Athens 6-7 April 2023.

Local organizers:

Hellenic Society for the Study and Research of Aging (HeSSRA) in co-organization with the Postgraduate Medical Studies Program “Physiology of Aging and Geriatric Syndromes” School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Venue: Amphitheater of Alkis Argyriadis- College Auditorium

WELCOME MESSAGE

Dear colleagues, It is with great joy that we welcome you to the first face-to-face event of the PROGRAMMING (PROmoting GeRiAtric Medicine in countries where it is still eMergING) COST Action, on the 6th and 7th of April 2023, in Athens. The PROGRAMMING COST Action, funded by the COST platform (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), advocates for the training of the health workforce in basic principles of Geriatric Medicine, as a strategic approach for facing the global challenge of the complex healthcare needs of the growing population of older people. PROGRAMMING aims at mapping educational needs and proposing curricula on Geriatric Medicine with a special focus on countries where this scientific domain is still under development. Up to now, the Action counts more than 200 members from 39 countries. Greece, a country without established Geriatric Medicine yet, will be the one to open the series of activities of the PROGRAMMING COST Action, with this event entitled “Geriatric Assessment in the management of complex older patients: The added value in ambulatory and hospital settings”. This event is the result of the collaboration of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS), holding a key role in the PROGRAMMING COST Action, the Hellenic Society for the Study and Research of Aging (HeSSRA) and the Postgraduate Medical Studies Program “Physiology of Aging and Geriatric Syndromes” of the School of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. We aspire to raise awareness of the public, inspire health care professionals (especially those with no prior formal training in geriatrics), engage stakeholders and convince policymakers on the added value of Geriatric Medicine and the urgent need of homogenizing international standards of care of older people all across Europe. Hopefully this event and, eventually, the PROGRAMMING COST Action, will contribute to the journey of recognizing Geriatric Medicine as a formal medical specialty in Greece as well in the near future.

With warm greetings
Marina Kotsani, PROGRAMMING CA Chair
Athanase Benetos, EuGMS Scientific Representative and President of the HeSSRA
Petros Sfikakis, Director of the Postgraduate Medical Studies Program “Physiology of
Aging and Geriatric Syndromes”