Author: Anna Ilyushchenko
Affiliation: Russian Gerontology Research and Clinical Center, Moscow
The VIth All-Russian congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics took place on the 19-20th of May 2022. It was held under the motto «I think, therefore I am». It was devoted to issues of prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment in the elderly. The main themes were significance of cognitive impairment in the elderly and search the best ways to treat patients, especially patients with dementia/
We are expecting increase in life expectancy by correcting geriatric problems and developing medicine. Increase in life expectancy inevitably lead to the growth of cognitive impairment and to the increase of spending in healthcare system. According to the WHO, in the next 15 years financial expenses for prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment will leads to increase all medical needs by 10%.
Many speeches and research papers were devoted to the most frequent cause of the dementia, to Alzheimer’s disease. Promising section was devoted to ways to maintain cognitive reserve for providing healthy longevity. Large brain and length of education from 13 to 24 years are important protective factors of cognitive reserve.
Separate sections of the congress were devoted to finding solutions to the problems of interaction of nursing staff with geriatric patients and their relatives, the most effective ways of communication and an integrated approach to medical care.
Young specialists in gerontology and geriatrics presented their presentations at the symposium the society of young researches. According to the results of the symposium, the best report of a young scientist was selected – "Hyperintensivity of white matter: the relationship with cognitive disorders in the elderly", authored by Anastasia Kalmykova, a 5th–year student North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov. Elizaveta Marakhovskaya, a 3rd-year student of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, received the Audience Award for her report "A clinical case of Alzheimer's disease".
Participants considered issues of diagnostics and treatment of cognitive impairment of elderly patients.
The congress allowed participants to find out the modern views about the role of cognitive impairment in the elderly. The most experienced specialists presented different points of views at the solving of current problems connecting with cognitive impairments.
