To enhance the elderly individuals' health awareness and self-care abilities, establish the health concept of “preserving health before getting sick and giving priority to disease prevention” while encouraging learning exchanges among teachers of the education system, improving the young teachers' teaching abilities and research skills, and elevating the education and teaching standards and talent cultivation quality in medicine-related majors, the Open University of China (OUC) recently held the Academic Salon - “Lectures by Famous Teachers from 100 Universities” and “Respect for the Elderly on Double Ninth Festival Heart to Heart”.
The event was hosted by Feng Li, deputy dean of the School of Agroforestry and Medicine (Rural Revitalisation College) at the OUC headquarters.
Xu Fengqin, former deputy director of Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, director of the Institute of Geriatric Medicine, chief physician, doctoral supervisor, and professor, as well as one of the first batch of Qihuang Scholars, was invited to deliver a lecture titled “Prevention, Treatment, Health Maintenance of Geriatric Diseases, and Appropriate TCM Techniques”. Xu Fengqin gave an insightful and accessible presentation on the understanding of aging from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, covering topics such as the status quo of global and Chinese population aging, the relationship between aging and disease, the unique aspects of geriatric medicine and its application in age-related diseases, TCM constitution identification, dietary and mental health management for the elderly, and traditional TCM therapies for managing chronic diseases associated with aging.
Zhang Xiaojie from the Shanxi Branch, Liu Shuhan from the Shanghai Branch, and Li Yanda from the headquarters’ School of Agroforestry and Medicine (Rural Revitalisation College) respectively shared insights on the topics: “Striking a Chord of Joy for Elderly’s Later Life: Music Therapy for Enhancing Elderly Mental Health”, “Development and Practice of Cognitive Impairment Care Services”, and “Analysis of Research Trends in China’s Elderly Health Services Related to TCM”. Xu Fengqin provided feedback and guidance on the presentations of the three young teachers by drawing from her own work experience and life practice.
A total of 161 faculty members and students from the OUC education system participated in the event online and offline. Many of them said that the content of this event was rich and practical, which are not only of great benefit for their personal health and wellness but also of significant reference and guiding value for teaching and research.
Written by Li Yanda and photo by Shao Dandan, OUC