Chair-Elect, ERA, Swansea University
On behalf of the 2009 ERA conference organising committee
The 2009 BSG-ERA annual conference was held in Cardiff and attracted
over 40 delegates from across the UK, Europe, USA and beyond. The event
in Cardiff coincided with the 10th anniversary of the National Assembly
for Wales and was an exciting opportunity to showcase Wales’
achievements in policy developments and initiatives relevant to older
people.
The first day was held in Cardiff
Bay at the home of the National Assembly for Wales. Delegates were given
the opportunity to tour The Senedd building, which was designed by one
of the world’s leading architects Lord Richard Rogers. The Senedd
building was designed to signify great cultural significance in Wales
and reflect the country’s growing democratic maturity as well as
achieving high standards of environmental performance. The second day
was held at the historic City Hall, an Edwardian building which once
served as the centre of local Government.
First to address the conference
was Deputy Minister for Social Service, Gwenda Thomas who spoke about
the Strategy for Older People in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government is
committed to ensuring policy developments reflect the needs of an
expanding ageing society and improve the quality, quantity and
responsiveness of services for older people in Wales.
Professor Judith Phillips then addressed the
conference and spoke on ‘Innovation, Interdisciplinarity and Impact: Why
Translating Research into Policy and Practice Matters’. Here Judith
explored the various contexts of research and the challenges in bridging
the practice/ policy research gap. Following Judith, Ruth Marks gave an
overview of her responsibilities and increasing legislative powers as
the first Commissioner for Older People in Wales.
The ERA business meeting was next on the agenda and was well attended by
delegates who offered lots of ideas which generated discussion as to
how ERA could better serve and increase its membership. A number of
members volunteered their time and skills and so it is with eager
anticipation we now look forward to driving ERA forward with a committed
and engaged team.
The first day of the conference was brought to a close with a wine
reception at which delegates could interact and network with a range of
invited guests such as assembly members and various representatives of
organisations representing the interests of older people across Wales.
Delegates then had the opportunity to relax and unwind at the conference
dinner which was held at a local restaurant.
The second day of the conference commenced with
Andrea Nicholas-Jones, a leading figure in the Welsh Assembly’s Older
Person’s Long Term Care and Policy Directorate. Andrea offered a
discussion of the Strategy for Older People in Wales and shared her
thoughts and ideas on how developing closer links between research,
policy and practice will influence the ageing experiences of older
people in Wales.
The remainder of the day was devoted to the ERA
presentations apart from a session on networking delivered by Professor
Vanessa Burholt of Swansea University. This session offered delegates
the opportunity to benefit from Ness’s vast experience in National and
International collaboration as well as the chance to reflect upon how we
network and optimise our ‘impact factor’.
The emerging researchers who presented their papers
to the conference represented different academic institutions and
disciplines within the field of ageing. A range of interesting and
enlightening topics were ably delivered with each presenter being given
the opportunity to receive personal feedback from other delegates. Each
delegate was given the opportunity to provide constructive feedback to
each presenter via an evaluation form. These forms were collected by the
organisers and distributed to the presenters at the end of the
conference.
It was a particular pleasure to welcome new friends
and colleagues from overseas. Patrick Doyle, University of Maryland,
Baltimore, Amanda Sokan, University of Kentucky, USA and Finbar Markey,
Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dublin each made a special journey to
the UK to support our conference and our special thanks and appreciation
are extended to them.
Last but by no means least, the closing minutes of
the conference was given over to President-Elect of the BSG, Professor
Mim Bernard who offered ‘Ten Top Tips’ on how to translate research into
policy and practice. Mim’s interesting and insightful advice included
developing an overall communication strategy as well as knowing your
audience and when to look for support and further training.
Overall feedback suggests the conference was a
success despite some minor disappointments around the catering
arrangements of the second day! The presenters reported that the
opportunity to receive confidential and immediate feedback on their
presentations was particularly useful and will be repeated at future ERA
conferences.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who
participated and supported our conference, in particular Kelly
Fitzgerald and Paul Nash and the BSG Executive committee. We now look
forward to planning specific ERA events at BSG Bristol this year as well
as our next ERA conference. Therefore if anyone would like to volunteer
to host ERA 2010 then I would be delighted to hear from you.