Edith Cowan University, Western Australia

This year as part of a wider program of research activities whilst on exchange from Australia, I was fortunate enough to be involved in the 38th Annual Conference of the BSG held in Bristol. Before reflecting on my experience of the conference, I would first like to thank Professor Judith Phillips and colleagues at Swansea University for hosting me during my stay and especially for being so welcoming. My very special thanks also go to the ARC/NHMRC Research Network in Ageing Well, Emerging Researchers in Ageing Initiative in Australia whom without their assistance this opportunity to exchange thoughts, ideas and cultures would not have occurred.

Being my first attendance at an international conference I was apprehensive about what to expect but hoped to learn more about ageing research across the UK and also hoped to communicate my research and meet people with similar research interests to mine. Fortunately, my anxiety was soon met with relief as I realised the collegial feel of the event and my hopes fulfilled as I felt spoilt for choice on which oral paper and symposium presentations to attend. As an early career researcher it was a privilege being exposed to the variety of work shared with presenters representing different academic institutions, organisations and disciplines within the field of ageing. With six presentation streams the challenge came in deciding which to concentrate on. Given my varied interests, I made sure to attend sessions across the various streams. Witnessing the diversity of work allowed me to broaden my thoughts about my own research as I have found it is too easy to become narrow in thinking about the possible applications of research and by reviewing the content across streams I saw much potential for interdisciplinary collaborations.

Over the course of the conference there were three plenary presentations linking the key themes of the BSG conference; Culture, Diversity and Ageing. Merril Silverstein (Professor of Gerontology and Sociology, University of Southern California) spoke on ‘Grandparents East and West: the role of Social and Economic Change’, while Gloria Gutman, (Professor Emerita, Simon Fraser University) spoke about the implications for housing and urban design from the Canadian perspective and Alan Walker (Professor of Social Policy and Social Gerontology, University of Sheffield) spoke on ‘Inequality in Later Life: Causes and Solutions’. All presentations within their respective context highlighted the importance of remembering to recognise the influence of social trends (e.g. migration, work, family dynamics and economic changes) that continue to occur alongside an ageing population and how they impact on future directions in service provision and funding allocation.

A personal highlight of the plenary presentations and indeed the conference was Professor Walker’s discussion on considering socially constructed inequalities that do damage, something I also hope to bring awareness to through my own research findings exploring older adults’ experiences of ageing. Alan’s concerns paralleled my own as he argued the point of considering the importance in understanding the contextual role of social policy on people’s health. I also found Alan’s philosophy closely aligned to many of the principles of Community Psychology; the area in which I am formally trained. Of particular significance was the importance placed on examining more systemic factors or ‘fault lines’ within systems such as where policy has failed, in particular the absence of promoting more preventative approaches to health and wellbeing. The central argument being, it is not about the how and what but the will when it comes to social change. I feel this has particular relevance for Australia’s current socio-political climate which is currently contending with how to effectively support an ageing population and exploring options on how to fund the delivery of this support. I had the great pleasure of conversing with Alan about our common interests after his presentation. Opportunities like this I am finding are a key advantage to attending conferences.

As delegates we had the option to attend a series of network group meetings and I chose to attend those held by the Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA). The first meeting was directed at writing publications. This session focused on the importance of publishing and being ‘read’ for creating opportunities to influence policy and practice and foremost to communicate ideas which I found extremely encouraging and motivating. Invaluable advice was imparted by people talking about their experiences with publishing and this allowed me to learn from past successes and failures shared by members. The second ERA network meeting focussed on highlighting the benefits of having involvement in organisations such as ERA. Through my own experiences with the ERA in Australia, I have found being a part of such a group offers rich networking opportunities, and provides a supportive, friendly and constructive place to present and share research and work. As an ERA member, I hope to assist in facilitating further cross-institutional collaborations particularly between ERA groups across countries.

Throughout the conference, opportunity existed to converse with conference exhibitors including local ageing organisations and publishing companies. Having the chance to physically peruse through resources and books was extremely beneficial in gaining an overall perspective of what is taking place in the field of gerontology while also being helpful to my motivation levels’ as I now feel more connected to what is happening. I did however find this an expensive experience with a total of twelve books purchased! Of course all were essential in assisting in the writing of my PhD! (A familiar cry I hear from other PhD Candidates as we believe we have found ‘the’ book that is necessary to have in order to start or finish our theses.)

During lunch and dinner sessions network opportunities came naturally. Consequently, I have come to appreciate these as being the most important moments at a conference. I enjoyed chatting and networking with new found friends and colleagues from Japan, Canada, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. Discussions revolved around peoples own PhD journeys and other research and work related woes and successes as well as conversations comparing social policy issues surrounding our respective homelands. These conversations bring to stark awareness the connection among us brought about by a single cause; improving outcomes for older adults. Discussions also led to further visiting arrangements to various ageing centres and institutes to complement my already full and varied exchange agenda.

During lunch and dinner sessions network opportunities came naturally. Consequently, I have come to appreciate these as being the most important moments at a conference. I enjoyed chatting and networking with new found friends and colleagues from Japan, Canada, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. Discussions revolved around peoples own PhD journeys and other research and work related woes and successes as well as conversations comparing social policy issues surrounding our respective homelands. These conversations bring to stark awareness the connection among us brought about by a single cause; improving outcomes for older adults. Discussions also led to further visiting arrangements to various ageing centres and institutes to complement my already full and varied exchange agenda.