Celaya, Gto., June 3, 2019. As part of the activities of the VI Geronto-Geriatric Dissemination Forum 2019 that took place at the Celaya-Salvatierra Campus, the panel "Active Aging: A Look from Interdisciplinarity" was developed, with the participation of Dr. Eloy Maya Pérez, Dr. María de Jesús Jiménez González and Dr. Alejandra Alicia Silva Moreno, who addressed the issue of old age from the psychological perspectives of physical therapy and rehabilitation and nursing.

The development of the panel, moderated by Dr. Norma Elvira Moreno Pérez, allowed to contrast the approach of aging from these disciplines belonging to the area of health sciences that are taught on the Campus, and land them in a conceptual framework that seeks promote social, economic, cultural, spiritual and civic development during the aging process.

Other recurring topics in the conversation were the strategies used in the classroom to link students to topics related to the care of the elderly, as well as with institutions and organizations that promote their rights and development.

A key point was presented when discussing the challenges of promoting aging from their respective areas. For the Nursing area it is observed that many graduates prefer not to continue to train in the care of elderly patients, since it causes them anxiety and sadness. For their part, the areas of Psychology and Physical Therapy place greater emphasis on changing needs in care as age progresses.

Finally, the assistant students were urged to raise awareness of the needs of older people, and clarification was made that the active aging process takes place from an early age.

For this reason, the panelists were asked to mention concrete activities for an optimal ageing process. The recommended actions were constant cognitive stimulation, performing stretches, exercising, listening to music and taking care of food.

The concept of "active ageing" was proposed in 2002 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and defines it as "the process of optimizing health, participation and safety opportunities in order to improve the quality of life as people are getting older." It is also noted that Active Ageing is part of three fundamental pillars: health, participation and safety.