The Osaka Silver Congress to be held 14 –18 October, 2007 is fast approaching
with less than one year to go. I have already made my airline reservation and
have begun to explore some of the web sites describing the cultural and artistic
opportunities in the area. President Sadavoy has outlined the major theme and
topics in his message, and, Professor Takeda and Professor Arai are organizing a
highly stimulating meeting that will include ample opportunity for everyone to participate. The
Osaka International Conference Center is a wonderful venue and if you “Google”
it you can have a sneak peek at the meeting site which is simply superb. Now is
the time to plan for this wonderful meeting.
As for the regional meeting in Turkey scheduled 3–6 May, 2007, I understand that
the people of Turkey and the government are very tourist friendly, so this
meeting also offers an opportunity to combine a wonderful educational program
with a delightful visit to a country that has a rich cultural heritage and many
interesting sites that are unique and stimulating. This Regional Meeting adds to
the notion of “Join IPA and see the world.”
The IPA Elections have yielded a roster of new Board Members and we are
fortunate to have a diverse and talented group of “fresh” leaders that will
continue to keep IPA on the cutting edge of psychogeriatrics. Our global
representation is indeed impressive and we will focus on each of the new
directors in future issues of the Bulletin. Additionally, we will keep
you informed as to new initiatives as they are developed by the Board of
Directors.
With regard to outreach, President Sadavoy has emphasized the need to build
bridges to regional geriatric professional associations through affiliation and
other means. This concept strikes me as being critical to IPA’s future success,
and is a terrific opportunity to network and have IPA serve as a catalyst for
global initiatives or projects. Certainly, the World Health Organization serves
as a grand model as to how to accomplish such a task. If you have ideas in this
regard, please contact one of the Board Directors (listed in this Bulletin)
or contact President Joel Sadavoy.
Reprinted from IPA Bulletin, Volume 23, Number 4
Copyright 2008 International Psychogeriatric Association