Event took place on September 28, 29 and 30 and gathered researchers from various fields
Photo: Giordano Toldo
In the past week, PUCRS’s Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IGG) held the 19th edition of the International Symposium on Geriatrics and Gerontology and the 6th edition of the Symposium of the Interdisciplinary Programs on Aging Network (REPRINTE). The goal of the event, which took place on PUCRS’s Theater on Building 40, was to establish experience exchanges with international and national lecturers with various themes on active aging, prevention and treatment of geriatric diseases, in order to age with quality of life, autonomy and independence.
The opening ceremony featured the speech of professor Luiz Gustavo Leao Fernandes, dean of graduate studies of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, who stressed PUCRS’s investment in the ecosystem of research and graduate studies for researchers and students.
“The excellence of these results is visible in the CAPES assessment, giving our Graduate Program in Biomedical Gerontology the maximum score, 7. In addition, the IGG has prominent contributed acknowledged by society, like with the Physical Activity for the Elderly Program, for example,” he said.
During the ceremony, the professor from the School of Medicine and director of IGG, Douglas Kazutoshi Sato, highlighted the pioneering of the Institute, which turns 50 this year.
“The Institute organized a scientific program on themes that impact society that are related to a healthy and pathological aging process, involving comprehensive care in complex cases, neuropsychiatric diseases, interventions both individual and of public healthcare in pursuing quality of life for the elderly,” he explained.
Yasumichi Arai, professor from Japan’s Keio University’s School of Nursing and Medical Assistance, gave the opening speech on supercentenarians and healthy aging. The lecturer presented his research and established that the best model of healthy longevity is linked to maintaining an independent and functional lifestyle throughout life, which wards off diseases like cancer and heart attacks, in addition to hereditary factors.
The event featured lectures from Japan and Portugal, reinforcing international connections for the development of research that is more assertive and connected to the reality of those who need the most support. In addition, it featured a team of Brazilian specialists renowned for their research in aging.
