I am most happy to welcome you all to the 12th congress of the international psychogeriatric association. It is now 20 years since we organised the 2nd IPA Congress in Umeå, Sweden and I am really looking forward to host you all again. The theme for the 2005 Congress is “Aging with Dignity – new challenges, – new possibilities, – new solutions”. Given the demographics with increasing number of elderly, the prevalence of mental health problems with special relevance to elders will increase in society. Therefore, there is a need for new innovative ways to tackle this situation. Scientific as well as technical innovations continue to lead the way to a better life for older people the world over. New avenues of drug development, through the translation of basic research into clinical research, bring us new clinical insights. It is also necessary to have a broad approach to the treatment and caring of older persons with mental illness, and to recognise the importance of all players in the field, in order to get the best possible outcome.

We also need to remember that there probably must be different solutions in different countries. The way we take care of each other differs over the world. Still there is a tendency that the problems of the developed world have become more obvious also in the developing countries. Another issue is, what challenges will there be between the generations within a country?

The IPA Congresses seeks to highlight the major new developments, but also take the further step of understanding their human implications and challenges how they enhance the technological/human connections. How do these innovations affect the elderly in our health care systems? Our values? Or as one of our speakers put it: are demented people still humans? Another question to put is: why do we need to prove the cost effectiveness when treating the demented, when we really should focus solely on the effect of the treatment as is done regarding treatment of other diseases?

The Stockholm Congress will bring together the state-of-the-art in the field of Psychogeriatrics with the growth of science and technology, new directions in research and treatment, and the knowledge and creativity of the world’s leaders to meet new challenges, explore new possibilities and identify and develop new solutions. The Congress venue, the City Conference Centre (“Folkets Hus”), is located in the City of Stockholm with walking distance from many hotels and nice restaurants close by. Since
the City of Stockholm will give a reception at the City Hall, where the Nobel Prize Ceremony is performed, you will also be able to feel the atmosphere of the Nobel Prize Award.

Welcome also to the City of Stockholm! Take the opportunity to combine the Congress attendance with a few extra days of touristing. Stockholm in the autumn can be a nice experience with all the colours in the trees framing the silhouette around the water, that you can see from almost anywhere. You might even take some time to go for a tour in the archipelago of Stockholm with approx. 25,000 islands. There are over 70 museums, 100 art galleries, countless night clubs and 1,500 restaurants, as well as thousands of small shops and big department stores – so whatever you prefer, there should be something for everyone!

We enthusiastically invite you to be a part of this and provide your input and experience. Together we can make the 2005 Stockholm IPA Congress a success!

Bengt Winblad
Chair, IPA 12th International Congress