AARP, Vatican Launch Pioneering Summit on Global Aging and Brain Health

During the symposium, neurosurgeons, neuroscientists, academics, diplomats, NGOs and nonprofit leaders attended talks led by members from the United Nations, World Health Organization, Human Rights Watch and the Alzheimer’s Association. Sessions touched on a wide variety of topics, including how best to support the family caregivers of the 55 million people worldwide with dementia and presentations from neurologists on how to improve and preserve brain health.

Representatives from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the U.N. considered ageism around the world and ways to uphold the legal rights and dignity of older adults. The final session, featuring AARP Chief Public Policy Officer Debra Whitman, focused on the “silver economy” and opportunities this presents for countries.

Inspiring moments

One moment that stood out for Minter-Jordan is when Archbishop Paglia, 80, sketched out the stages of people’s lives: In the first 30 years people often focus on education; in the next 30 years, many focus on career; but the last 30 years are often overlooked. “It really inspired all of us to think ‘How do we ensure that we are looking at aging as a way of developing our passion and finding new phases in our life to be excited about?’ ” Minter-Jordan said.

Being in the ancient city of Rome, particularly as the 267th pope was elected on May 8, “There’s this sense of history, this sense of resiliency that’s in the city, and a sense of beauty,” she said. “It reminds us all of what it means to age, and what it what it means to age gracefully and with dignity.”

In her speech, Minter-Jordan provided examples of how to address two urgent priorities — brain health and family caregiving. AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health was created to disseminate important information gleaned by top scientists about dementia treatment and prevention. At the same time, AARP has spent years working to pass state and federal laws to strengthen support for family caregivers, who supply $600 billion of unpaid labor every year in the United States alone. 

Experts are still learning about how things like lack of education, where people live, and what they eat can affect brain health. “One of the exciting discoveries that we’ve talked about is how much we can have an impact on brain health if we were to continue to focus on these determinants,” Minter-Jordan said.

New ideas for paying family caregivers were also floated at the conference. “We’re trying to find solutions that not only work within the U.S. but also could work globally and bring more dollars into the household,” said Minter-Jordan.

Committed to sharing solutions

But Minter-Jordan said the event with the Vatican goes beyond an exchange of ideas. “This symposium is about more than sharing information — it’s about building shared solutions,” she said. “Together, we are developing new frameworks to age with dignity and purpose, informed by science, ethics and humanity.” 

Ultimately, issues around aging will affect everyone, just as the solutions will benefit all. “By planning and through partnerships, we can turn global aging into a global opportunity,” said Lina Walker, senior vice president of Global Thought Leadership at AARP.

At the end of the conference, AARP’s Minter-Jordan and Archbishop Paglia, representing the Vatican, signed the declaration pledging to promote research and policy on brain health, combat age discrimination and support actions to enable people to live longer, healthier lives. 

AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan speaks with Alfred K. Njamnshi, founder and executive director of Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN).

Pier Costantini

Advocating for the right to age with dignity on a global scale has been a long-term initiative for AARP. AARP has had a representative at the United Nations for 40 years, and AARP policy leaders have been attending conferences like the G8, the World Dementia Council and the World Economic Forum to discuss brain health and longevity for decades.

“Part of AARP’s mission is to have your health span match your lifespan,” said Sarah Lenz Lock, executive director of the Global Council on Brain Health, which analyzes the latest brain research from around the world and translates its findings into easy-to-understand recommendations. “This conference, and others like it, allow us to share ideas and learn how other countries have tackled issues around aging.”

Going forward, AARP is committed to continued collaboration and learning, Minter-Jordan said. “There are opportunities for us to learn from global leaders to bring those solutions back to the U.S., and opportunities for us to be able to talk about what has been successful in the U.S. as well,” she said. “We want to continue this momentum that we’ve created through this conference, and we want to continue in partnership with many of the global leaders that are here.”