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Student Section

International Student Network on Ageing and Health

Population ageing worldwide has become an important issue that requires urgent action. Future healthcare professionals need the appropriate knowledge and skills to ensure that older people of today and tomorrow, living in the community or in care centers, in good health or frail, can look forward to improvements in management of their health-care in the years to come. Virtually every medical specialty - as well as other health related professions - are faced with patient populations that become older every day. Students should therefore know how to make relevant decisions and possess an appropriate attitude in caring for older people, and thus deliver them a competent, respectful and compassionate care.

It is with this vision that the International Student Network on Ageing and Health, ISNAH, was born in August 2000. This initiative began with a group of students who participated in the "International Conference on Ageing and Health" organized jointly in Porto, Portugal, by the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA, www.ifmsa.org) and the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF, www.ipsf.org), in cooperation with the World Health Organization, Ageing and Life Course Program (www.who.int/ageing). This network involves students, professionals and educators interested in working in the field of ageing and health who have helped organize, attended, or participated in a project on ageing.

ISNAH activities are divided into three major components:

Information Dissemination:  ISNAH aims at promoting awareness of future health care professionals about the challenges of an ageing population and the special needs of older people. This occurs though the network web page (http://ageingnet.tripod.com) and mailing list, publications (Medical Students' International on "Ageing and Health") and by organizing training seminars and workshops on an international, regional and local level. Information also includes issues related to ageing and development, older people and human rights, gender perspective, ethics and end of life issues.

Community and Research Projects: In several countries around the world, students are involved in grass-root projects on primary health care and promotion of active ageing on a volunteer basis. These projects stimulate an intergenerational exchange that helps to bridge the gap between generations. For example in South Africa and Croatia medical students visit older people in rural areas and provide health check-ups, whereas in Denmark students go out with older people for social and cultural activities such as visiting museums, having a cup of tea together, and going to the cinema.

Curriculum Development: Geriatrics and ageing related issues should be included in medical education and other health associated education programs. Students can play a key role to lobby for a change in their curricula. An informative and advocacy tool for medical students has been created by the WHO and IFMSA: a study aiming at surveying the "Teaching of Geriatrics in Medical Education" - the "TeGeME" study.

ISNAH is just one example on how students can act for the promotion of ageing and gerontology, at a community, faculty and political level. The cost effectiveness and a high grade of motivation make students good partners in the attempt to achieve better healthcare and social policies for older people worldwide.

For Further information

Contact

Manuela Moraru
IFMSA Focal Point on Ageing
E-mail: manuelamoraru@yahoo.com 

International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
c/o WMA
B.P. 63
01212 Ferney-Voltaire CEDEX
France
Tel.: +33 450 40 47 59
Fax: +33 450 40 59 37
E-mail: gs@ifmsa.org