The renowned neurologist from Harvard University is taking part in the conference on geriatrics organised by the Fundación Premios Rei Jaume I and CEU Cardenal Herrera University

CEU Cardenal Herrera University and the Fundación Premios Rei Jaume I jointly organised the ‘Geriatrics’ conference, which featured several specialists in the field who spoke to a packed hall, thanks to the prestige of the participants.
The keynote speaker was Dr Álvaro Pascual-Leone, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA), who spoke on ‘Vulnerability to memory decline with ageing’. Dr Pascual-Leone has served on the jury for the Rei Jaume I Prizes on several occasions and praised the foundation’s track record and its role in the advancement of science in Spain.
During his talk, he presented evidence that the brain learns and changes throughout a person’s entire life. He explained that around the age of 55, certain as yet unknown processes begin which, in a growing number of people, lead to a change in the brain that, in one in two elderly people, results in cognitive decline. In many cases, this results in a form of dementia. “The rest of the elderly population have to care for those who are ill, which therefore affects everyone.” For this reason, he supports the WHO’s assertion that “we must prevent dementia and promote healthy ageing, or the social progress we have achieved will be lost, given the clear increase in the number of older people in developed countries.”

The day began with a presentation on ‘Comprehensive geriatric assessment as a care tool’, delivered by Miguel Picher, a visiting lecturer in the Department of Nursing. Dr Picher discussed the value of comprehensive geriatric assessment as a fundamental tool for care centred on older people. “This methodology,” said Dr Picher, “enables us to identify the most common geriatric syndromes and tailor clinical interventions and care to the actual needs of each patient, promoting more personalised, comprehensive and higher-quality care.”

Dr Vicente Benavent, assistant professor in the Department of Physiotherapy at CEU Cardenal Herrera University, provided an overview of the last ten years of development and implementation of multi-component physical exercise programmes for older people – both those in care homes and those living in the community – developed by his team. His presentation was entitled “From the community setting to the care home: implementation of recreational physical exercise programmes for older people”. He highlighted his most recent recreational exercise programme, FEXO, and its integration into the +SALUD Mayores initiative, currently being rolled out in the community, which has demonstrated that, if exercise is enjoyable, outcomes for older people improve.

Dr Lucrecia Moreno, a professor in the Department of Pharmacy, spoke about ‘Early detection of cognitive decline in community pharmacies: results from the DeCo Chair’, an initiative developed by her research group, sponsored by the College of Pharmacists, in which pharmacies contribute to the early detection of cognitive decline, given that patients’ visits to the pharmacy – particularly those taking multiple medications – outnumber their visits to the doctor. “That neighbourhood atmosphere,” explained the professor, “facilitates the identification of the problem up to two years before the patient consults a doctor about their memory lapses, and, once referred by the pharmacy to a GP, delays the onset of these symptoms.”
To explain her approach, which has resulted in numerous articles, the doctor stated that “the DeCo MICOF-CEU UCH Chair promotes an innovative model that integrates cognitive screening, medication review and artificial intelligence into community pharmacies, making the pharmacist a key player in the early detection of dementia and linking the pharmacy to the healthcare system.”

The opening ceremony was presided over by Alicia López Castellano, Vice-Rector for Research at CEU Cardenal Herrera University; Javier Quesada, Executive President of the Rei Jaume I Prizes; and María Miranda, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

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