The causes that prolong the lives of dozens of older adults in the Nicoya Peninsula will be known during the most prestigious meeting on geriatrics and gerontology that will take place in the city of Medellín, capital of the Department of Antioquia, Colombia.
In that place, the XVII Congress of the Colombian Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (ACGG) will be held from May 17 to 20 at the Pontifical Bolivarian University of Medellín.
Diverse topics
The geriatric agenda will cover cardiovascular and metabolic health, skin care and dermatological oncology, paradigms in pain management, mental and cognitive health, nutrition and new longevity, hearing and visual health, oral health, adequate management of gastrointestinal symptoms, prevention of respiratory diseases, kidney disease and adequate decision making, urinary incontinence and sexuality and old age.
In a talk with PeriódicoMensaje, Colombian geriatrician Robinson Cuadros explained that the Congress will bring together specialists from Latin America, Spain, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“We have more than 120 international speakers at this event, which is the ninth time we have held. There will be 80 exhibitors from Colombia that will deal with topics such as Engineering and architectural design of friendly environments for the elderly and others related to public policies in this field”, highlighted Cuadros, who was appointed as President-Elect of the Latin American and Caribbean Committee of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
In the field of gerontology, the Congress will address aspects related to: challenges in public policies on aging and old age, implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons, national surveys on old age, gerontological psychology, nursing and healthy aging, joint work with non-governmental organizations and public-private alliances
From Costa Rica to the world
The case of Costa Rica will be presented by Jorge Vindas, President of the Nicoya Zona Azul Peninsula Association, who will present the work carried out by this organization that was born into legal life since 2017, but has carried out initiatives in favor of this population since 2007.
“The organizers of the Congress learned about the projects that we carried out in Costa Rica and were pleasantly surprised, for this reason, they invited us to be part of an event that is extremely prestigious throughout Latin America due to the quality of the exhibitors that arrive,” he said. Vindas.
According to the latest figures recorded by the Association, there are currently 110 adults over the age of 99 living in the cantons of Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Carrillo, Nandayure and Hojancha, and of that last figure, 61 are over 100 years of age.
In addition, the President of the Association, the nutritionist, Laura Vindas, will give a talk in Medellín entitled “The path to longevity. The case of the blue zones” that will focus on eating patterns, especially in the case of the Nicoya Peninsula.The nutrition professional indicated that she will address the issue of dietary diversity in the cantons of Guanacaste.
