Editor's Note
VOLUME 39, NO. 1 • MARCH 2022
Tzung-Jeng Hwang, IPA Bulletin Editor-in-Chief
Our 2021 IPA Virtual Congress (1 November to 10 December 2021) has just passed, and there were registrants from 30 countries with presenters from 27 countries. The IPA Congress Committee is working towards an in-person meeting for the 2022 Congress as much as possible so that members can get together after a long time. The IPA Advocacy Committee continues its mission to advocate for the rights of older people and has supported the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP) Global Rally on Thursday, 3 March 2022. The goal is to call for a United Nations convention to build an "equal and dignified" society, especially for older people. In parallel to this, the Committee published a white paper of support and held a joint IPA/ WPA-SOAP webinar on 3 March.
Starting from this issue, we present a new "International Psychogeriatrics Review Column" to introduce the content of IPA's official journal to our members. Dr. Fei Sun, our associate editor, is in charge of this column. He and his team will regularly review recent International Psychogeriatrics publications. In the March issue, Ms. Jodi L. Hutchings and Dr. Fei Sun (USA) review the article entitled Ageism from a Cross-Cultural Perspective: Results from a National Survey of Israelis Over the Age of 50 by Liat Ayalon and Ella Cohn-Schwartz (International Psychogeriatrics, 2021). The study found underrepresented groups in Israel reported worse self-perceptions of aging and more age-based discrimination in the health care system. The findings are supportive of the double jeopardy hypothesis.
There are five articles in "Research and Practice", and one in "Around the World". In "Research and Practice" Drs. Jennifer Abi Gerges and Rita Khoury (Lebanon) discuss phosphodiesterase Inhibitors as a possible emerging treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Cilostazol (a PDE3 inhibitor) and Roflumilast (a PDE4 inhibitor) are 2 examples with the evidence to delay cognitive decline. Dr. Laura Valzolgher (Italy) updates us on the role of a ketogenic diet in Alzheimer's disease and highlights the potential use of a ketogenic diet in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Drs. Stan Vluggen et al. (the Netherlands) report the SELF-Program, an advanced Function Focused Care program to modify nursing staff behavior towards increasing client's independence and activity engagement. Dr. Clarissa Giebel (UK) discusses the problems related to safe care home visitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She points out that care home staff are faced with difficult decisions balancing management of infection risk versus providing adequate care in the context of a lack of guidance. Drs. Prachaya Sakjumpa, Nisachol Dejkriengkraikul, and Nahathai Wongpakaran (Thailand) present the concept of demoralization, an existential crisis in older adults needing palliative care. They indicate patients with demoralization syndrome experience hopelessness, helplessness, and meaninglessness, which can be a risk of suicidality.
There is one article in "Around the World". Dr. Debanjan Banerjee (India) proposes there is an urgent call for a United Nations (UN) Convention on the rights of older persons. He mentions rights violations are common in older persons stemming from ageism, discrimination, and elder abuse, and COVID-19 has widened the crevices of human rights violations and marginalization among older people.
Even though the seasons are changing, the COVID-19 pandemic does not fade out completely. I sincerely wish our members all stay healthy and safe. Please submit articles and share your thoughts and experiences with us! You can reach us at IPABulletin@ipa-online.org.
