The BSG was well represented at the 6th European Congress of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) held 5-8 July this year in St Petersburg. Its title was Health and Active Ageing for all Europeans. For those unfamiliar with the set up, there are three sections:
- social and behavioural
- bio-medical
- clinical
Although people tend to stick to their own
discipline for attending papers, one of the great bonuses of having
everything on one site, is that it’s possible to ‘pick and mix’
according to individual interest. Mind you, the programme of abstracts
takes some getting through to find out what is going on where.
The conference was held in the huge Pribaltiyskaya Hotel which was a
former ‘Intourist’ hotel which has been refurbished and is right on the
coast of the Bay of Finland. The weather was glorious and with the
benefit of the Russian ‘White Nights’, when the sun doesn’t set until
about 11.30 pm in July, it was possible to walk along the strand (not
really a beach there) until late and sit – usually with an overpriced
beer, and watch the St Peterburgers at play.
The conference was well organised and there was always someone on
hand to help and direct etc, but of course there were the usual hitches
with technology and long queues for coffee. Nevertheless, the system
worked pretty well. I was unable to attend many presentations, because
during the conference there were numerous Council meetings of the IAGG.
The Association is dominated by geriatricians and so the voice of social
scientists is somewhat weak in the main Council, so it is very
important to attend. We have one vote on the Council, but will have two
once our membership numbers exceed 500, and this is one reason we wish
to increase the membership. The next IAGG meeting is Paris 2009 and it
would be just marvellous if we could have a greater say in the running
of the Association.
One major decision made was that the 2011 meeting
will take place in Bologna, Italy. Some of you may know that I had
tried to get a British Council on Ageing (BCA) bid together with EXcEL
in Docklands and Visit London, but a collective decision was made that
it would be too risky financially, especially for the two smaller
societies, BSG and BSRA. However, I was approached several times during
the conference and told that everyone was disappointed that it wouldn’t
be held in London. Still, Bologna looks a fabulous venue, and will be a
whole lot easier to get to than St Petersburg – the visa application
process and cost of flights did put many people off attending.
Fortunately for us, Judith Phillips did attend,
and is the Secretary of the Social Section and during our Section
meeting we identified some really interesting themes we wish to take
forward in Paris. With the new EuroStar, this venue too will be easily
accessible and I hope many more members will attend. It was good to see
so many colleagues from all over Europe and many acquaintanceships were
made and renewed. After all, one major function of conferences is to
network.
Where the Russians did score very highly was in the social event
department. We were taken to the most stunning palaces and museums and
were treated to an evening sight seeing trip which whetted the appetite
for more visits. The hotel was about half an hour’s drive from the
centre. Some intrepid travellers used the Metro and others had
interesting negotiations with taxi drivers, like the beer, it’s
different rates for ‘Westerners’.
ttached are some photos of people at the conference, during sessions,
visits and socialising as well as some sight seeing shots. St Petersburg
could become a life hobby, there is so much to see and so much to do, I
can fully recommend a visit!