Conferences and Meetings
6th Canadian Conference in Dementia
The 6th edition of the Canadian Conference in Dementia took place in Montreal from October 16-20, 2011 and based on record number of attendees this year it can be viewed as a great success. Their opinion about the meeting in general and the value of its scientific content was an enthusiastic positive perception. State-of-the-art lectures and target workshops contributed to this success. The participation of the research community on cognition and dementia was quite sustained with high calibre abstract presentations delivered mostly by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Many members of the SGS took active roles in the organization and activities of the Conference. The CGS was in addition a sponsor of the event. A new Leader Award for Geriatrics was created and granted to Dr. Kevin Young, a PGY5 in Geriatric Medicine training program at the University of Toronto.
Symposium on Geriatric Assessment in the Oncology Setting and Related Issues in Geriatric Oncology (Toronto)
On Tuesday, October 11, 2011, Drs Martine Puts and Shabbir Alibhai (co-principal investigators) hosted a dissemination event to support their CIHR-funded knowledge synthesis research on the role of comprehensive geriatric assessment in oncology patients. The other members of their research team include Dr. Johanne Monette and Veronique Girre. An impressive group of international experts in the field gathered for an invitational workshop and symposium. Represented by Dr. Barbara Liu, the Canadian Geriatrics Society was pleased to be invited as a key stakeholder to provide feedback on the investigators’ systematic review and to provide welcoming remarks at the afternoon symposium. The event provided a valuable opportunity for Canadian, American and European experts to exchange ideas and identify opportunities for future research and collaboration.
The Canadian Malnutrition Task Force
Among healthcare professionals, geriatricians and COE physicians are in general most sensitive to the problem of malnutrition as they are more aware of its impact on general health, physical function and recovery of disease. The problem of malnutrition in our hospitals is rampant due in part to a sick in-patient population. The consequences are indeed enormous, both from the perspective of patient health and quality of life as well as from the administration due to increased risk of infections and prolonged length of stay, to name a few. To remedy to this situation, a CIHR-supported Canadian Malnutrition Task Force has been created with both physicians and researchers sitting comprising its Steering Committee. Several hospitals are being recruited throughout Canada to participate in projects aimed at evaluating the extent of malnutrition using standard methods (first phase) and determining if the condition can be prevented or counteracted (second phase). The CGS is one of the stakeholders of this initiative and several geriatricians, including Drs Angela Juby and Jose Morais, have been participating in the process. If you are interested in improving the way your Hospital Centre deals with the malnutrition issue and becoming a potential site of research (for which there is financial and methodological support available to conduct a study), please contact Ms. Bridget Davidson bdavidson@golden.net. A hospital that becomes sensitive to malnutrition problems means better care for all of its patients!
