IPA News

IPA Lisbon Regional Meeting Review – Dr. Ajit Shah

INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOGERIATRIC ASSOCIATION EUROPEAN REGIONAL MEETING IN LISBON, PORTUGAL. 3-6TH MAY 2006

The recent IPA European Regional meeting in the sunny city of Lisbon was well attended by geriatric mental health professionals from all over the world. There were excellent presentations at the plenary sessions, organised symposia and free oral communication symposia. There were some excellent workshops.

The symposia on neuroimaging chaired by Professor John O’Brien, needs assessment using the CANE chaired by Professors Martin Orrell and Raimundo Mateos, depression and suicide chaired by Professor John Snowdon, new technology of communication and telemedicine chaired by Professor Jay Luxenberg, and mental health economics of dementia chaired by Professor Guh-Hee Suh were some of the highlights. A great deal of new information was presented and lead to stimulating discussions both in the sessions and afterwards.

The main highlight of the meeting for me was the final plenary session on mild cognitive impairment (Professor Karen Ritchie). This presentation reviewing the literature and her own data provided a good model for thinking about mild cognitive impairment – a concept that many of us have difficulty in normally understanding. Despite this being the final event of the meeting participants wanted to continue to ask questions on this interesting concept well beyond the allotted time.

I personally found the meeting interesting, educational and I felt a lot of new data were also presented. The kind hospitality of Portuguese colleagues further enhanced the enjoyment of the meeting.
 

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