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WHAT'S GOING ON IN SERBIA WITH PSYCHOGERIATRICS
International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders

BY ALEKSANDRA MILICEVIC KALASIC AND ALEDSANDRA JOVANOVI

October is the month when everybody is talking about the elderly in Serbia, but the aging situation needs more than nice speeches; it requires appropriate social, cultural and political answers. Demographic reports estimate that there are 1,698,730 people aged 60 and more, and more than 130,000 aged 80 and more, living in Serbia. These numbers qualify Serbia as tenth among 20 countries with the oldest citizens.

Recently, the Gerontological Society of Serbia and Ministry of Social Affairs held a conference on “changing and managing in the elderly,” giving certain importance to the topic in the coming transition, and recognizing the efforts of the professionals who have contributed during a difficult period of sanctions, war and inner isolation. Psychogeriatrics is changing. It is important to find its place in these turbulent times—to determine what has been done and what will have to be done.

The VIth Gerontological Congress of Yugoslavia “Aging and Old Age—for Safe and Active Life” was held in Vrnjacka Banja (a very nice resort in Serbia) 12-16 May, 2002. This was a good moment for the recapitulation of achievements: First, the key lecture at the Plenary Session was entitled, “Development of Psychogeriatrics—Chance for Better Mental Health in Older People.” Use of the motto of IPA is an appreciation of great effort and achievement of the IPA through international networking with resumption of activities of the Mental Health Department in the Institute of Gerontology, Home Treatment and Care in Belgrade, influenced by knowledge through the IPA Journal, International Psychogeriatrics, and Bulletin and through participation at meetings.

The Institute of Gerontology, Home Treatment and Care in Belgrade provides treatment and care for old, disabled and functionally dependent people; more than a third of whom are diagnosed with dementia at admission. The number of patients, their gender and age distribution vary on a daily basis at approximately 1,200 patients. The Mental Health Department has been working on screening patients for psychiatric disorders for 13 years using Simon’s screening test. In correlation with sociodemographic data these results indicate the need to evaluate further for physical, neurological, psychiatric examination and MMSE, Hachinski score, GDS and other inquiries of interest. The Institute of Psychiatry has a psychogeriatric unit with 79 beds, but there is still poor cooperation and communication. There are about 8,000 old people in nursing homes in Belgrade; half of them are refugees.

The Geriatric Section of Serbian Association of Doctors has regularly scheduled meetings with great attention to psychogeriatric topics. Medical education encompasses postgraduate studies in Gerontology at the Medical School in Belgrade since 1997, as well as various national and international schools in geriatrics and neuropsychiatry.

During a psychogeriatric roundtable held at the 1997 Congress, participants—social workers, psychologists, nurses and doctors— noted lack of skilled professionals, lack of motivation, lack of net of psychogeriatric services, lack of understanding for the issues and needs of the patients to be served. Fortunately, since then things are going better. At least there is space in the media for the elderly, and pertinent people have become more sensitive to their needs.

Aleksandra Milicevic Kalasic is founder of Department of Mental Health in Institute of Gerontology, Home Treatment and Care, where she is still working and improving systematical approach for elderly, disabled, functionally dependent people with highly present psychiatric and neurologic disorders.

Aleksandra Jovanovi, MD, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Specialist in Neuropsychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry.

Reprinted from IPA Bulletin Volume 19 Number 4