilateral hearing loss (labyrinthitis)
• Steroid taper.
• Dramamine, meclizine (H1 blockers), benzodiazepines
Labryinthine Concussion:
• Traumatic vestibular injury following head trauma
• Transverse fractures of the temporal bone
Acute Vestibular Syndrome: Acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) is characterized by the rapid onset (over seconds to hours) of vertigo, nausea/ vomiting, and gait unsteadiness in association with head motion intolerance and nystagmuslasting days to weeks. Of the 2.6 million emergency department visits for dizziness or vertigo annually in the United States, APV is diagnosed in nearly 150 000. Small observational studies suggest perhaps 25% of acute
vestibular syndrome presentations to the emergency department represent posterior circulation infarctions.CT scans have low sensitivity (approximately 16%) for acute infarction, particularly in the posterior fossa, and brain MRI is not always readily available. Studies also suggest that false-negative MRI can occur with acute vertebrobasilar strokes.
Tran Thi Minh Thi
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences | Vietnam
Title: Institutional and cultural perspectives in elder care in Asia: A comparison of Japan and Vietnam
Biography:
Tran Thi Minh Thi is the Director of the Institute for Family and Gender Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. She gained Master degree of Sociology at the University of Washington, US and PhD degree of Sociology at Kyoto University, Japan. She is a principal member in studies on gender, welfare, care, community development, health, and family. Her recent studies on the elderly issues included: “Construction of effective network for well-being of the leftbehind elderly in rural community through cooperative studies between Ha Tinh and Quang Ngai provinces, Vietnam and Minamata city, Japan” funded by TOYOTA in 2015; “Elderly Care in Transforming Vietnam: Policy and Structural Perspectives”. 2015-2016, funded by Vietnam Government in 2016-2016; and “Strengthening social engagement in elderly care in changing economic and family structure in Asia: Policy and practical dialogues between local communities in Vietnam and Japan”, funded by the Toyota Foundation in 2017-2018.
Abstract:
Traditional norms in Asian societies of filial piety, including Japan and Vietnam, emphasize care roles of children upward their elderly parents. Especially, caregiving is often responsibilities of women, who are increasingly
migrating and participating in the labor market, leading to an increasing withdrawal of family caregivers from caregiving upward their parents. Though experiencing different stages of reforms and development, Japan and Vietnam share similarities and differentials in care patterns toward their elder population. Japan relies on the public long-term care insurance program in elder care. Japan is changing the balance of care towards home, community-based services, and marketization to provide alternative care options for their elderly population. Vietnam is enhancing institutional care in collaboration with local mass organizations and stakeholders. Community is playing key role in emotional support to the elder. Taking into account the Confucian-influenced
traditional family structure, the responsibility for elderly care is still a family matter. Using dataset from a collaboration survey among 450 elders between the Kumamoto Gakuen University in Japan and the Institute for Family and Gender Studies in Hanoi in 2017, the paper aims to examine and analyze roles,
challenges and difficulties of family, community, private and public social services and policy in care provision to the elderly and gaps; to understand the processes of the reconstruction of those formal and informal sectors in order to
bear the increasing care responsibilities, and the ways they provide care to elders and the linkages with policies and institutional in Japan and Vietnam, using care diamond model.
Break: Networking & Refreshments 15:30-16:00 @ Sylt Foyer