The National Care Forum (NCF) was one of the organisations hosting The Global Ageing Conference in Glasgow on 7-8 September.
According to the World Health Organisation, by 2030, 1 in 6 people around the world will be aged 60 or more, and by 2050 the world’s population of people aged 60 will double to 2.1 billion. It is against this backdrop that experts from various social care settings, researchers, and academics gathered in Glasgow to discuss and debate the challenges the ageing population bring to the social care and support sector and work together to find solutions.
Katie Smith Sloan, executive director of the Global Ageing Network, said: “As our societies experience a rapidly growing older population, it is imperative that leaders from around the world work together to address the challenges and opportunities associated with global ageing - issues of access, quality, basic rights, the role of technology, ageism and the absolute necessity of an adequate, well trained workforce to provide care. Older adults deserve nothing less.”
NCF CEO Professor Vic Rayner commented: “Everyone taking part in our events this week gather as a global community at a pivotal point in our history, with the same motivations and ambitions. We are all here to connect and collaborate on new solutions to the challenges of global ageing that face us all and to set about implementing change on how we care for older people.
“The real work starts once the conference is over, of course, and we all head back to our respective countries and organisations to put into action everything we have learned from one another.”
