Sustainability strategies and proposals for new health and wellness visions are the key themes of the next 74th Congress of FEMTEC, which will take place in Ourense (Galicia,Spain) the 26-29 October 2023 on the main topic “BALNEOLOGY OF THE FUTURE”
Rationale
Humanity is facing an unprecedented population explosion, also supported by a marked extension of average life expectancy. Urbanization seems unstoppable. Rapid communication and migration-often uncontrolled or manipulated-are a source of cultural homogenization but also of serious misunderstandings and conflicts.
All this is aggravated by the scenario of dwindling food resources due to dramatic climate change. These phenomena alone explain why the biological and mental life and health of the patient of the future will be increasingly conditioned by socioeconomic context and thus by variables such as cultural level, income, health knowledge network, and relational networks, as well as by epigenetic factors and the genetic characteristics of each individual person.
The patient of the future (www.femteconline.org/?s=NEWS/0152-Patient-Future) will have to contend again and increasingly with non-communicable diseases. Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, neoplastic, metabolic, and especially progressive degenerative diseases, which were less relevant when life expectancy was lower than now, will be responsible for 74% of deaths especially in less developed countries and everywhere in the world among low-income social groups (www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases).
Unexpectedly, then, these environment- and age-related diseases will surpass infectious diseases as a cause of death even in developing countries. This hierarchical turnaround among diseases will be even more pronounced when considering not only mortality but the impact on disability, the latter condition to which curable or, conversely, rapidly fatal diseases contribute less and less than chronic-degenerative ones.
The progressive deterioration of exposome conditions (diet, stress, environmental pollution, natural and man-made radiation, smoking) and the acceleration imparted to it by climate change will contribute to maintaining constant or even increasing the prevalence of diseases such as, for example, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and chronic pulmonary diseases.
If this is the outlook for the “patient of the future” one may wonder whether there, which actions and solutions can be envisaged for the Balneology?
What will be the new Balneology for the Patient of the future?
Facing this upcoming situation, which future can we expect for the Thermae and Medical Spa, their role in national health care systems, the need for technological updates, human resources, research, data collection, and data analysis methods, the organization of hospitality?
The challenge will be to reconcile the new global socioeconomic and environmental conditions with the unique specificities of the thermal tradition, defined by the therapeutic and environmental
Moreover, how can the growing demand for health be integrated with infrastructures allowing sustainable development and tourism?
Skills and capabilities will have to change for the Thermae as they did for industry: while problem-solving will still be the most sought-after soft skill by 2023, critical thinking and creativity will also gain importance. The present challenges of modern and advanced society can be summarized into development and environmental, human, and personal sustainability.
In consideration of the importance of the topics covered, the choice of the Congress venue in Ourense plays an important role. Spa resort of great prestige and tradition which constitutes an international model "health cluster". The quality of the waters, the structures and the historical and cultural heritage of the Galician region (Santiago de Compostela) will contribute to making the 74th Femtec Congress a memorable event!
The main topics of the Congress
• Structure and organization of national and international thermal Systems
• Sustainability
• Economic and social strategies and policies for thermalism
• Environment, climate, thermae, and health
• Training and research as tools for knowledge and information. The
new possibilities of ITC
• Approaches to care, health, and wellbeing. Complementary,
integrated thermal medicine
• New methodologies in the field of balneo-rehabilitation
• The role of the thermal patient-user
• Telemedicine
• Traditional and IT communication and marketing
• New technologies and health safety
• Health tourism
• Organization of the hospitality