Raimundo Mateos, MD, PhD
(Spain), Co-Chair of the 2010 IPA International Meeting

Thanks on behalf of the Organizing Committee of IPA 2010 International Meeting

Dear Colleagues, 

Now the IPA 2010 International Meeting has come to an end, I would like to share the satisfaction of the result with all members of the IPA and reiterate my thanks to all who have contributed to the event. I cannot think of a better way than transcribing the speech I gave at the inaugural event, held at the most noble Hall of the University of Santiago de Compostela.  

Inaugural Address of the IPA 2010 International Meeting
Noble Hall, Palacio de Fonseca, University of Santiago de Compostela
26 September 2010

Rector of the USC,
General Director of Dependence and Autonomy, Galician Government,
IPA President, Prof. Takeda,
Co-chair of this event, Dr. Manuel Franco,
Authorities present, 

Members of the boards of the collaborating societies, European Association of Geriatric Psychiary (EAGP), Associaçao Portuguesa de Gerontopsiquiatría (APGP), Sociedade Galega de Xeriatría and Xerontoloxía (SGXX), Sociedad Española de Médicos de Residencias (SEMER), Sociedad Española de Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria (semFYC), 

Dear Colleagues,

It is my honour to be here today before you representing not only the two co-organizing societies of this event, the International Psychogeriatric Association and the Spanish Psychogeriatric Society, but also the joint effort undertaken by members of the other societies that I have just mentioned. 

We are at this very moment formally opening an event the preparation of which has taken more than three years of work, although intensive preparation work has been confined to the last twelve months and I would like that my first words are to express my feelings of gratitude towards both the people and the institutions that have made possible that we have made it here. 

Please, accept my apologies because I will not be fair in expressing my gratitude as we cannot thank by name all the contributions and I will also be unable to fairly rank them by thanking first those who have done more than they could to end with those who apparently did not contribute as much as they were able to. But my gratitude to all of them is sincere.   

I'll start my thanks then in a chronological order by thanking the IPA that has trusted me to organize this event, to the IPA Meetings Committee and the Board of Directors, who decided to give me this responsibility. The support received from various scientific societies to defend the Santiago’s shared candidature, not to mention the Spanish Society of Psychogeriatrics which I represent here, my gratitude also to the Portuguese sister association, the Galician Gerontological Society, and European Association of Geriatric Psychiatry. 

In the preparation of the nomination, since the beginning up to this very moment, we have had the kind professional support of the Santiago de Compostela Convention Bureau, thank you very much, first to Chema, and then to Ana. 

Once the responsibility was ours, I would like to show a very special gratitude to the work of the Chairman of the Scientific Committee Knut Engedal, who has led along with the Scientific Committee the development of a comprehensive, high quality scientific program. He has been the "Nordic column of this meeting". The other column, the "American", the Secretariat of the IPA, thanks Susan, and thanks in the distance to Jennifer. 

To Manuel Franco, Co-Chair of the event, for being there to support me as only a friend can do.  

Thanks to all the many members of other committees that have contributed to the organization of the event; 

Thanks to the contributing scientific societies. Among these I would like to single out the contribution of the Associaçao Portuguesa de Gerontopsiquiatria that for the second time has crossed the border to hold its annual meeting in conjunction with our association; 

Thanks to the Galicia Geriatrics Society, and Spanish Association of Physicians working in Nursing Homes who have worked very actively in the preparation of the programme; they will be helping us all these days to keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. 

I am also appreciative of the role played by the institutions where I conduct my professional work. I am a Professor of a clinical discipline at this University, namely, Psychiatry, fortunately, with a teaching position attached to the clinical activity, which I perform at the Hospital Universitario de Santiago. I thank my university for seeing in a positive light that a professor gets their hands dirty in everyday care attention. I would not like to imagine that a conference of this nature could be entrusted to a professor who did not have this background. This is something I learned from my teachers, some of them remain my colleagues at the Department of Psychiatry of the USC; some regretfully are no longer with us.  

In this department the first thing I learned was one of the most solid values of my profession: devotion to the patient comes first and then ... well, we'll see. And this I was taught the only way it can ring true ... with their example. I appreciate it, as I publically acknowledged it recently on the occasion of the retirement of a good colleague of mine. Honestly, had it not been for examples like his, I feel I would have been able to muster the strength necessary to overcome the difficulties we have encountered throughout this journey more than once.  

The USC has given us access to its noble and functional facilities, its institutional support, its conference organization office; it has also provided us with accommodation at several residence halls that has allowed us to offer a program of grants for participants from developing countries; its Publications service has printed a superb book of Abstracts, its Broadcasting Service is recording the teaching sessions that will enrich the IPA teaching resources and broadcast the plenary sessions over the Internet, an added value to the prestige of the organizing associations. 

I would like to particularly thank the Rector of the USC and the Dean of the School of Medicine, on the awareness that behind them there have been many people that sometimes have done more than it was their duty and some others have fulfilled their duty with commitment, responsibility, effectiveness, efficiency and even good mood. But I would feel uncomfortable if I did not mention at least two names. I want to thank Olga, the Academic Events Director, and congratulate her on her dedication and professionalism. I also want to thank Juan Blanco, the director of the Publications Service of the USC, whose work has resulted in quite a remarkable, aesthetically present Abstracts Book – and in record time – which incidentally will be electronically available at the USC bank of publications within a year.  

Our Hospital has contributed by providing all professionals with every opportunity to attend the event; by granting the support of its press office, and through the IDICHUS Foundation by devising a scholarship program to support the Residents wishing to attend the event. 

I think everyone can imagine that seeking financial support in a time of economic crisis has resulted in a fun adventure for the two co-chairs of the conference. I want to thank the collaboration of the pharmaceutical industry and all entities that are listed in the program for their financial support. Among non-governmental institutions, I would like to underscore the role of Caixa Galicia, which has provided a noble venue for the Public Lecture. 

As the program was coming into shape, dozens, then hundreds of abstracts were submitted, which has allowed us to come up with a quality program. Thanks to all participants, and especially to the distinguished colleagues who will be delivering the plenary lectures. Perhaps a bigger thank you is in order for those colleagues who came from farther away, America, Asia, Oceania … 

We thank the Unions that once the program was closed they announced a general strike in Spain, coinciding with the last day of the conference as this brought out our Galician “retranca” allowing us offer to our Japanese president an original gift, a strike ... Japanese style. 

We thank the Welfare Department of the Galician Government for its support by providing a grant scheme to support the participation of their professionals in the event and their acceptance to participate institutionally in the symposium which examines the challenges faced in creating psychosocial services in our rural areas. 

Whichever way I decide to cut the list of acknowledgments, I feel that I should never leave out a mention to someone I have had no choice but to repeatedly appeal to throughout this journey, I mean the Patron of our city. A city that incidentally represents as not many can do the motto of the conference, "Diversity, Collaboration, Dignity." 

Respectfully from my reverent agnosticism, thank you lord St. James, because a year ago, other than you and my wife, who would have thought that we would be able to bring together more than 700 professionals from 40 countries for an event that stretched almost one week?. For this and other miracles, such as being able to get accommodation in a Holy Year for forgetful delegates as late as a few days ago, thank you very much, Mr. Santiago.  

A thousand times thank you to you all; you can imagine the effort involved, (and if you cannot, all the better for you), but for me and for many who have pulled together to see how we were to some extent making the aforementioned motto of the meeting, "Diversity, .... Collaborative ...” true meant that all this was worth every effort.  

I have always thought that organizing a conference should never be an end but a means; that European or global convergence in Psychogeriatrics would be useless unless it contributes to strengthening the leadership of national societies, in the same way that a national society would make little sense if it does not contribute to support local leaders. 

Modestly, I think that we have moved in that direction. No doubt we have made mistakes, some will be evident to you, others ... please do not ask me to expose them, but I take responsibility for them all and I ask of you understanding and that you report them in your evaluation questionnaire to help IPA to improve next time. 

Now let's see if we – in the work we will be conducting these days and with the necessary complicity of the authorities –manage to attain the third concept of the motto of this conference, and improve a little the Dignity in the treatment of older people with mental problems. 

Once again, many thanks to all!

Raimundo Mateos
Co-Chair of the 2010 IPA International Meeting