The subtitle of this year's Conference was Cooperation. The cooperation of the organizing Department of Gerontology is diversified, but in the fields of gerontology and geriatrics, joint thinking, knowledge shareing and cooperation are essential, involving science, education and training, social and health care professionals, elderly organizations, public policy makers.
Presentations at the Conference ranged from the forthcoming National Dementia Strategy, international cooperation on ageing, the organisation of Alzheimer's Cafés, good practices of city governments, to geriatric aspects of various age-related diseases.
Dean Dr. Marianna Móré, Chair of the Scientific and Organising Committee of the Conference, emphasised that the Conference is a success story of more than 10 years (2024 is the 17th Gerontology Days), and the number of speakers at this year's International Day has already exceeded the number of speakers from Hungary, which greatly strengthens the international reputation of the organising Department of Gerontology University of Debrecen Faculty of Health Sciences, and organising partner Department of Gerontology and Dementia Studies, Faculty for Social Wellbeing University of Malta.
On the first day of the conference, researchers, educators and practitioners in gerontology (the field of ageing, and elderly) gathered at the Nyíregyháza Campus. Traditionally, this day is also an accredited scoreboard professional discussion for social and health care professionals.
Ms Mónika Kótisné Plajner, the Faculty's Social Training Officer, said that they will start to compile the accreditation material and invite speakers in January, in order to ensure high quality knowledge sharing and scoring opportunities. The conference was opened by Prof. Dr. Anita Rusinné Fedor, Associate Dean of Science, followed by a session of early accredited presentations and 7 additional sessions later on. During the day, 48 papers were presented by 64 authors. The programme was enriched by a training session of the Nyíregyháza Senior Joy Dancers. Participants were given practical information about the Gondosóra programme, and were also given nutritional advice and tastings of natural foods (Tiszaőrs pasta and cheeses, products of the Garden).
The English day of the Conference was organised in English by the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Debrecen in collaboration with the Department of Gerontology Faculty of Social Wellbeing University of Malta. In the plenary presentations, Dr Maria Aurora Fenech provided valuable insights on the truths and challenges of care decisions, while Dr Ondrej Botek provided a comparative perspective on pension reform in Slovakia. On this day, participants worked in 5 sessions. 51 presentations from 15 countries were delivered.
Details of the programme can be found on the Conference website: https://konferencia.unideb.hu/en/programme-gerontology-days-2024
Abstracts of the presentations given at the Conference can be found in the Special Issue of the Hungarian Journal of Gerontology 2024.
In autumn 2025, the Faculty of Health Sciences will once again welcome speakers and interested parties to the Gerontology Days 2025 Conference.
