The lifeblood of an organization is
leadership. IPA is fortunate in this
regard, with strong leadership from
around the globe. This issue of IPA Bulletin
introduces our new President, Professor
George T. Grossberg. George succeeds Alistair
Burns, who has skillfully guided IPA these
past two years with many accomplishments
and a legacy of strong leadership. George
Grossberg is a household name in psychogeriatrics.
George’s intellect, high energy, and
gregarious kindred spirit will undoubtedly
serve us well as a new era begins with an unprecedented
number of new board members. Incidentally, profiles for four newly elected
and one current Board of Directors members
can be found on page 8. These distinguished
individuals, representing Canada,
Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, and Poland, join
with George Grossberg to lead our organization
into the future (more profiles will be
included in the next issue of the Bulletin).
IPA’s strategic planning process and future
initiatives will be facilitated by these leaders.
President Grossberg’s goal to strengthen
our organization, through strategic processes,
membership development, and enhancement
of diversity, is ambitious and laudable. The
notion of “incentive-funded membership”
and possibly extending membership to members
of IPA affiliates is an imaginative and
creative consideration. The current affiliates
include American Association for Geriatric
Psychiatry (AAGP), Argentine Society of
Gerontoneuropsychiatry (ASG), Hong Kong
Psychogeriatric Association (HKPGA), Japan
Psychogeriatric Society (JPS), Asociacion
Mexicana de Psycogeriatria, A.C. (AMPG),
Latin American Psychogeriatric and Psychogerontologic
Association (ALAPP),
Brazilian Association of Geriatric Neuropsychiatry
(ABNPG), Psychogeriatric and
Alzheimer’s Disease Section of the Polish
Psychiatric Association, Portuguese Association
for Psychogerontology (APP), Royal
Australian and New Zealand College of
Psychiatrists – Faculty Psychiatry of Old Age
(RANZCP-FPOA), the Canadian Association
of Geriatric Psychiatry (CAGP),
Indonesian Psychogeriatric Association (API),
Portuguese Psychogeriatric Association
(APG/PPA) and the Latvian Psychiatrists’
Association (LPA) representing many of the
world-wide organizations focusing on psychogeriatrics. If President Grossberg effectively
brings these organizations together
and refines IPA’s focus, then IPA will truly
serve as the world’s leading organization
dedicated to improving the mental health
of older people.
Regarding this issue of the Bulletin, please
read the first of several continuing reports
from the 2003 Chicago Congress, highlighting
Congress awards and awardees. The
scientific sessions and research programs will
be outlined in the next issue of the Bulletin.
Also, in this issue, Part 1 of 2 articles covering
the 6th International Conference on
Alzheimer and Parkinson disease (page 14) is
an outstanding report. Other updates of the
scientific literature are effectively described
on page 18 by John T. O’Brien, Robert
Barber, and Robert Baldwin, IPA Bulletin
Research Editors. Other research endeavors
are uniquely described by G. Oyin Awosika
and colleagues with respect to the Ibaden
Dementia Research Project focusing on
Caregiver Support
Mechanisms; and, by IPA Bulletin' s Editor for
the Internet, Brian Draper,
with respect to “researching
economics.”
I am particularly proud
that this issue of the Bulletin contains the
Service Delivery Task Force surveys from
around the world, with responses from ten
regions. The Task Force report (beginning
on page 12) reminds all of us that we face
similar challenges in our effort to organize
and deliver psychogeriatric clinical services
and training. However, regional differences
are striking with regard to resource allocation,
governmental involvement, and access to
services.
Finally, check out the Culinary Corner,
page 23, for Rhubarb Stew. Although skeptical
that this dish would be satisfying, I must
confess that Professor James Lindesay’s
submittal is among the best that I have
personally experienced. Diane and I thought
that this dish is indeed worthy of your
regard! However, you must decide for
yourself as to rhubarb’s “purifying and
purging properties.”
Contact David Folks at the Department of
Psychiatry, UNMC, 985575 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha
NE 68198-5575 USA, +1.402.354.6360, dgfolks@unmc.edu.
David Folks
Reprinted from IPA Bulletin, Volume 20, Number 3
Copyright 2008 International Psychogeriatric Association
