Thousands of gerontologists, geriatricians, researchers, and policymakers from more than 70 countries descended on the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress, converging on the field’s most pressing challenges — from the Alzheimer’s treatment revolution to a global shortage of trained geriatric specialists that threatens to leave hundreds of millions of older adults without adequate care.
The quadrennial congress, organized by the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, drew its most diverse attendance in the event’s history, with delegates representing disciplines ranging from molecular biology and clinical geriatrics to health economics and public policy. The program featured more than 300 scientific sessions, keynote addresses, and working group meetings — all oriented around a single overarching question: is the world preparing fast enough for the age of aging?
“The science of aging has never advanced more quickly,” said an IAGG senior representative in opening remarks. “But the gap between what we know and what we are actually delivering to older patients around the world remains unacceptably wide. This congress exists to close that gap.”
Dementia Takes Center Stage as New Therapies Reshape the Field
No topic generated more discussion at the congress than dementia. With over 55 million people currently living with the condition worldwide — and that figure projected to climb to 139 million by 2050 — the urgency was palpable in every session that touched on cognitive health.
The arrival of disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease dominated scientific debate. While delegates expressed cautious optimism about the therapeutic potential of agents targeting amyloid and tau pathology, a significant body of discussion focused on the practical and ethical implications of rolling out these treatments at scale. Health system readiness, diagnostic bottlenecks, and access inequality emerged as the central concerns.
Blood-based biomarkers for early Alzheimer’s detection were among the most discussed advances on the clinical side. Researchers presented data suggesting that plasma assays for amyloid beta and phosphorylated tau could enable far earlier and more accessible diagnosis than current imaging-based methods — a development with potentially transformative implications for prevention and treatment planning.
Congress sessions also highlighted the continued importance of non-pharmacological interventions: structured physical activity, dietary modification, cognitive engagement, and sleep optimization have all accumulated meaningful evidence as contributors to cognitive preservation, even in the absence of a cure.
Longevity Science Moves Closer to the Clinic
The biology of aging is no longer just an academic preoccupation. At the IAGG World Congress, a growing body of research showed that interventions targeting the fundamental mechanisms of aging — once considered the province of speculative science — are now entering early-phase clinical trials.
Senolytics, compounds designed to selectively eliminate the senescent cells that accumulate in aging tissue and drive chronic inflammation, drew significant interest. Researchers presented preliminary clinical data suggesting potential benefits in reducing frailty markers and attenuating systemic inflammation, though speakers were careful to note the field is still in its early stages.
Epigenetic clocks — molecular tools that can estimate biological age independently of chronological age — were also a recurring theme. Investigators discussed how these tools might eventually be used to stratify patients by biological risk, personalize preventive interventions, and track the effectiveness of longevity-oriented therapies in clinical trials.
The Frailty Challenge: Screening, Assessment, and Reversibility
Frailty — the state of heightened vulnerability to adverse outcomes following physiological stress — remained one of the defining clinical topics of the congress. The International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics has long championed the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) as the gold standard for evaluating older patients, and sessions at the congress reinforced both its clinical value and the persistent barriers to its routine implementation.
One of the most debated questions was whether frailty can be meaningfully reversed. Evidence presented at the congress suggested that structured exercise programs — particularly resistance training combined with aerobic activity — and targeted nutritional interventions can produce measurable improvements in frailty status, even in patients over 80. Speakers called for these interventions to be embedded more systematically in primary care and pre-surgical pathways.
The integration of frailty assessment into oncological and surgical planning also featured prominently. Several research groups presented data showing that pre-operative CGA significantly improves outcome prediction and enables more individualized treatment decisions for older cancer patients — a population that is growing rapidly but has historically been underrepresented in clinical trials.
Digital Health: Potential and Pitfalls
Artificial intelligence, wearable sensors, and telehealth platforms occupied a large share of the congress program, reflecting the field’s mounting interest in technology as a force multiplier for geriatric care.
Researchers presented data from studies using wearable biosensors to continuously monitor gait, heart rate variability, and sleep patterns in community-dwelling older adults — demonstrating that subtle changes in these parameters can predict hospitalization and functional decline days or weeks before clinical signs appear. The implications for early intervention are considerable.
But the congress was not uncritical. Multiple sessions raised concerns about algorithmic bias in AI health tools, noting that the datasets used to train many of these systems underrepresent older adults, women, and people from non-Western populations. Delegates also flagged the risk of widening health disparities if digital health tools are deployed without adequate attention to digital literacy and access among older populations.
IAGG called for the development of international standards governing the validation and ethical deployment of AI in geriatric medicine — a position delegates endorsed with broad support.
The Global Aging Crisis: By the Numbers
The statistics cited throughout the congress underscored why the work of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics carries stakes that extend far beyond the scientific community.
| Indicator | Current Estimate | Projected by 2050 |
|---|---|---|
| Population aged 60 and over | ~1.1 billion | ~2.1 billion |
| Population aged 80 and over | ~143 million | ~426 million |
| People living with dementia | ~55 million | ~139 million |
| Share of older adults in low- and middle-income countries | ~68% | ~80% |
| Global annual cost of dementia | ~$1.3 trillion USD | ~$2.8 trillion USD |
Equity in Focus: The Urgent Case for Low- and Middle-Income Countries
One of the most forceful recurring messages at the congress was that the global aging crisis is, in large part, a crisis of the Global South. Roughly two-thirds of the world’s older adults currently live in low- and middle-income countries — a proportion that will reach 80 percent by 2050. Yet clinical infrastructure, specialist training, and research investment in these regions remain dramatically insufficient.
“We cannot allow the evidence base for geriatric medicine to be built entirely in wealthy countries and then applied everywhere else,” one plenary speaker said to sustained applause. “Aging in a high-income country and aging in sub-Saharan Africa are not the same experience.”
The International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics used the congress to reaffirm its commitment to building geriatric research and clinical capacity in underserved regions, working through its regional member associations and in partnership with the WHO and UNFPA. Specific calls were made for ring-fenced funding for LMIC-based aging research and for the inclusion of older adults from diverse geographic contexts in multinational clinical trials.
A Workforce Crisis in Plain Sight
Amid all the scientific progress on display, delegates repeatedly returned to a more fundamental problem: there are simply not enough geriatricians to care for the world’s growing older population.
Many countries lack formal geriatrics training programs entirely. Even in high-income settings, the number of certified geriatricians falls far short of projected need. Congress delegates were told that without immediate and sustained investment in workforce development — including the integration of geriatrics competencies into general medical training — gains in clinical science will not translate into better care on the ground.
IAGG formally renewed its call for geriatrics to be a mandatory component of undergraduate medical education globally, and announced plans to expand its international fellowship and mentorship programs.
What Delegates Are Calling For
In formal statements and session discussions alike, delegates at the IAGG World Congress coalesced around several concrete priorities for the international community:
- Immediate investment in geriatrics workforce development, particularly in low- and middle-income countries
- Greater inclusion of older adults in clinical trials across all disease areas, not only those specific to aging
- Reform of long-term care systems along rights-based, person-centered principles — a process the COVID-19 pandemic made more urgent
- International ethical standards for AI and digital health tools applied in geriatric care settings
- Equity-driven approaches to dementia care that ensure new disease-modifying therapies reach patients beyond wealthy healthcare systems
- Recognition of mental health, social connection, and loneliness as public health priorities equal in standing to physical conditions
IAGG and the Decade of Healthy Ageing
The congress took place against the backdrop of the WHO’s Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), to which the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics is a committed partner. Progress toward the initiative’s goals — which include fostering age-friendly environments, combating ageism, and ensuring access to integrated care — was assessed across several dedicated sessions.
Assessments were mixed. Significant progress has been made in raising the profile of healthy aging on the global health agenda, but implementation at national and local levels remains uneven. Several delegates called for stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure that commitments made under the Decade translate into meaningful policy change.
“The science is there. The political will is what we are still fighting for,” one senior IAGG official noted in closing remarks.
Looking Ahead
As the congress drew to a close, the overriding message was one of urgency tempered by genuine scientific optimism. The tools to transform how the world ages — therapeutically, clinically, and socially — are within reach. What remains in question is whether governments, health systems, and the international community will move fast enough to deploy them.
The International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics will continue its work through regional congresses, scientific publications, and advocacy partnerships, with the next World Congress already on the horizon. For the thousands of delegates who gathered, the work begins the moment they leave.