Positive aging

The World Health Organisation expects that by the year 2020, the number of people aged over 60 will be greater than those aged five and under. As medicine progresses, our quality of life and life expectancy is rising and with it, humans are living longer than ever before! This does not just challenge healthcare systems worldwide, but increasingly lends relevance to the question: What does it mean to age successfully?

As part of Brain Awareness Week, Malta Café Scientifique is hosting a special event on 18 March in association with the Malta Neuroscience Network. A panel of speakers will examine a number of issues relating to the aging brain. Some of the areas that will be discussed include the ways in which mental and emotional wellbeing is influence by the ageing process and what can one learn from cultures where advanced age is valued in terms of collected wisdom, where age is an asset instead of a burden? This panel will also explore how our attitude towards growing older can help us age successfully. How can we continue to be an active and productive member of society? What are the cognitive processes of ageing?

The panel includes Karin Pilz, assistant Professor, Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Netherlands; Paul Bartolo, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, coordinator of the programme for the preparation of psychologists; Rosette Farrugia-Bonello, deputy director at the International Institute on Ageing, United Nations-Malta (INIA) and Joseph Muscat, researcher at the University of Malta conducting research as a member of the Cognitive Science Lab. The discussion will be chaired by Prof. Ian M. Thornton and Danielle Martine Farrugia.

The event will be held on Wednesday, 18 March at 7.30pm at Studio B, Spazju Kreattiv. Admittance is free but space will be limited.

For more information visit http://bit.ly/PositiveageingMCS