On October 13 the community is invited to UBC's Okanagan campus to take part in an informative, interactive symposium exploring issues surrounding healthy aging while managing chronic disease.
"This symposium provides an opportunity to build networks, explore partnerships and engage with UBC faculty members who are conducting forward-looking research in the areas of chronic disease and healthy aging," says Joan Bottorff, Director, Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention.
"We are also encouraging community agencies in Kelowna that support people living with chronic disease to share information about their local services and the issues they face."
The Healthy Aging and Chronic Disease Symposium is presented by The Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at UBC's Okanagan campus. Keynote speaker, Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute of Health Research, will provide a national overview of research directions and new evidence related to healthy aging in chronic disease.
Also featured at the symposium is a UBC expert panel presentation on New Directions for Enabling Health within the Context of Chronic Disease.
The goals of the symposium are to:
- profile regional research and initiatives leading to improvements in healthy living with chronic disease
- explore advances and challenges related to improving healthy living with chronic disease
- foster knowledge translation by sharing emerging strategies that enable healthy aging in the context of chronic disease
- promote networking and collaborate engagement across a wide range of sectors interested in supporting healthy aging
- support capacity-building for collaborative community-based research in healthy aging
"These are important topics of conversation for the Okanagan," says Bottorff. "We have a higher proportion of older adults living in our community than most, and unfortunately as people age a significant proportion will be impacted by chronic disease. It is important that as a community we find ways to enhance the quality of life and increase the health of people living within the context of chronic disease."
The symposium runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the University Centre ballroom (UNC 200). Admission is free.
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