IPA Bulletin
Editor's Note 

By David G. Folks

I have reviewed the past several issues of IPA Bulletin and I continue to be very impressed that different IPA regions are evolving in various stages of development. Many locations in South America, Asia, The Middle East and Africa, The Pacific Rim as well as Europe and North America have developed their version of Psychogeriatrics with many new and exciting initiatives. IPA and its affiliates are busy with “organizational meetings” and “new initiatives” that seek to influence clinicians, consumers of geriatric services and public policy. Especially exciting are those regions that have matured and are increasingly integrated into the fabric of clinical service systems as well as teaching and research programs.

In Europe, parts of the Pacific Rim, and North America, particularly in Canada and the United States, geriatric psychiatry is a well established subspecialty after twenty-five years of development. The recent meeting of the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatrists (AAGP) in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, was a large, well-conducted affair in stark contrast to the small group of eighty psychiatrists, myself included, who attended the first meeting back in the 1980’s in Southern California. Yet with all the success and progress, Professor Dan Blazer of Duke University has recently noted that psychogeriatrics in the United States and Canada continues to experiencing growing pains and must continually seek to address a number of questions regarding further growth and expansion of the field. We might say that in these more “mature” regions that the field has entered the stage of “generativity versus stagnation”. I have no doubt that our colleagues will rise to the occasion.

One suggestion that would potentially move the field forward is to attend the IPA’s upcoming Congress in Osaka, Japan this October in order to discuss the challenges within our profession and compare notes with many of the “seasoned” geriatric psychiatrists who have had a hand in shaping our field in Western Europe where psychogeriatrics has been “alive and well” for many decades. Indeed, the Congress is a great opportunity to meet the leaders from around the world who are addressing their own challenges with regard to psychogeriatric services, public policy, teaching and research.

The IPA Biennial Congress to be held in Osaka looks to be a magnificent meeting. The Congress Chair, Professor Takeda, promises to unfold innovative ways to “tackle” the challenges of mental health problems of the aged. He acknowledges these will require different solutions for different countries because the ways that psychogeriatric services are organized and delivered vary greatly. Professor Takeda may also remind us that Japan offers a rich and diverse cultural opportunity for all of us who are from far away. Our President, Joel Sadavoy, has commented that fall is a beautiful time to visit the City of Osaka and surrounding areas, and that the weather will still be fine and the crowds of tourists diminished–-a perfect match if you ask me.

Of course, the IPA Congress, a biennial event, will most assuredly bring together an impressive group of our colleagues with expertise in diagnosis and treatment as well as technical advances within the field of psychogeriatrics. This is your opportunity to interact with world leaders and hopefully combine the meeting with a few extra days of fun, food and fellowship. I will see you there in October!

As for this issue of the IPA Bulletin, please take note of the final piece on Professor Sir Martin Roth as well as the passing of another leader in our field, Dr. Leon Thal. They will be missed. Moving to other items to highlight, note the “Recent Advances in Research” column as Robert Barber and Robert Baldwin identify several important articles that remind us that mental disorders of the aged and particularly Alzheimer’s disease, continues to be better delineated paving the way for more definitive treatments and more effective care in the community. Additionally, our regular inclusions of “On the Web” by Brian Draper, and, “Culinary Corner” are worth a look. This issue’s recipe is one that I have tried myself and a pure delight that I highly recommend.

Finally, I want to thank my Deputy Editor, Richard Bonwick, and IPA Secretariat staff assistant, Jodi Metzgar for their concerted efforts over the past four years. While Richard and I will continue our efforts, we will say farewell and thank you to Jodi, who moved on in her career to a new position elsewhere. I also welcome new IPA Secretariat staff assistant, Wendy Siniscalchi, who will assist with the Bulletin and help both Richard and me while we begin to re-invigorate our active assistant editors and recruit several new assistant editors from around the globe. I will provide some further insights as to what might be expected with the IPA Bulletin over the next four years to be contained in our next issue of the Bulletin so “stay tuned” for further developments.

Reprinted from IPA Bulletin, Volume 24, Number 2