Exploring Options
Asynchronous Session
Language Repertoire and Mental Health in the Elderly: Neurostructural And Neurosynaptic Substrata of an Alternative Approach to Language View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Abdurrahman Gülbeyaz, Memet Gülbeyaz
Our paper introduces and discusses the present state of an ongoing interdisciplinary research project designed to explore the nature of the link between language repertoire and cognitive functioning in elderly. By the early 1960s, a research paradigm emerged that dealt with the correlation between the phenomenon of bilingualism and cognition. Having gone through several stages marked by sharp controversy, this research stream produced a branching arm in the early 2000s that revisited the question of the interrelationship between the language situation and cognition in the context of global population ageing. Researchers asked themselves whether bilingualism has an influence on age-related dementia in elderly. Looking back on more than 80 years of research, we realize that a deep chasm of extreme dissonance degrades the entire field to an arid terrain: Some have found that the question of whether bilingualism has a positive effect on cognitive abilities and promotes cognitive and neural reserve must be answered in the affirmative, while others have found exactly the opposite. On the one hand, our contribution deals with the reasons for this lack of substantial results by demonstrating that this persistent failure can be traced back causally to two fundamental fallacies in the basic theoretical settings of the research paradigm. On the other hand, we present and discuss our alternative theoretical approach. In this context, we also present the first results of our clinical survey “language repertoire and mental health in the elderly”, which has been running for over a year.
Cross-Cultural Lessons in Age-Friendly Design: A Systematic Review of Eastern and Western Strategies View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Juanjuan "June" He
As global populations age at an unprecedented pace, culturally grounded and human-centered design strategies are urgently needed. This paper shares findings from a systematic review that investigates best practices in age-friendly design and policy across six countries: China, Japan, Singapore, Italy, Germany, and the United States. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping methodology, the study synthesizes 90+ sources to examine how diverse cultural, policy, and design traditions shape strategies for aging in place, caregiving models, housing, transportation, and community-based care. The analysis reveals both shared challenges and culturally specific approaches. While most older adults across these nations prefer to age in place, systemic barriers—such as unaffordable housing, caregiver shortages, and inaccessible transportation—persist. Cultural values like filial piety and intergenerational responsibility in East Asia, and innovations like social prescribing in Europe, offer rich comparative insight. The research proposes an Age-Friendly Design Strategy and Policy (AFDSP) framework that integrates preventive care, design education, and culturally responsive practices. Special attention is given to participatory and empathic design as pedagogical tools to reduce ageism and foster intergenerational solidarity. Drawing on my teaching experience and co-design work with immigrant older adults in Philadelphia, I share how design studios can serve as spaces of healing, inclusion, and innovation. This study invites dialogue on how educators, designers, and policymakers can collaboratively reimagine aging futures: rooted in care, respect, and culturally relevant design.
Confronting the Polycrisis through Intergenerational Engagement: Advancing Age-Friendly University Principles in Rural Nova Scotia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Katie Aubrecht
This paper explores how St. Francis Xavier University (StFX) in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, is advancing Age-Friendly University (AFU) principles in response to the intersecting pressures of the polycrisis: population aging, rural outmigration, social isolation, and economic uncertainty. Situated in a rural Atlantic Canadian town, StFX offers a compelling case study of how universities can serve as vital intergenerational institutions in times of disruption and transformation. StFX’s relationship with the town is rooted in a long history of shared development, shaped by intergenerational ties that span well beyond the campus. Like many rural communities, Antigonish is experiencing significant demographic shifts, with an aging population and declining numbers of younger residents. In this context, the university functions as a regional hub for knowledge exchange and capacity building, supporting community resilience through inclusive, lifelong learning opportunities. Our study shares preliminary results from an AFU self-assessment led by a collaborative working group of university faculty, community members, and municipal age-friendly champions. To identify institutional assets, gaps, and opportunities we employed a qualitative, place-based methodology and ethnographic methods (environmental scan involving document and policy reviews, archival research, and naturalistic observation). This case study argues that embedding intergenerationality into university structures and practices is essential for navigating the complexities of the polycrisis. By embracing age-friendly principles, rural universities can act as catalysts for social cohesion, innovation, and hope across generations.
Featured The Emotional Cost of Institutionalization: Exploring Loneliness in Nursing Homes View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session María Camacho García
Unwanted loneliness has become a critical social and public health issue in contemporary societies, particularly impacting older adults. This study explores how institutional living affects the experience of loneliness among elderly residents in public care facilities, considering loneliness as a key aspect of emotional well-being. Based on qualitative research involving in-depth interviews with 34 older adults living in three public residential centers in the province of Seville, the analysis focused on emotional ties, life trajectories, identity, health, and the institutional environment. The findings reveal that the residential care model plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences, with loneliness being strongly associated with the loss of meaningful relationships, functional decline, detachment from familiar surroundings, and challenges in building a sense of belonging within institutional settings. The results highlight tess, he need to move toward person-centered models of care, emphasizing the importance of nurturing social bonds, recognizing individual identities, and tailoring care to promote a more humane and emotionally sustainable aging process.
Retirement Age Management in the Context of Demographic Changes: Good Practices of Retirement Age Management from Sweden, Japan and Netherlands View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Natalia Kaminska
Average life expectancy in developed and developing countries has been increasing since the end of the 19th century. This is the result of advances technologies in medicine and preventive measures in the field of occupational health and safety. In the end of 2021, average life expectancy reached 80.3 years, according to an OECD report. Average life expectancy is a very important indicator when it comes to discuss regulating the retirement age in countries affected by the demographic crisis. Most pension systems operate on a pay-as-you-go basis, which is strongly linked to solidarity between generations and their size. Discussions about the future of pension security play an important role in public discourse. The main objective of this text and research is to analyze retirement age management. Well implemented practices of three countries—Japan, the Netherlands, and Sweden—are discussed in the text. The current state of the Polish pension system, with many liberal law regulations were as well indicated in this paper. We present the determinants of raising the retirement age or the challenges and opportunities from the perspective of the state and citizens. In the last part of the text, we indicate recommendations. We refy on a method of legal analysis, as well as simulations of example influence of working longer and higher pension value.
