Towards a Decade of Healthy Ageing – From Evidence to Action
The IFA 14th Global Conference on Ageing is being hosted at Ryerson University in our home city of Toronto, Ontario on 8–10 August 2018.  The conference will revolve around four key themes related to the field of ageing, and will feature prominent experts presenting and discussing critical issues.  The conference is proud to be supported by an international network of partners.

The title of IFA’s 14th Global Conference, “Towards a Decade of Healthy Ageing – From Evidence to Action,” is in response to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Report on Ageing and Health and the subsequent goals of the WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan (2016).

Specifically, the Global Strategy focuses on five strategic objectives: commitment to action on healthy ageing in every country; developing age-friendly environments; aligning health systems to the needs of older populations; developing sustainable and equitable systems for providing long-term care (home, communities, institutions); and improving measurement, monitoring and research on Healthy Ageing.

The Global Strategy and Action Plan is a significant and much needed step forward in establishing a framework for Member States.  The IFA, in its formal relations with the WHO, is strongly committed, through the platform of our Global Conference and attending delegates, to contributing to the evidence and partnerships necessary to support a Decade of Healthy Ageing from 2020 to 2030.

The IFA is committed to helping enable older people to do what they value through a deeper evidence-based understanding and has aligned the IFA Global Conference’s themes to the WHO’s Strategy with links to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IFA 14th Global Conference Themes

Although the themes and sub-themes have been broken down in four specific categories, the IFA acknowledges the intersection of these themes and respective sub-themes.  It is difficult to discuss one of these sub-themes without touching upon at least one other sub-theme.  Overlap of sub-themes is especially clear when exploring the subpopulations listed under the theme Addressing Inequalities.  For instance, all subpopulations may experience social exclusion, income insecurity, and limited access to health, social care, and access to work.

With this in mind, the IFA welcomes applicants to submit abstracts for intersecting sub-themes and to select the theme which best represents their abstract.  For instance, applicants may choose to present on hearing and social exclusion with a focus on older homeless persons.  Thus, the applicant can choose to submit their abstract under “Combating Ageism- Social Exclusion”, “Toward Healthy Ageing- Hearing” or “Addressing Inequalities- Older Homeless Persons”.

Although when registering applicants must select one specific theme, they should not feel restricted to one topic. Additionally, the IFA hopes that by providing flexibility, delegates do not feel restricted in their thinking, and the intersecting issues that affect the subpopulations under Addressing Inequalities as well as older people in general which will stimulate robust and healthy discussions toward positive change.