The UniversIDADE Program, from Unicamp, is promoting the “Senior Citizens Week” until next Saturday (3). On the agenda, activities focused on health, well-being and quality of life. The event is held in partnership with the Extension Directorate (DExt), linked to the Pro-Rectorate for Extension, Sport and Culture (ProEEC). The official opening took place on the morning of this Thursday (1), in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM), and was attended by the rector Paulo Cesar Montagner; the teaching advisor of ProEEC, Rubens Bedrikow, representing the pro-rector Sylvia Helena Furegatti; the adjunct coordinator of the Extension Directorate, Adriana Garcia Leme; and the coordinator of UniversIDADE, Erika Marocco Duran. On the same date, the International Day of Older Persons is celebrated.
One of the activities carried out was the “Seminar on Longevity and Quality of Life: Paths to Active Aging”. The meeting brought together experts to discuss the theme “Living Longer and Better”. Participants included Professor Meire Cachioni, with the lecture “Healthy Aging”; journalist Natália Dornellas, who presented the “Pro-Aging Manual”; and Professor Thaís Bento Lima e Silva, with the theme “Longevity: healthy aging”.
Created to offer educational, cultural, sporting, leisure, and social activities to people aged 50 and over, the UniversIDADE Program seeks to encourage social participation and lifelong learning, contributing to active aging and quality of life.
“Aging should not be understood solely as a biological process. It is also a social, cultural, emotional, and civic experience that involves health, autonomy, participation, learning, human relationships, access to culture, physical activity, and new projects. We need to think about a society prepared not only for people to live longer, but so that they can live with autonomy, dignity, security, and purpose. This discussion concerns all generations because aging begins long before old age,” stated the rector.
“As a public university, we have responsibilities that go beyond the production of scientific knowledge and the training of professionals. We are committed to ensuring that the knowledge produced here contributes to improving people's lives and the planet. That is what I see in the UniversIDADE Program: a space for learning, coexistence, and exchange of experiences that reaffirms that education does not end with youth. When we share knowledge, those who teach do not cease to possess it, and those who learn gain access to it. While goods are consumed, culture expands infinitely among us. It is this capacity to teach, learn, and grow together that is at the heart of the program,” added Montagner.
The faculty advisor from ProEEC also noted that the event values one of Unicamp's most important activities, fostering a dialogue with society that allows for understanding demands, knowledge, and experiences, as well as guiding research and the training of young people. “The UniversIDADE Program values the knowledge and experience accumulated throughout life. In a rapidly aging society facing issues such as loneliness, for example, the program contributes by creating spaces for interaction, learning, and the exchange of experiences. With activities open to the community and strong public participation, it brings together different generations in actions related to art, culture, health, and mental health,” stated Bedrikow.
Walk
The program ends on Saturday (3), with the “9th UniversIDADE Program Walk”. The meeting will be at 8:30 am, in front of the program headquarters – Rua da Reitoria, 121, Cidade Universitária, in Barão Geraldo –, with guided warm-up and departure at 9 am. The route is considered easy and accessible and brings together students, family members and members of the external community. The Senior Citizen Week also included the Health Circuit, held in partnership with the Community Health Center (Cecom) and the Nursing Faculty (Fenf). The activity offered participants blood pressure, glycemic control and visual and auditory acuity assessments, as well as preventive guidance.
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