Medicine of Older People

Friday 6 February

Conferences & Symposia

Fri 6 Feb

09:25 - 16:30

Online

Activity code: 6 credits applied for

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Overview

Please note registered delegates can view this event on catch-up for up to 28 days following the live event until 6 March 2025.

Join us for this year's Medicine of Older People symposium, where we will focus on the themes of palliative and anticipatory care in the older adult, managing risk, stroke and neurology and trauma.

By the end of the symposium participants will be able to accurately identify and initiate appropriate initial management of a range of neurological and trauma presentations including small vessel disease, post stroke depression, epilepsy and traumatic injuries. This includes demonstrating improved recognition of small vessel disease and post stroke depression and confidently assessing the acute older trauma patient and communicating with neurosurgical colleagues.

Organising Committee:
Dr James Woods, Chair, Organising Committee
Dr Gordon Duncan
Dr Sarah Galloway
Dr Catriona Moles
Dr Christina Ryan
Dr Imogen Smith

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Programme

Friday 6 February 2026

09.00	Livestream Opens
09.25	Welcome Professor Andrew Elder, President, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Session 1 Palliative and anticipatory care in the older adult

Chair: Dr Imogen Smith, Consultant Physician, St John’s Hospital, NHS Lothian

09.30	Palliative care in the acute hospital * when can palliative medicine add to geriatric care? *management of pain & agitation in older person at end of life
10.00	Moving palliative care into community: benefits to the older person * challenges & benefits of palliative care in the community vs hospice / hospital * how to safely discharge your dying patient (with clinical cases)
10.30	End of life care in care homes * how to provide high quality care & anticipatory care for care home residents * challenges * new models of care
11.00	Break

Session 2 Managing Risk

Chair: Dr Christina Ryan, Consultant Physician, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

11.20	Realistic prescribing for diabetes in the older adult * when should we loosen our grip on tight glycaemic control? * how to de-escalate type 2 treatments as our patients get frailer / approach EOL * how to avoid diabetic ketoacidosis in the frail type 1 patient
11.50	KEYNOTE LECTURE Chair: Professor Andrew Elder, President, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Dignity in risk – balancing safety with patient autonomy Professor Ken Rockwood, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health, Canada
12.40	Lunch Break

Session 3 Stroke and Neurology

Chair: Dr Catriona Moles, STR Geriatric Medicine, NHS Lothian

13.30	Assessing and managing small vessel disease in the older adult * when to suspect small vessel disease * diagnosing small vessel disease – radiological features & neuroimaging reporting * patient has small vessel disease on imaging what should I do now? * role of secondary prevention * what does ‘best care’ look like?
14.00	Post stroke depression and cognitive impairment * when to suspect post stroke depression – who is at risk of post stroke depression * how does it present? * what should a geriatrician know about management of post stroke depression * interaction with fatigue, anxiety, apathy and dementia?
14.30	Epilepsy in the older adult: a global perspective * a global perspective on epilepsy including resource poor settings with a focus on older adults * choosing the right medication * risk factors & prognosis
15.00	Break

Session 4 Trauma

Chair: Dr James Woods, Consultant Physician, NHS Fife

15.20	Trauma assessment and management in the older adult * how is the assessment & management of trauma changing (including role of national trauma networks) * how can geriatricians add value to the older adult presenting with trauma
15.50	Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries * when to contact neurosurgery & what information does the neurosurgeon need? * practical assessment & management of C Spine injuries - does my patient need a hard collar? * acute assessment & management of traumatic brain injuries including haemorrhage
16.30	Close & Thanks

Please note that on occassion, programmes may be subject to change due to unforseen circumstances.

Fees

Not a Member of RCPE? By joining the College, you can save up to 100% on event fees for our symposia, courses and Evening Medical Update programme. Find out more about joining the College and our membership benefits via our membership webpages.

	Fee £
Standard Fee	£265
RCPE Fellow, Collegiate & Associate Member	£165
Allied Health Professional	£165
RCPE Retired Fellow	£70
RCPE Foundation Member	£70
RCPE Fellow in low or lower-middle income country	£0
RCPE Student Member	£0

Long-term/other leave: Fellows and Members of RCPE, please contact the event coordinator as some discretion may be available.

Trainees: Scotland Deanery medical specialty trainees can attend any number of eligible symposia for one-off payment from their study leave budget via the Block Grant Scheme

Fellows Vouchers: If you’d like to use your Fellows Voucher to attend this Symposia please contact bookings@rcpe.ac.uk.

Unpaid posts: If RCPE Member please provide confirmation of status to the event coordinator in order to access this event for free.

Refugee doctors: Free places are available to refugee doctors who are Associate Members of RCPE, please contact the event coordinator for more information. Associate Membership for refugee doctors is available free of charge, please visit our membership pages for more information on joining the College as a refugee doctor.

Invoices: If you wish your employer/organisation to be invoiced for this event, please contact the event coordinator. Payment via invoice is not available while booking online.

Cancellation/Refund policy: If you have to cancel your place within 14 days of this event, we regret that we are unable to provide a refund.

If you are no longer able to attend in-person, you can still view the event online. The event will be available to view on-demand for 28 days after the live event, therefore, there is still an opportunity to view the talks if you are not able to attend on the day.

Booking Terms & Conditions: Please read the College’s full event booking Ts&Cs regarding event changes, CPD, and data protection in the event policies section on our Event FAQ pages.

Further information

Certificates

All relevant events are approved for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). To receive a CPD certificate delegates must have completed the online feedback survey. The survey will close 28 days after the original broadcast of the event at 23:59 on 6 March 2025, with certificates being issued shortly after this. The survey cannot be completed after it has closed.

Catch-up

Registered delegates can view this event on catch-up for up to 28 days following the live event until 6 March 2025. Please note that in line with Federation rules, the CPD period is 28 days from the live event. To obtain a CPD certificate you must complete the online feedback survey by 23:59 on 6 March 2025.

If you are unable to attend this event live but would like to view this event for 28 days post-event and qualify for a CPD certificate (if feedback is completed), please register before the live event is due to take place in order to be given access. It is not possible to register for catch-up viewing after the live event has taken place.

Event co-ordinator

Orela Deane

Telephone

+ 44 (0)131 247 3659

o.deane@rcpe.ac.uk

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