St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane is catering to the growing demand among GPs for knowledge and information about cognitive health and increasingly complex medical issues in an ageing population with a timely Gerontology Symposium for doctors.

Nearly 100 GPs from across south-east Queensland, and as far as Hervey Bay, registered for the symposium titled “Unravelling Complexity in Ageing,” which was held at the Sofitel in Brisbane on Saturday, March 7.

They received presentations from some of Queensland’s leading geriatricians, led by symposium chair Dr Nisal Gange, a geriatrician and stroke physician with Beyond Specialist Group based in Brisbane.

Other specialist presenters were geriatricians Dr Chisom Aghanwa, Dr Linson John Alapatt and Dr Danusha De Alwis, also from Beyond Specialists.

St Vincent’s presenters included specialist pain medicine physicians Dr Michelle O’Brien, Dr Emily Farrell and Dr Elaine Shek; rehabilitation medicine specialist Dr Gillian Nalder; as well as Allied Health Services Manager Amanda Palmer and social worker Tanya Cranna.

St Vincent’s Health Australia proudly partnered with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) as a Major CPD Provider, with the symposium earning delegates four hours of Educational Activities and 2.5 hours of Reviewing Performance.

St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane regularly works in partnership with the RACGP to provide professional development and education opportunities to the general practitioner community across a range of medical and surgical disciplines.

Dr Nisal Gange says Australia’s ageing population, with people living longer (the average female life expectancy in Australia is 85 years, while for males it is 81), means people are ageing with more complex health issues, particularly around cognitive health.

“This increased longevity has created a growing demand for specialist knowledge and skills around these critical health issues to ensure that as many people as possible ‘age well’ and can live independently for as long as possible,” says Dr Gange.

“Issues like dementia, Parkinson’s disease and stroke are far more common in the older population than they used to be, and these can be life-changing and/or life-limiting conditions.

“When it comes to cognitive health issues, early assessment and early intervention are absolutely critical to ensure the best possible outcomes. By upskilling frontline medical workers like GPs, it can help ensure a more preventative approach.

“As geriatricians, our aim is to close the gap between diagnosis and care because the earlier we achieve a diagnosis, the more we can assist the patient to return to normal activities.”

As well as the symposium, St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane is opening a new gerontology service, initially as an outpatient clinic, followed by a comprehensive inpatient service, in collaboration with Beyond Specialists Brisbane, to cater to growing public demand.

“At St Vincent’s Brisbane we’re a sub-acute facility and we see a range of older patients, with an average age from 70-79 with a range of issues. But increasingly those issues are becoming more complex over time which requires more specialist skills,” she says.

“The new Beyond Specialists Brisbane service will have geriatricians available from next week and we expect the demand to grow over time.”