Global Ageing Network members invite LeadingAge Annual Meeting attendees to step into their  International Café Lounge—an inviting space where food, culture, and science meet. Located just off the North Lobby, the Lounge offers a spot to pause between sessions, meet colleagues from around the world, and experience how nutrition and community can work hand in hand to support well-being.

Designed in partnership with Sodexo, the Lounge is inspired by The Vibrant Mind initiative—research that explores how nutrition can help maintain cognitive health as we age. The program looks at how nutrients like antioxidants and omega-3s affect mental function and mood, translating that science into practical, enjoyable meals that support brain health.

The Lounge will be open 1–5 November, with tastings Sunday, Monday and Tuesday where Sodexo chefs will prepare dishes such as Thai Red Curry Chicken Salad Wraps, Green Goddess Grain Bowls, and Aam Ki Kheer (Indian Mango Rice Pudding). Each recipe reflects The Vibrant Mind’s guiding principle: eating well can be both delicious and deeply beneficial.

The Lounge also features a Global Origins Map where attendees can pin their home country—a simple visual reminder that ageing services is a worldwide movement.

Meet Helen Glasspool, Lounge Ambassador
Helen Glasspool, Events and Partnerships Lead at the UK’s National Care Forum (NCF), will serve as the International Café Lounge Ambassador. NCF, a UK trade body and membership organization for English and Welsh care and support providers, has about 170 members, all of which are not-for-profit care and support organizations.

At NCF, Helen builds partnerships and designs events that foster collaboration and knowledge exchange across the ageing services sector.

We spoke with Helen about what makes the International Café Lounge a must-visit during the conference.

Q: What opportunity does the Lounge provide?
Helen: Having the opportunity to establish relationships on a global stage is just phenomenal. This is a really unique opportunity in the sector. We need to push forward those international connections, that benchmarking, and the learning from each other. The Lounge provides the perfect environment for these valuable connections to be made.

Q: What are you most looking forward to as the Lounge Ambassador?
Helen: I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of it. The Lounge captures the spirit of the conference—global collaboration and connection. It’s a space to relax and engage, but also to exchange ideas and think collaboratively about solutions to the common challenges we face, in a way that reaches beyond borders to create more sustainable approaches in care for older people.

Q: What makes this space special?
Helen: It’s more than a café—it’s an experience that brings together food, science, and community. I think some of the most meaningful conversations will happen here, over coffee or a shared meal. These are relationships that attendees will come back to throughout their careers and that they can reflect on and share insights from with their teams.

Q: Any message for attendees?
Helen: Please come by, say hello, and pin your country on the map. I’d love to meet you and hear where you’ve come from; it’s what makes this event truly international. We all have challenges in our own countries that we need to address and global learning is so important to being able to think differently and innovate. At the end of the day, it’s all about improving the outcomes for people who receive care and support services and what better way to do this than by learning from your international colleagues? I’m looking forward to meeting you all in Boston!

Find the full culinary demo schedule and more information about the Lounge on the conference website. Registration is still open for the conference, happening 1–5 November in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

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