Living longer is one of the strongest wishes of humans and extending lifespan one of the most remarkable achievements of mankind. Despite wishes for longevity, concerns about getting older are widespread as aging still means more years living in poor health.
Our project faces the challenge of aging process in Sri Lanka – one of the fastest aging countries in South Asia. Expanding number of age-related health disorders requires a qualified health care (HC) workforce. Therefore, our enthusiastic team combines ideas and efforts to develop sustainable innovation capacity for modernizing higher and professional HC education in Healthy Aging and Geriatrics (HA&G) in Sri Lanka. We wish to enhance professional competencies of HC providers working with the elderly through a coordinated interdisciplinary approach, in line with EU standards, national health priorities and in collaboration with academics, HC professionals, students, clients, researchers and (non)governmental organizations.
We will enrich the academic and professional education in different HC settings with innovative HA&G contents; we will develop an educational and scientific network on aging; we will promote research and internationalization in academic staff and students; we will raise awareness on active aging among older citizens. Through improved knowledge and academic excellence we hope to promote a longer healthy life in the country.
