At the beginning of October (October 3-4) an international scientific-practical symposium “Physical Activity against Early Aging and Noncommunicable Diseases”, funded by the Research Council of Lithuania, was held at Lithuanian Sports University for two days. The symposium was a sequel of an international symposium “The 3-Dimensional Effect of Physical Activity in Old Age – Physical, Mental and Emotional”, which took place at LSU on November 12-13, 2015, and a scientific symposium “Climbing the Ladder of Life, Active and Fit”, which took place on October 5-7, 2017. Co-organizer was the ”International Network of Sport and Health Science”.
All these conferences are conducted in collaboration with the European Group of Research into Elderly and Physical Activity – EGREPA.
The subject of this year’s scientific-practical symposium was also related to scientific discoveries, which consider physical activity not only as a preventive measure against chronic noncommunicable diseases, but also as a remedy. Symposium reports and scientific discussions were related to the objectives of the Lithuanian National Public Healthcare Development Programme for 2016-2023: to promote physical activity of the elderly in order to improve their quality of life and increase their social inclusion and participation in the labour market; to support healthy aging, promote active participation of the elderly in the activities, foster social relationships, develop health education and prevent health problems and disability at an early age, as well as health inequalities related to social, economic and environmental determinants.
At the symposium, plenary presentations were made by Prof. Yael Netz (Israel), Anita Hökelmann (Germany), Prof. Oron Levin (Belgium), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Joanna Borowiec (Poland), Dr. Alena Skotáková (Czech Republic). A lot of attention was given to the presentation “Exercise is Medicine” delivered by Prof. Albertas Skurvydas.
Students and practitioners were particularly interested in practical activities. Prof. Anita Hökelmann has a lot of experience working with the elderly. She runs the Seniors Dance Club in Magdeburg, which has over a hundred members. The professor demonstrated a combination of music and exercise designed to improve cognitive function. Fascinating African-American dance combinations were presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Joanna Borowiec. Dr. Alena Skotáková demonstrated modern dance compositions.
The symposium was attended by more than 200 participants from Lithuania and abroad.
