Global Demographic Shift Leads to International Discussion

Socio-Medical Issues in Aging

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla.– January 15, 2014 –

This may be the end of the world as we know it.

By 2017, it is expected that adults older than 65 will outnumber children younger than 5 for the first time in recorded human history, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Many factors, including improvements in health care and declining fertility are expected to cause this paradigm shift, and it is essential that the global community comes together to address the many issues that will result from this demographic change.

“Everything from health care to economics will be impacted and we need to prepare before it is too late,” said  Cecilia Rokusek, Ed.D., R.D., professor and assistant dean of education, planning and research at the Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM) “In the United States, we will have more and more seniors eligible for Social Security and Medicare benefits and fewer people contributing to fund these programs. It’s simple math. This is a tsunami of sorts that we have not discussed from a national and global perspective. The impact will be profound for many years to come.”

In order to address important issues related to this population shift, NSU-COM’s Geriatrics Education Center is hosting the Socio-Medical Issues in Aging Conference on Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 at NSU’s Lifelong Learning Institute located at 3424 S. University Dr., Davie, FL 33328.

The conference will include seminars related to the physical, mental, and public health of the aging population led by experts from around the world, including the United States, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Areas of focus include seminars related to specific populations, such as the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), black, and Hispanic communities, as well as illnesses like Alzheimer’s and dementia that are prevalent among the elderly. Other seminars will address senior living facilities, art therapy, hospice care, and compulsive hoarding.

Anyone who has a vested interest in the senior population, including health care professionals, government officials, students, educators, and business owners are invited to attend. NSU students receive complimentary admission with advance registration.

For more information, including costs and registration details, please visit http://www.nova.edu/gec/igs14.

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About NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine:  The mission of the College of Osteopathic Medicine is to provide learner-centered education, both nationally and internationally, for osteopathic medical students, postgraduate trainees, and other professionals. Through its interprofessional programs, the college prepares competent and compassionate lifelong learners; supports research, scholarly activity, and community service; and advocates for the health and welfare of diverse populations, including the medically underserved. For more information, visit http://medicine.nova.edu/.

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with 27,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!

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