Hearing in Later Life
As reported by the World Health Organization’s World Report on Hearing, hearing loss affects approximately one-third of adults aged 60 years and over. Despite the urgency of hearing health, hearing loss is continuously increasing due to low demand and poor supply and access to ear and hearing care (EHC) services.
Consequently, the IFA plans to convene a high-level global Summit on evidence-based policies to improve hearing health and mobilize actions on recommendations provided in the World Report on Hearing, with emphasis on older adults and integrating hearing care in healthcare systems, globally. The Summit will assemble stakeholders to collectively implement person-centered integrated ear and hearing care (IPC-EHC) in universal health coverage to invest in a safer, fairer, and improved quality of life for older adults.
Adult Vaccination Advocacy Toolkit (AVAT)
While vaccination is a widely accepted public health action, adult vaccination uptake rates are suboptimal. Civil society has expressed the need for evidence-based information and guidance to help them inform policy and promote the importance of vaccines. The Adult Vaccination Advocacy Toolkit (AVAT) is designed to address this gap.
It contains four policy drivers that are universally essential for improving adult vaccination coverage such as:
- Simplification of vaccination pathways
- Expansion of vaccination administrators
- Targeted vaccination campaign
- Vaccination equity
Learn about the AVAT key messages, re-watch the first AVAT webinar “Empowering civil society to address policies that constitute barriers for improving adult vaccination rates” and sign up for updates by clicking on the button below!
IFA Global Café – News and Updates
The IFA team is working on making improvements to the weekly Global Café and would like to hear from you.
Please take this brief, 2 minute survey to help assess where IFA can do better. The survey will be available until June 30th.
If you have questions about this survey, please reach out to Media, Marketing, and Communications Officer, Ms Rashmi Gupta at rgupta@ifa.ngo.
Thank you for valuable help!
Must Read of the Month: The Curious Case of Social Death
Even though the term was coined nearly four decades ago, Social Death still requires attention and immediate action from the global population.
From current household arrangements of the majority of families to health practices such as long-term care, it becomes clear how isolation has a significant impact on the psychological health of older populations. It has been often discussed in scientific and medical realms, such as the IFA Global Café and a paper on MDPI.
A Roadmap to Elder Justice
This year is the 16th anniversary of WEAAD and thus a good time for reflection and assessment. IFA has indicated that an evaluation would provide the conceptual framework, structure and strategy for long term planning. There is an absence of larger coordination that hopefully can be addressed. This article asks IFA readers to be a catalyst in promoting and facilitating social inclusion.
Adult Vaccination Scientific Workshop Meeting Report
As age expectancy increases globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to emphasize on healthy ageing. Healthy ageing is defined as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age, and adult vaccination is one of the focus areas identified by the United Nations (UN). The action plan comprises of integrated, long-term care for high-risk individuals and is facilitated by a close-knit collaboration between stakeholders through strengthening research, data and innovation.
Understanding the country-specific demographic shifts and investigating the reason behind suboptimal adult vaccination rates are crucial in executing a comprehensive stepwise process for change. Multiple challenges in optimising adult immunisation have been identified, including poor public health awareness; inconsistent policies, standards and guidelines; underrepresentation of adult vaccination experts in National Immunisation
Technical Advisory Groups (NITAG); inadequate public education; unclear costs and reimbursement policies as well as limited and incomplete data collection.
An Accord for a Healthier World
Pfizer announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at significantly reducing healthcare disparities:
Based on An Accord for a Healthier World, Pfizer has committed to provide all its patent-protected medicines and vaccines available in the U.S. or EU, as well as future innovations, on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries. This includes all 27 low-income countries and 18 lower-middle-income countries that have transitioned from low to lower-middle classification in the last 10 years.
Vaccine Virtual Days
All post-activities related to the Vaccine Virtual Days, March 30th & 31st, 2022, have officially come to an end and what a fantastic edition and achievement it was! More than 9.5K individuals registered from 140 countries. The secret to success of the Vaccine Virtual Days is the incredible collaboration and dedication to excellence from all 43 hosts and speakers.
This third edition of the Vaccine Virtual Days on adult immunization succeeded in bringing together new stakeholders in vaccination.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
“The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold fear and suffering for older people across the world. Beyond its immediate health impact, the pandemic is putting older people at greater risk of poverty, discrimination and isolation. It is likely to have a particularly devastating impact on older people in developing countries.” – UN Secretary-General, António Guterres
Elder abuse can be defined as “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person”. It is a global social issue which affects the Health and Human Rights of millions of older persons around the world, and an issue which deserves the attention of the international community.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed on June 15th, It was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 66/127, December 2011, following a request by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA), who first established the commemoration in June 2006.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEEAD) Resources
Shingles: When will the vaccine be free?
“Shingles is a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, most often after the age of 50 or when the immune system is weakened by illness or medication. The result is pain, tingling and blisters similar to those of chickenpox. It is painful, causes a burning sensation, and then disappears after 10 to 14 days. The problem is that about 20% of sufferers will develop post-herpetic neuralgia, pain that persists for weeks, months or even years,” says Dr. Chantal Sauvageau, a public health and preventive medicine specialist at the INSPQ.
Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing
HIGN’s mission is to achieve age-sensitive and equitable healthcare for all older adults. The commitment to this mission has made HIGN a globally recognized geriatric presence. HIGN is the geriatric arm of the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and has become a beacon for all those who wish to advance older adult care through nursing leadership and interprofessional team care.
EU Roundtable – Recommendations on Influenza Vaccination – October 2021
Seasonal Influenza poses a significant but often under-recognised challenge to European health systems. Compared to other infectious diseases, influenza has one of the highest impacts in terms of mortality and incidence: it is estimated to cause up to 70,000 deaths in the EU/EEA each year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and taking into account the recent cases of Flurona, a condition of simultaneously contracting COVID-19 and influenza viruses, the demand for influenza vaccines has been increasing.
To secure adequate doses for the European citizens, and protect them against influenza and serious complications, it is crucial to better anticipate the demand for future seasonal influenza vaccines and take appropriate measures to prepare for pandemic influenza vaccines industrial and delivery capabilities.