The International Institute on Ageing, United Nations-Malta (INIA), in collaboration with Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt organized the 4th Annual International Geriatrics and Gerontology conference on Care of critically ill elderly. The conference was held on 22-23 March 2017 at Fairmont Hotel, Cairo.
The aim of the two-day conference was to discuss different aspects of critically ill older persons through a consortium of specialists. This was done through presentations, discussions and workshops on Dementia and on Emergencies, disasters and lessons learned. The conference brought together pioneers in critical care, oncology, anesthesia, intensive care, psychiatry, neurology, orthopedic and geriatric medicine along with many other fields.
The conference was opened by Professor Mahmoud El-Meteiny, Dean of Faculty of Medicine and by Professor Hala Sweed, Head of Geriatrics and Gerontology department, Ain Shams University, Cairo. Dr. Radhouane Gouiaa, a professor of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics in Tunisia, represented the International Institute on Ageing, United Nations-Malta (INIA). Dr. Gouiaa is also a founder member and chairman of the Tunisian Association of Gerontology, one of INIA’s international tutors and he also sits on the International editorial board of INIA’s International Journal on Ageing in Developing Countries. Dr. Radhouane Gouiaa was the main keynote speaker of the conference and spoke about Falls in the Elderly. Other topics presented during the conference by a number of Professors from Egypt were on Geriatrics emergencies; Trauma and falls; Acutely ill elderly; Geriatric cases; End-of-life issues; Atypical presentations in the elderly; Neuropsychiatric emergencies; Medication management in the elderly and on Rare ICU emergencies.
At the end of the conference, the following recommendations were presented:
- The importance of the establishment of an ortho-geriatrics unit under the multidisciplinary management of geriatricians and orthopedic surgeons for better outcomes of older persons in surgical wards and also through research on the best protocols to be applied to older persons.
- Acutely-ill and traumatic older persons are at greater risk of morbidity and mortality. It is crucial to provide decisive and swift decisions without compromising quality of care. This cannot be achieved without the provision of specialized geriatric care in the emergency department.
- Enforcing best practice and training to health professional, especially to non-geriatricians. This can be done through workshops and training courses on common causes of delayed and misdiagnoses in older persons as atypical presentation, dementia and delirium. This training is crucial to reduce morbidity and mortality in older persons.
- End-of-life issues and terminal care are concepts that must be adopted, regulated and legislated in Egypt. National awareness targeted especially to patients, health professionals and policy makers is a must.
- Up-To-Date practices and new discoveries should be available or facilitated to all facilities catering for older persons.
Professor Hala S. Sweed
Head of Geriatric and Gerontology Department
Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University
Editor-in-Chief, Egyptian Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology
Founder, Egyptian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology
Dr. Walaa Wessam Aly
Assistant Professor of Geriatrics &Gerontology
& Secretary General of the conference