International Psychogeriatric Association
12th  Congress
Stockholm, Sweden
20-24 September 2005

Aging with Dignity 
-new challenges  -new possibilities  -new solutions  

Congress Information

Theme and Programme
Aging with Dignity : – new challenges – new possibilities – new solutions

Consistent with IPA’s mission, the Congress aims to be truly international and multidisciplinary, with a content that fully reflects the rich diversity of themes, relating to all aspects of mental health in older people. There will not just be something for everyone, but a wealth for all. Recent advances in the field of Psychogeriatrics, especially in the areas of understanding basic neurobiology, diagnostics, therapeutics and service development and delivery, have been truly spectacular. They have already led to huge improvements in the health and quality of life of people with mental health problems, their families and carers. Although there is still much to do, and we can be far from complacent about the challenges ahead, who could have imagined a few years ago that the Scientific Programme would be able to consist of sessions on topics like preventing dementia, or on new therapeutic opportunities for dementias, or on preventing depression and suicide in later life, or on the role of assistive technologies in promoting independence. These and many, many other exciting areas will be addressed at the meeting, increasingly offering the prospect that more and more older people will indeed be able to “Age with Dignity”. IPA is assembling an internationally renowned group of scientists, all experts in their field, to contribute to the core programme, whilst also allowing several opportunities for bright, able and up and coming young researchers to present their data and new ideas. We are planning a comprehensive and stimulating programme that will include plenary sessions, a number of parallel symposia and workshops, as well as themed oral sessions for new research, poster presentations and satellite symposia.

Who Should Attend
Family and general physicians, geriatricians, neurologists, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other health care professionals with a special interest in the mental health of the elderly should plan to attend this landmark Congress.

IPA Regional Initiatives
The IPA Regional Initiatives program was established to provide a framework and infrastructure for psychogeriatric professionals to work together on the development of the field of Psychogeriatrics within their own regions. To facilitate the sharing of information, IPA Regional Initiative gathers the regional opinion leaders through forums at meetings and electronic discussions. IPA works with the regional opinion leaders to identify the issues specific to the region and to development projects to address these issues.
Current IPA Regional Initiatives include: Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Sub- Saharan Africa. Each of these Regional Initiatives will meet during the Congress in order to provide opinion leaders with the opportunity to come together and identify and implement areas for growth in their respective regions. IPA will facilitate a coming together of these groups during the time of the Congress.

IPA Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
IPA supports several Special Interest Groups within its organisation, in order to better meet the needs of psychogeriatric professionals by discipline, such as Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Primary Care Physicians, Psychologists, and Social Workers. The purpose of these activities is to identify specific educational, clinical and research needs within a community of professionals, and to address their unique approach to mental health care. IPA SIGs offer distinctive forums in which colleagues have the opportunity to exchange ideas and develop activities. 

IPA will facilitate a coming together of these groups during the time of the Congress. Karolinska Institutet, Dept. of Neurotec, Division of Gerontological Caring Science is organising the Conference “Research in dementia care makes difference – Nursing research in clinical practice” at Folkets Hus 18–20 September. For more information about the Conference, please click here or contact the organiser, Sirkka-Liisa Ekman.

The IPA Nurses SIG will be integrated into the programme. All nurses attending the Congress are welcome to participate. For additional information, please visit the IPA website at www.ipa-online.org or contact IPA at Stockholm2005@ipa-online.org.

Why IPA Congresses are special and why delegates want to attend the Stockholm Congress!
1. The richness of the program and the broad perspectives that are brought to it from around the world. 
2. The unique opportunity to get the latest information from experts all over the world.
3. The opportunity to meet colleagues, develop collaborative relationships, and friendships 
4. The interaction and sharing of perspectives with global colleagues from the full range of medical and professional disciplines
which are a part of the Psychogeriatric team. 
5. The opportunity to learn how mental health and aging services are organised around the world and to learn about innovative programs.
6. The many topics where presentations or speakers are rarely heard but have important information relevant to geriatric mental health in clinical practice, research, and training.

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