International Seminar On Aging

The Department of Learning, Research and Innovation of APAE SÃO PAULO will hold, between 19 and 20 September, the I International Seminar on Aging of People with Intellectual Disabilities. The event is sponsored by Klabin SA - Brazil's; Coca-Cola FEMSA, American Airlines and Gol Linhas Aéreas, has the support of São Paulo State Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SBGG), Federação das APAES do Estado de São Paulo (FEAPAES-SP), and aims to propose discussions and exchange experiences to create solutions that contribute to the care of people with intellectual disabilities in the aging process.

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2010) indicates that the  population aged 60 or older in the country should double by 2050 and will reach the mark of 74.6 million people. The Census also indicates that around 45 million people have some kind of disability in Brazil. Among individuals with intellectual disabilities, it is estimated that there are 2.6 million people, with 537 thousand over 60.

"With the advancement of biomedicine and social assistance actions, such as social inclusion, people with intellectual disabilities are increasingly long-lived, which shows a break in the paradigm regarding life expectancy. Thus, there is a need to increase the demand for care and the training of people who are willing to accompany older people for a longer time, resulting from significant changes in family structure, such as: decrease in family composition due to the fall expressive fertility rates, which reduces family care potential; and significant insertion of women in the labor market, and in the past was the main responsible for the care of the whole family. These two scenarios have a direct impact on the future of care delivery", explains Leila Castro, aging specialist from the Learning, Research and Innovation area of APAE DE SÃO PAULO.

Data from the multicenter Health, Welfare and Aging (SABE) study, conducted in the city of São Paulo and published in 2005 in the Brazilian Journal of Epidemiology, indicate that most of the current population aged 60 years already demonstrates significant levels of weaknesses in their life conditions and health, which reinforces the need for continuous and long-term care. Currently, however, families are unable to meet more than 50% of the demands associated with this care. In addition, the state does not yet have public policies that guarantee such support. In developed countries, such as the United States, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, public policies aimed at providing long-term care and social support to the elderly are based on a set of shared responsibilities between state, family and society.

"The seminar is an opportunity to stimulate discussions about alternatives that consider the challenge of aging with intellectual disabilities, focusing on the heterogeneity of aging processes and the different types of support needed to meet the demands of this population", says Dr. Laura Guilhoto, scientific consultant from the Learning, Research and Innovation area of APAE DE SÃO PAULO.

350 people are expected to attend the event, including public policy managers, university specialists, scientific research institutes and educational institutions, doctors, physiotherapists, speech therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers and caregivers.