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Message: [QUOTE="Queen, post: 84920, member: 27"] Nigeria is aging fast, but care, training, and respect for older people are lagging badly, and a room full of experts just said the quiet part out loud. Why the concern surfaced now [LIST] [*]Stakeholders from medicine, academia, and traditional leadership gathered to talk about aging. [*]The mood was less academic theory and more, we are unprepared, full stop. [*]Absence of structured geriatric care was treated as a national blind spot. [/LIST] Where the conversation happened [LIST] [*]The discussion took place in Ibadan. [*]The event was organized by the University of Third Age Nigeria. [*]The theme focused on making gerontology a real academic discipline in Africa. [/LIST] Who showed up and why it mattered [LIST] [*]Lekan Alabi attended as a traditional voice. [*]Academic weight came from Francois Vellas and Sidicd Camara. [*]Leadership presence was anchored by Afolabi Israel. [/LIST] The healthcare reality check [LIST] [*]Dr. Olamiji Ajanaku painted a blunt picture of neglect. [*]Geriatric centers were described as too few for Nigeria’s aging population. [*]Facilities, training, and institutional focus were all flagged as missing. [/LIST] How older people are being framed [LIST] [*]Elders were described as ignored after years of contribution. [*]Youth attitudes were called out as dismissive and short-sighted. [*]Older citizens were framed as living libraries, not expired relevance. [/LIST] The academic gap is being called out [LIST] [*]Gerontology and geriatric care were said to be largely absent from curricula. [*]Teaching aging-related care was framed as just as essential as Nursing or Medicine. [*]Lack of trained caregivers was tied directly to the elderly suffering. [/LIST] A psychological perspective [LIST] [*]Oluwafemi Esan pushed back on the idea that age equals irrelevance. [*]Older people were described as custodians of historical knowledge. [*]Losing access to that wisdom was framed as a social loss, not just personal. [/LIST] What stakeholders want next [LIST] [*]Gerontology is to be introduced as a distinct course of study. [*]Formal training pathways for geriatric care professionals. [*]A mindset shift that treats aging as a phase deserving structure and dignity. [/LIST] The underlying message [LIST] [*]Nigeria is aging whether policy catches up or not. [*]Ignoring older people was framed as both a moral and a practical failure. [*]Education was positioned as the fastest lever to change outcomes. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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