PRAYER
As life declines and forces abandon me, teach me Lord how to get old.

Let me not become a Pathetic old fool who does not want to accept old age without regrets or hard feelings, or who is full of pretensions and wants to cling to life as if he were still a young man,

A Pathetic old man who is not ready to accept to leave this life as it is ordained by nature and God that when our mental capacities are at their greatest our bodies begin to fall apart, and no amount of doctoring or body lifting can keep us glued together.

Help us too O Lord neither to become Bitter Old Fools - like those who are always grumbling of the good old days and who are bitter when looking at the present time and are jealous of people who are taking their places and power in the world. Let me not cling to my little or big power and never be able to let go when the time comes to relinquish posts and positions with grace and dignity.

Teach me instead to become a Holy Old Fool - embracing life at the end of my human existence, so tiny and so short, to leave this life on tip toe, without noise, but with a smile on my lips and in my heart with gratitude for the gift of life that I still want to enjoy to the full. Teach me to accept and bear with calm and patience the limitations which the years passing have caused in me, so that they will not become a burden to others and when that is not possible to be grateful for each help that is offered to me, for each attention bestowed on me, never to believe having been ignored or when that really happens, because of human fragility, to dissimulate it with a smile of one who believes to have received more than he deserves.

And when sickness, the harbinger of death come, it will really be your gift if I recognize your voice to accept it with grace, like an announcement of my passing to another edge where you are waiting to receive me with open arms.

Help us Lord, these coming days of the 7th. Conference of IAHSA being held here in Malta to come to know more of each other and to work together in order find ways of helping the aging community have a better quality life for the rest of their life. Amen.

The Madrid Plan of Action, adopted by the Second United Nations World Assembly on Ageing in 2002, put forward recommendations within three priority directions: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environment. These priority directions are designed to guide policy formulation and implementation towards the goal of successful adjustment to an ageing world. This session will focus on care issues for older persons, as one of the most important dimensions of policy action aimed at ensuring that its older members can lead their lives in security and dignity.

Dr. Alexandre Sidorenko first joined the United Nations Secretariat in 1988, and has been the Chief of the United Nations Programme on Ageing and the UN Focal Point on Ageing. Dr. Sidorenko's major responsibilities at the U.N. have included coordination of the 1999 International Year of Older Persons, the substantive preparations for and follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, along with the development of evidence based policy on ageing.

While our world is experiencing ever-increasing growth of its ageing populations, it is also experiencing as dramatic a change in the ethnic diversification and mixing of these populations. The globe's rich array of race and ethnic minorities poses significant challenges for older consumers in accessing quality care and senior housing, as well as for providers to create relevant services. This session will begin with a discussion on health and social care issues from both consumer and provider points of view, followed by a focus on housing related issues amidst this changing multicultural and diverse marketplace.

Professor Naina Patel is founder and director of the Policy Research Institute on Ageing & Ethnicity (PRIAE), an independent charity working in the United Kingdom and across Europe since 1998, focusing on income, benefits, employment, health, social care, housing, quality of life and citizenship, through policy research, training and services. Besides directing PRIAE's 10-country Minority Elderly Care research project, Ms. Patel is Professor of Ageing and Ethnicity at the Centre for Ethnicity and Health at the University of Central Lancashire.

Tuesday Plenary Video

Getting Along: Words of Encouragement
by Sondra Thiederman
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Many elders will live independently despite physical and cognitive declines, especially as new technologies give elders more options for where and how to live. But how do we build technologies that reflect the diverse needs and preferences of older consumers, especially across international borders? To design and deliver more appropriate products and services, we needs a deep understanding of older consumers' everyday lives, technology experiences, values, and preferences. In this session we will hear about how Intel Corporation uses anthropological fieldwork and ethnography to understand these needs from findings from their recent nine-country international study.

Mr. Eric Dishman is the General Manager and Global Director of the Intel Corporation's Health Research & Innovation Group and is responsible for new business development, research, and corporate strategy for healthcare technologies across the continuum of care. In partnership with the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Mr. Dishman founded and serves as the National Chair of the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST), a cross-industry working group that is driving technology research and development.

Mr. Majd Alwan is is the Director of AAHSA's Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST), in Washington, DC, USA and former Director of Robotics and Eldercare Technologies Program, at the University of Virginia.

Too often, organizations go through the motions of satisfaction surveys without understanding their relationship to continuous quality improvement initiatives. Leaders must weave quality assurance into the fabric of their organization by defining standards, measuring performance, communicating results, and following up. Beginning with a CEO commitment, plans must be put together to change culture and create engaged employees - including workers self-monitoring their own performance, behavior, and work quality - who can also create engaged residents and increase satisfaction. This interactive, humor-packed, closing session will change how you look at resident satisfaction and provide you with the tools for lasting change.

Mr. Clint Maun is internationally recognized for his innovative leadership in healthcare research, consulting, and speaking. As co-founder of Maun-Lemke, Mr. Maun has over 38 years experience in healthcare management, leadership, quality enhancement and self-development programs and concentrates on innovative ideas and techniques to improve the "people business" of the health and aged care professions. Mr. Maun's acclaimed leadership processes, have been successfully implemented in small and multi-facility businesses, while his visions, ideas, techniques and concepts are currently at work in thousands of organizations.