14 June, 2024 6 min read
There's an incredibly strong lineup of plenary speakers at #IDC2024 - here's a rundown to remind you who they are, and what they'll be talking about.
Some of the most pressing topics in dementia care will be on the agenda at #IDC2024 this September, topics that will ignite discussion, challenge practices and sharpen your ability to provide the best care for the people you serve.
Our plenary speakers come from a range of disciplines, and all of them will have something important to tell us from the main stage.
Each of them will be introduced to us by well-known Australian journalist and author Leigh Sales, who'll be acting as our MC - we look forward to her drawing them out, as well as facilitating lively conversations among our panellists (more on them later).
First up on Thursday, 5 September will be Dr Tom Russ, a Scottish dementia researcher and psychiatrist who'll set the tone for #IDC2024 by providing us with an insight into the latest treatment advances in the dementia arena.
Tom will present a wide-ranging clinical update on promising approaches and proven treatments for different forms of dementia, bringing us from the present to the methods and supports of the future.
As the Director of Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, working clinically with older people with dementia, he's perfectly positioned to put us the picture.
Following on from Tom, we'll hear from Dr Samir Sinha. The Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network in Toronto, Samir is a highly regarded clinician and international expert in the care of older adults.
As one of Canada’s most influential voices for older people, with decades of experience in policy development, Samir has been hands-on at both the care coalface and as a member of various senior government advisory groups.
He'll seek to untangle some of the challenges faced in both the Australian and Canadian regulatory systems and provide suggestions for a way forward.
Samir will pass the microphone to Dr Nathalie Huitema, who will wade into the sensitive waters of sex and intimacy in aged care.
On this issue, the ethical and legislative grey areas abound: what do families have a right to know about? How does consent operate for people living with dementia? Is there ever a need to intervene physically or chemically, and if so, when? How has reporting regulation changed the culture of support, and how can staff approach the matter without impinging on privacy and personal rights?
How has reporting regulation changed the culture of support, and how can staff approach the matter without impinging on privacy and personal rights?
A sexologist and psychologist, originally from the Netherlands but now working in the US, Nathalie will share a more nuanced ‘sexual consent potential’ model that can be used to dive into this grey area.
On Day 2, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Anne Ruston will address us in the morning, followed by Dr Nathan Davies.
Nathan is Professor of Ageing, Applied Health and Care Research, and Co-Centre Lead Psychiatry and Mental Health at Queen Mary University of London, and an internationally renowned expert in palliative dementia care.
He'll bring his long experience in the palliative dementia space to bear on the challenges of complex care decisions, providing practical approaches and resources that can provide a way forward.
He will share decision-support tools co-designed with people living with dementia, which aim to support holistic assessment and decision-making in community and aged care facilities.
Then, following a day of stimulating panel and concurrent sessions, Prof John Swinton will wrap up the event with a plea to 'be present', and an unpacking of what that means.
Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at the University of Aberdeen, John will discuss how we can maintain genuine presence within a culture that often pushes us to be absent from one another.
In coming blogs, we'll give you an overview of concurrent highlights and each of the panels that will be featured on the main stage at #IDC2024 - there'll be plenty to excite you. In the meantime, why not have a look through our program and speaker pages, where you'll find tons of information about what we have planned.
Have you reserved your seat?
Make sure you're in the forum that counts this September, as high calibre researchers, thinkers and leaders contribute to the conversation at #IDC2024.
And remember, attending #IDC2024 can count towards your CPD points – we’ll issue you with a registration certificate as a record.
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