In November, INIA organized a Gerontology and Geriatrics Training Week in Malta, supported by the EMCS Academy and conducted in collaboration with The Imperial. The program, inaugurated by Hon. Dr. Jo Etienne Abela, Minister for Active Ageing, Malta, featured addresses from Rosette Farrugia-Bonello, INIA’s Deputy Director, and Dr. Sarah Cassar, Managing Director of St. George’s Care.

With participation from six international experts in aging, the programme was tailored for professionals actively engaged with older individuals across diverse disciplines. The sessions covered various crucial topics, including:

1. “Resilience in the Health and Long-term Care Workforce: Challenges and Possibilities” presented by Ramon Muscat (Director, EMSC Academy) and Francesca Camenzuli (Executive EMSC Academy).

2. “Population Ageing: Challenges, Opportunities, and Responses” delivered by Dr. Alexandre Sidorenko, INIA’s Senior Advisor on Policy and Training, and Senior Advisor at the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research (Vienna, Austria).

3. “Fear, Taxidermy & Witches: Female Ageing in Roald Dahl’s ‘The Landlady'” by Dr. Ieva Stončikaitė, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Humanities at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and a member of the research group GREILI (UPF) and CELCA-Dedal-Lit at the University of Lleida.

4. “Deconstructing Frailty: A Measure of Vulnerability” presented by Dr. Roberta Vella Azzopardi, Geriatritian and Gerontologist, Medical Information and Safety Information Specialist at IQVIA.

5. “Gut Health and Diseases in Older People” by Dr. Erik Andersson, Medical Doctor and resident in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Örebro University Hospital, Sweden, and a PhD student at the School of Medical Sciences at Örebro University.

6. “The Philosophy of The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Implications for Activity Coordinators in Care Homes for Older Persons” discussed by Dr. Hany Hachem, Doctor in Philosophy of Education specializing in older adult education, who serves as a Research Assistant in the Department of Education at Örebro University, Sweden, and is the Coordinator of the Forskarskolan i tillämpad utbildningshistoria (PEDASK) graduate school.