Gerontology International Synthesis Meeting 2007 in Okinawa

About Meeting

Gerontology?

Aim

Report

Live transmission

Cecking of Venue
(2nd-3rd,March)

Listening to Radio
(2nd-3rd,March)

Entry

How to Enter

Accommodation

Language

Japanese

Object

Gerontology is a systematic study concerning aging. In order to understand complexity of aging, and to predict and prepare for the influence of aged society, interdisciplinary research is being done in various areas of specialization. We extend our message to the world from Okinawa, a land of high longevity rate, including the idea of normalization, that through gerontology, elderly people might have a motivated life, and that each individual might live well from birth to death enhancing quality of life and creating beautiful aging in our country, where we will experience the world's first aging society with fewer children. In addition, as its result, we are viewing the reduction of healthcare costs, and economic effect that can make elderly people become consumers.
Gerontology is considered not only as an interdisciplinary research, but also as an international and interprofessional learning. But in collage education, business network, which is an interprofessional learning, is not well enhanced at this moment. Therefore, what is expected of Japan and the world down the road is to practice Collaborative Learning of applied Gerontology.
What makes that possible is the cafeteria curriculum, which consists of curriculums necessary for each individual. Through implementing the cafeteria curriculum, we can develop human resources that can determine personalized style service and act based on the determination. In order to do so, we must make universal approach, setting our viewpoint on global and universal environment.
Okinawa is attracting worldwide attention as a land of longevity. "Yuimaaru" is a good example that shows the strong family and ancestral bond. Okinawa is a sort of a treasury of practicing Gerontology, which makes it very meaningful to hold Gerontology International Synthesis Meeting in such a place.
In this meeting, Gerontology will be expressed from its three different aspects; "learning","art" and "sports". We are pleased to serve that gerontology would be understood more fully. We will also make an effort to absorb the culture and custom of the venue, Okinawa, into the world's Gerontology research, gather the contents of this meeting as a written declaration, and extend our message to the world of what role Gerontology will play.

The DaVinci Kigatsuku Project

As understood by
Edward F. Ansello, Ph.D.
Virginia Center on Aging
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia (USA) 23298-0229
eansello@vcu.edu

Ultimate Objectives:

Improving "ways of knowing" human aging.

Redefining gerontology by re-imagining aging.

Pathway to the Objectives:

Develop a multidisciplinary curriculum with broad, international applications.

Apply this curriculum in a conference in Okinawa, home of some of the world's oldest humans, people who have aged in a style or manner that is exceptional.

Curriculum Overview:

The curriculum is about establishing values that will stay with the learner for the learner's whole life.

The curriculum redefines gerontology (the study of aging), by adding to the five senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting) a sixth sense that's roughly the spiritual sense.

Curriculum objective is to improve the quality of life.

Focus is upon the inner core of human aging.

Curriculum can stand and be acceptable in any culture.

Curriculum Values:
Content is interdisciplinary, person-oriented, universal, and emphasizes interdependence or assisted autonomy.

Curriculum Processes:
We redefine gerontology through education of the heart, changing the concept and experience of aging, what it means to be old or to interact with others who are old.
Kigatsuku, in Japanese, refers to the emotional-heart centered way of knowing, a kind of emotional intelligence.

Conference Facilitators:
Each facilitator will seek ways to answers the questions: How can we help the person to get a better sense of his or her emotional intelligence (Kigatsuku) about aging? How can we facilitate the education of the heart? To help this process, older Okinawans will be fully integrated into conferences sessions.

Conference Aims:
To create an appreciation of the unique opportunity before us, as the script for human aging is still being written.
Growing old is a recent gift for the average person: in the last 5,000 years, there have been some 250-300 human generations, of which there have been only 4-5 generations with an average life expectancy above 60 years, only 3-4 with the prospect of retirement for the average person, and only 2-3 with the prospect of retirement with good health.
To reawaken an awareness of the value and meaning of human aging, that is, all human aging, irrespective of abilities or disabilities.

To celebrate growing old as an achievement and aging as a time of potential.

Conference Opening:
We begin with an explanation and exploration of how to think like Leonardo DaVinci, an extraordinary artist, thinker, and inventor; how to be open to receive, to reflect, to go beyond a single discipline or perspective.
DaVinci employed a S-O-U-L approach: See (notice), Observe (examine the intricacies), Understand (thoroughly, intellectually, emotionally, etc.), and Learn (assimilate, changing oneself and one's interactions with others). This approach is akin to the spiritual guide "Be still and know," opening one's awareness to something beyond the self. In this case, we are applying the message to a way of knowing more about one's own aging or that of others.
Conference Format:
After the plenary opening session, the conference sessions are organized along a 4x3 matrix of four Focal Points and three Universal Vectors:

Focal Points: Person, Family, Community, Society

Vectors: Education, Business, Information Technology

Each of the 12 sessions addresses how a vector affects a focal point with respect to achieving the potential in aging.
For example, a session with a Focal Point on the Individual might examine topics such as self-health, lifelong learning, productivity, and spirituality; and might examine how each of the three Vectors affects these.

Conference Products:
We wish to employ a "leave a trace" philosophy, touching others who, in turn, will share their expanded awareness and redefinition of gerontology. We hope to encourage others to be messengers. We intend to produce tapes/recordings of conversations at the conference sessions.

5 December 06

Report

We are planning to distribute the report of all contents of lecture, statements in Breakout Sessions, and the declaration to all over the nation. It is to fulfill our responsibility to extend the purpose and accomplishment of this meeting to many people and to the next generation.

Main Distribution:
Autonomous communities and libraries of prefectural and city governments throughout the country, and libraries of universities and high schools, and Gerontological Research Institutions.