Three GCOA-Led Symposia to Address Innovations in Skin Health, Elder Caregiving, Alzheimer’s Disease, Financial Services and Technology to Enable Healthy Aging

NEW YORK (July 21, 2017) – The Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), the leading business voice on aging, will be featured in three symposia at the 21st World Congress of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG). In addition, GCOA members – including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Nestlé Skin Health, and Pfizer – will lead various sessions throughout the weeklong conference.

IAGG’s World Congress, held in a different host country every four years, is among the largest gatherings of aging experts in the world and will bring more than 6,000 experts in aging from across medicine, nursing, social science, finance, and policy, including academics, healthcare professionals and business leaders, to San Francisco, on July 22-27.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to join with leaders from our member companies, the World Health Organization, EasyCare Academy, and other cross-sector experts to address some of the most transformational issues related to aging and to share our expertise toward the goal of ensuring more people are able to enjoy the gift of 21st century longevity,” said Michael W. Hodin, CEO of GCOA. “We applaud IAGG and the Gerontological Society of America for their leadership in driving the global dialogue on healthy and active aging.”

Major topics GCOA will address during IAGG include:

• Alzheimer’s innovation – GCOA’s Dementia Innovation Readiness Index highlights the need for innovation both toward a cure and better care for those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. To help advance these goals, a critical step should be for regulatory bodies – and the FDA urgently – to address the regulatory requirement for co-primary endpoints of function and cognition in Alzheimer’s disease. Co-primary end points create a disincentive to Alzheimer’s pharmaceutical innovation and sets Alzheimer’s apart from other therapeutic areas where only one primary endpoint is required.
• Functional ability – As laid out in the World Health Organization’s Ageing and Health Strategy, maintaining functional ability is a critical factor toward healthy aging.  For example, better monitoring for signs of non-communicable diseases – particularly Alzheimer’s disease – and the conditions of aging, can lead to early detection and diagnosis that map toward healthier lives and better care.
• Elder caregiving – As the world’s caregiving needs increase, the care continuum opens up to new innovations in elder caregiving, both from the public and private sectors. From home care to remote patient monitoring and from addressing functional ability to improving benefits for elder caregivers in the workplace, new approaches to caring for seniors, particularly keeping care in the home, will be essential for extending quality of life.
• Skin health – With longer lives comes aging skin, which if addressed across the life course can enhance overall quality of life and lead to healthier longevity.  If our skin must protect us for 100 years or longer, protecting our skin today should not be an afterthought; it is an imperative.

The three GCOA-affiliated symposia include:

Nestlé: Nutrition, Health and Wellness Solutions for Independence, Functional Ability and Wellness as We Grow Older
Monday, July 24, 2017 | 12:30 – 2pm
Moscone West | Room 3024
This session is an industry-supported symposium held in conjunction with IAGG’s 21st World Congress.

Achieving 21st Century Functional Ability Through More Effective Elder Caregiving
Monday, July 24, 2017 | 4 – 5:30pm
Marriott Marquis | Salon 14

The EasyCare Project: A Global Initiative for Healthy Aging Through Person-Centered Assessment and Use of Data to Inform the Development of Policy, Products, and Services
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 | 12:30 – 2pm
Moscone West | Room 3024
This session is an industry-supported symposium held in conjunction with IAGG’s 21st World Congress.

For more details about these sessions, including a list of speakers, please visit the GCOA website.

A full listing of IAGG sessions led by GCOA members follows below:

Workshop: Self-Care Technology for the Aging Population: Why We Need to Invest in Health Tech for the 60+ Consumer*
Saturday, July 22, 2017 | 2 – 6:30pm
Moscone West  | Room 2003 – 2005 *Pre-registration required

Poster: Efficacy of Skin Moisturizer with Advanced Ceramide and Filaggrin Technology in Chinese Elderly 
Sunday, July 23, 2017 | 6:30 – 8:30pm
Moscone West  | West Hall

Symposium: Expanding Perspectives on Vaccine-Preventable Disease in Older Adult Populations 
Monday, July 24, 2017 | 6:30 – 8am
Moscone West  | Room 3020

Symposium: Sleep and Wellness in Aging 
Monday, July 24, 2017 | 12:30 – 2pm
Moscone West  | Room 3020

Symposium: Nestlé: Nutrition, Health and Wellness Solutions for Independence, Functional Ability and Wellness as We Grow Older 
Monday, July 24, 2017 | 12:30 – 2pm
Moscone West  | Room 3024

Symposium: Achieving 21st Century Functional Ability Through More Effective Elder Caregiving
Monday, July 24, 2017 | 4 – 5:30pm
Marriott Marquis  | Salon 14

Symposium: Loss of Vocational Capacity in Senior Professionals 
Monday, July 24, 2017 | 6 – 7:30pm
Moscone West  | Room 3014

Symposium: The EasyCare Project: A Global Initiative for Healthy Aging Through Person-Centered Assessment and Use of Data to Inform the Development of Policy, Products, and Services
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 | 12:30 – 2pm
Moscone West  | Room 3024

Symposium: Emergent Issues in Pneumococcal Disease Among Aging Populations 
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 | 12:30 – 2pm
Moscone West  | Room 3020

Keynote: The Longevity Revolution and the Private Sector – Redefining Work, Leisure, Money, Purpose, and Success 
Wednesday, July 26, 2017 | 10 – 11am
Moscone West  | Room 2009 – 2011

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Exhibit
Ongoing
Moscone West  | Exhibit Hall, Booth #712

Pfizer Exhibit
Ongoing
Moscone West  | Exhibit Hall, Booth #601