President’s Message

Hello Colleagues,

As 2021 winds up, it is safe to say it has been yet another year defined by a pandemic that continues to bring challenges and uncertainty to all, including so many of our colleagues and of course the older people we serve. Again, I acknowledge the frontline work of geriatricians across Australia and New Zealand in this pandemic, your resilience and dedication continues to offer invaluable support to our vulnerable older population.

Looking back on the year for ANZSGM, I am happy to say that it has been both a productive 12 months and a year of reflection and planning, with several projects launched and more on the way.

Last month a one-day strategy session brought together Council members to map out the next few years for the Society. It was an extremely fruitful discussion which identified where we will focus our activities in the coming few years. We hope to continue engaging our members through targeted communications, special interest groups, engaging with research and supporting our Divisions. Developing models of care is also a priority, again through special interest groups and also by exploring research opportunities. Our role as a policy influencer must continue, with targeted work around promoting models of care that result in better out of hospital care of older people, Climate Change and First Nations Health. Moving forward we also hope to strengthen the structure of the organisation through a governance review and potentially further staff to undertake the added work we plan to achieve.

While plans and strategies are exciting, what I am most pleased with are the tangible results of the Society’s work in 2021. In November we held our first webinar in our quarterly series featuring Dr Rachel Aitken, and Dr Aisling Fleury who shared their expertise on Emergency General Surgery and setting up a Perioperative Service. The session attracted some 180 registrants and over 60 attendees and we look forward to delivering further webinars in 2022 that are informative and inspiring for our members.  

Our Perioperative SIG continues to deliver progress through the work of its enthusiastic membership (many of them women). It shows the value of looking at things with fresh eyes. The Group has served as a pilot for future SIGs, and so far we are really happy with the direction it is going. By this time next year we hope to have an Out of Hospital Care Special Interest Group in place with plans for further groups such as a Dementia SIG in the pipeline.

Our Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Working Group is well on its way to developing a Society position on VAD. The group includes a diverse group of voices from different states with varied experiences. As NSW joins other states to legalise VAD, it is an issue that geriatricians will become more engaged with and through our position we hope to provide a resource for colleagues on this complex issue.

Before I sign off I would like to thank the Council for your participation in the work of the Society this year, along with committee members who have made such meaningful contributions to our work. You are all extremely busy with your day jobs, and I gratefully acknowledge the time and energy you contribute to the Society through meetings, discussion and submissions.

Let’s hope that 2022 is the year we see the beginning of the end of the pandemic and an opportunity for optimism and hope. Until then, wishing you all a very happy and safe holiday season and I hope you are all able to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation with family and loved ones.

Vasi Naganathan

President ANZSGM

ANZSGM Welcomes New Members

The Society welcomes the following new members who were endorsed at the Council meeting on 29 November 2021:

NSW
Kulanka Premachandra (AT)
Thusitha Muhandiram (AT)
Eleni Azarias (AT)
Tuan-Anh Nguyen (Full)

Western Australia
Imran Riaz (AT)
Bhaskar Mandal (Full)

Queensland
Malawaraarachichi Nimanthi (AT)
Vivian Ka-Yan Kwok (AT)

Victoria
Scanlon Cian (AT)

2022 ANZSGM Membership

2022 is looking to be a busy and productive year for the Society, and we’re looking forward to engaging more with our members throughout the year. Membership renewal will commence 1 January 2022, with a 5% early bird discount available to those who renew by 28 February 2022.

Members are encouraged to let your networks know that if you they are thinking of joining ANZSGM, they should get their applications in early in the coming year to access membership benefits, including discounts for the 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting and the Advanced Trainee Weekend, to be held in June 2022. 

Membership applications can be made via our website, which includes a full list of membership benefits, categories and a how to join guide.

ANZSGM 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting

Organisation of the Golden Jubilee ANZSGM ASM in Perth from 8 to 10 June 2022 , at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre is well underway. The hybrid event aims to engage and connect with as many of our members as possible, despite the uncertain and ever-changing circumstances due to COVID-19.

2022 marks 50 years of the ANZSGM, and under the theme “Golden Jubilee; Redefining Geriatric Giants, the conference will be an opportunity to reflect on how our knowledge, technology, service demands and provisions have changed over the last 50 years, and in turn, how these impact on our future as clinicians, advocates and organisations.

Speakers will discuss and challenge approaches to our core business, the Geriatric Giants, and introduce new concepts including cognitive frailty and global approaches to providing systematic geriatric care. We will review the roll out of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and have updates on COVID-19 and Voluntary Assisted Dying. With a view to the future and diversity of our expanding specialty, we will hear from Perioperative and Geriatric Oncology specialists, in addition to a plenary session on Indigenous health and ageing.

Keynote Speakers
Professor Bruno Vellas is Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine at the University Hospital in Toulouse (CHUT), 

Professor Joseph Ibrahim is a geriatrician currently working in the Department of Forensic Medicine at Monash University, in addition to being the Head of the Health Law and Ageing Research Unit at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine

Dr Michal Boyd is a Nurse Practitioner and Associate Professor with School of Nursing and Freemasons’ Department of Geriatric Medicine, at the University of Auckland. Her main research interests are care of older adults in the community and residential aged care, and advanced nursing practice. 

Important Dates and Deadlines
ASM: 8-10 June 2022
Early Bird Rate Deadline: 17 March 2022
Advanced Trainee Weekend: 10-11 June 2022

Early Bird Registration and Call For Abstracts is now open.

To register and find out more, visit the website.

ANZSGM New Zealand Division Retreat

The New Zealand Division of ANZSGM Retreat will be held 10-12 March 2022 at Tahuaroa Conference Centre at Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland. The retreat will focus of how to develop and adapt services to meet the needs and values of all Aotearoa’s older people. Visit the website for more information. 

Key dates and deadlines
Call for Abstracts Close: 20 December 2022
Close of Early Registration: 31 January 2022
Accommodation Deadline: 7 February 2022
Cancellation Deadline:7 February 2022

Perioperative Special Interest Group – One Year On

The Perioperative Care of Older People Special Interest Group (Periop SIG) has just turned one and as another challenging year draws to a close, it is time to reflect on progress to date. The Periop SIG is ANZSGM’s first formally structured special interest group and so pressure is on the demonstrate the benefits that these groups can bring. I have the privilege of chairing this group ably assisted by Rajni Lal and Jo Dunlop. The SIG hit the ground running and set up a small number of working groups all of which have made progress this year.

The Education and Training working group is led by Christina Norris and John Geddes and has developed the theme of “setting up, getting up and keeping up to speed” in the care of older people in the surgical setting. Many will have watched the first of what will be a series of webinars for ANZSGM members interested in this space. Our very own Aisling Fleury and Rachel Aitken kicked us off with great talks which can be accessed via our website:

Our Position Statement around the perioperative care of older people is nearing completion and will be published early next year. A number of our members have contributed and I thanks Ming Loh for his persistence in moving this piece of work forward.

The Research Group has been remarkably active and is currently developing a minimum common dataset to help anyone starting out in the perioperative space to collect information using validated tools and consistently defined variables. The hope is that we will be better placed to collate information across sites in the future and build on the evidence base to support our role in the perioperative space. An expanded version of the dataset will be available for researchers in the field, again with the intent of promoting collaboration and strengthening our position as services start up and expand across Australia and New Zealand. It has been a delight to watch this work evolve under the leadership of Janani Thillainadesan, Margot Lodge and Yi-Harng Chong.

And finally the Curriculum and Fellowship Group is our outward facing group ensuring that we have a voice in the College of Physicians and with the Australia and New Zealand College of Anesthetists. The issue most pertinent to us at present is the development of the Perioperative Medicine Diploma which is being led by ANZCA. There has certainly been concern that this diploma could potentially disadvantage geriatricians and squeeze them out of the perioperative medicine space, making it difficult to secure funding for service expansion. I’m pleased to say that our relationship with ANZCA is maturing and meetings are collegial and productive. Ultimately we hope this diploma is something that will be of value to geriatricians wanting to work in the perioperative medicine space. Aisling Fleury has agreed to take on the role of being our lead contact with ANZCA.

So a year down the track and this SIG is thriving not least because of the energy and enthusiasm of its members and particularly its younger members. Geriatric medicine has a critical role to play in the surgical arena and in the care of frail older people. Our success in moving beyond the orthogeriatric space is dependent on robust evidence, effective collaborations and partnerships and good business cases to secure resources for our services. I am confident that over the coming years we will continue to see an expansion of high quality geriatric medicine services in the care of older surgical patients. Now that’s something worthy of a festive toast.

Jacqueline Close

PBAC Update

Survey: Preferences for deprescribing antihypertensive medicines for people living with dementia

The School of Public Health, University of Sydney, invites you to participate in a study survey which aims to understand stakeholder clinician preferences for potential benefits and harms of deprescribing antihypertensives for people living with dementia, to estimate the relative importance of different consequences in clinical decision making. Your experience and opinions on deprescribing would provide a valuable insight into clinician preferences for deprescribing options for people living with dementia.

The survey will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Your individual response will be confidential. Your identity as a participant will remain anonymous.

If you have any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of the research project, you may contact the Ethics Administration Manager, University of Sydney +61 2 8627 8176 human.ethics@sydney.edu.au (Study number 2021/804).

Please note that completion and submission of this survey means that you consent to participate in this study.

Complete the online survey here.

MyCPD Program Changes

The RACP MyCPD program has introduced changes that will assist participants with recording their CPD.

• Notifications – just like social media apps, you will now get notifications when logging into MyCPD advising of key dates, and other CPD related information.
• Badges – provide a quick and easy snap shot of completed and remaining requirements so that you can track your progress in real time.
• Integration with our Online Learning platform – educational activities you complete via Online Learning platform will now automatically record to your CPD record.
• You can now record activities in 30-minute increments.
• Professional Development Planning – you can link goals and activities to your PDPs using a more intuitive system.

Please contact the CPD Team if you have any questions or suggestions for future enhancements:

AU: 1300 697 227 or MyCPD@racp.edu.au
NZ: 64 4 460 8122 or MyCPD@racp.edu.au

Delirium Clinical Care Standard

ANZSGM has endorsed the updated Delirium Clinical Care Standard, which was launched at the Australasian Delirium Association Conference, ‘DECLARED 2021’, by Associate Professor Gideon Caplan, President of the Australasian Delirium Association.

With one in four older medical patients affected, an updated national clinical care standard to improve care for people at risk of delirium – a serious and often preventable condition – has been applauded by healthcare professionals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened the focus on delirium for hospitalised patients, their families, carers and healthcare professionals.

Delirium is a sudden change in a person’s mental state. Patients with delirium may seem confused, disorientated and agitated, or quiet and withdrawn. The condition affects 50% or more adult intensive care patients[i], and up to one quarter (23%) of older patients in general medical settings.

There is growing evidence that delirium is more prevalent among hospitalised COVID-19 patients, and a common presenting symptom in older patients with COVID-19.

First released in 2016, the clinical care standard aims to prevent delirium in at-risk patients, and improve the early diagnosis and treatment of patients with delirium.

Commission Clinical Director, Dr Carolyn Hullick, an emergency medicine physician with a special interest in aged care, said the seriousness of delirium as a medical condition is still not always recognised, yet outcomes for people with delirium can be improved with the right care pathways.

“The clinical care standard encourages the early recognition of people who are most at risk of delirium, so that steps can be taken to reduce their risk. It also encourages healthcare workers to be alert to changes in behaviour that may be due to delirium,” she said.

Download the Delirium Clinical Care Standards here. 

AJA Latest Issue

December Issue: Volume (40) 4
The December issue is out now, with lots of content to provide food for thought as we reach the end of another challenging year and look forward to a more normal way of life in 2022.

Dr Ralph Hampson, Deputy Editor in Chief, reflecting on our increasing use of social media and other technologies, provides an overview of recent publications on information and communication technologies (ICT) in the journal.

 The Issue’s review article discusses the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

There are several common themes amongst the Issue’s content:

•  Medication management: Kalisch Ellett and colleagues discuss medication related hospital admissions amongst aged care residents, whilst Bemand and colleagues focus on admissions in the oldest old. There’s a report on results from the Safe Medication Strategy Dementia Study
• Consumer directed care and co-design: the involvement of clients in planning aged care services; ‘what do older people want from integrated care’; an assessment of whether consumer directed care improves quality of life and an NZ article on barriers to implementing age friendly initiatives.
• Social support, mental health and wellbeing in Asian older people: older urban Malaysians; Malaysians living in poverty and Chinese older adults
• Assessment of tools: the use of a Bahasa-Malaysia version of the OARS-IADL; using short versions of the GDS in older Tiawanese and determining clinical perspectives on the utility of the FIM and cognitive screening tests.
• End of life care: an innovative article about converting a sub-acute hospital room for palliative care; improving end of life care in the Australian private hospital setting

The complete Table of Contents and all articles can be accessed (subject to membership) at Overview – Australasian Journal on Ageing – Wiley Online Library

We hope that this issue will assist in guiding your research and practice. We welcome contributions from you about your innovative work. In addition to the scientific papers we publish, we also welcome contributions for our ‘Reflection’ section. Poems or stories (fiction or non-fiction) related to any aspect of ageing, whether from the point of view of a health care worker or older person or patient, or simply an observer, will be considered.

We at the AJA send you good wishes for this festive season and look forward to working with you in the coming year.

Jane Sims, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, AJA.

ABC TV Seeking Volunteer Participants

ABC TV seeking volunteer participants aged 65-78 who are keen to dance their way to better health

BMJ Holiday Reading: Anticipating the ageing trajectories of superheroes in the Marvel cinematic universe

Ruth Hubbard and colleagues examine the personal traits and health behaviours of five of Marvel’s superheroes and envisage the challenges this extraordinary cohort might experience during ageing. Read here