Jothydev’s Professional Education Forum (JPEF) Geriatrics CME was organized by P.Kesavadev Trust in association with Geriatric Society of India. The CME discussed and debated the science and psycho social aspects of the care of the elderly.

The CME was held at Hotel Hilton Garden Inn on 29th March 2015 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Adv. Mrs. Elizabeth Antony formally inaugurated the event. She emphasised the importance of committed doctors and social workers for an organised geriatric care program for Kerala. Mrs. Elizabeth Antony is the founding President of Navoothan Charitable Foundation; a non-profit organization that primarily works in providing assistance to Cancer detection and prevention causes in Kerala and New Delhi. She is also the founding President of NCF Legal Sakhi - a legal non-profit that gives free legal aid to war widows and underprivileged women.

The CME started with deliberation by Ms.Shanti Sharma (New Delhi) who discussed the issues of ‘Elderly Lone Woman Coping with Life.’ She lectured on psychosocial issues of lone elderly women. Successful prolongation of lifespan should be associated with preservation in quality of life, she said. Ms. Sunitha Jothydev, Psychologist, Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centre chaired the session. Dr. O.P.Sharma (New Delhi), General Secretary of Geriatric Society of India discussed the merits and demerits of old age homes vs one's own house in his lecture ‘Are Old Age Homes Better than One’s Own House’. The session was chaired by Dr. S. Madhusudanan.

Dr. Ranjit Unnikrishnan (Chennai) and Dr. R.M. Anjana (Chennai) spoke about a nationwide study and importance of daily physical activity in the elderly. The sessions were chaired by Dr. Arun Shankar, Consultant Diabetologist and Unit Head, Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centre, Trivandrum and Dr.Thomas Mathew respectively. The study revealed that not even 10% of the elderly exercise as per the recommendations. The prevalence of smoking is more and alcohol less in the elderly population compared to younger population. Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, spoke on ‘AGS-ADA Guidelines – Judicious Choice of Diabetes Therapies in the Elderly’ where international treatment guidelines specific to diabetes in the elderly, wherein which blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol targets are decided based on the remaining life expectancy of an individual, were discussed. Unsuccessful treatment of diabetes, resulting from unawareness and cost concerns are the major reasons for occurrence of multiple devastating complications in old age, requiring more than 5 fold increases in expenses and added mental depression. The session was chaired by Dr. Ramesan Pillai.

Dr. P.K.B Nayar, Director, Centre for Gerontological Studies, spoke on the non-medical interventions in geriatric care during his lecture ‘Non-medical dimensions of Geriatric Treatment with Focus on the Elderly in Kerala’. The session was chaired by Ms. Sunitha Jothydev. Psychiatrist Dr. Arun B Nair described the presence of depression, agitated behaviour, loss of sleep and the need for intimate loving partnership between the couple during old age, in his lecture ‘The Elderly Loving Couple: why they fight’. The session was chaired by Dr. Devin Prabhakar. Dr. Beena Unnikrishnan, Nephrologist, highlighted the importance of judicious selection and combination of multiple drugs considering the age associated deterioration in kidney function so as to prevent serious adverse effects. The session was chaired by Dr.Thomas Titus.

The Geriatrics CME emphasised the need for planning for healthy ageing right from the age of 30 years, adopting healthy lifestyles, scientific management of chronic illness, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol etc., yearly executive tests and preventive vaccination. The CME saw a participation of 150 delegates including doctors, psychology faculty and students, representatives of various geriatric organizations including the Senior Citizens Forum, Help Age India etc.