Psychiatrists and other dignitaries during the conference at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research on Friday. (Express Photo) Psychiatrists and other dignitaries during the conference at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research on Friday. (Express Photo)

Topics related to mental health issues among elderly people were delivered by several psychiatrists during a conference at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research on Friday.

Organised by the Indian Association of Geriatric Mental Health (IAGMH), the conference was inaugurated by PGIMER director Jagat Ram and Emeritus Professor Dr N N Wig, the former head of the department of psychiatry, PGIMER.

A PGI statement said the conference, which discussed various topics related to mental health among the elderly, is being attended by around 600 mental health professionals from all over the country.

Professor Ajit Avasthi, the president of the IAGMH, presented his address titled, “Bringing Dementia Care Back into Psychiatry”. Every year, the IAGMH holds its annual conference at various places across the country and this year it is being held in Chandigarh. It is the 13th Annual National Conference of the IAGMH, which is being organised by the department of psychiatry, PGIMER.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Integrated Care for the Elderly”. According to the PGI doctors, at present the elderly or senior citizens comprise nearly 8 per cent of the country’s population and India is currently in the category of a greying country which is likely to increase to 18.4 per cent by 2025.

“The life expectancy of an average Indian has also increased from 36.7 years in 1951 to over 64.6 years in 2000 which has contributed to the increase in the population of the elderly,” the PGI statement said.

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