Alzheimer's Association Update

ore than 1,000 physicians, advanced practice nurses, and hysician assistants convened in Orlando Nov. 3–5 at the ifth Annual Dementia Congress, a continuing medical ducation conference supported through an unrestricted ducational grant from Eisai Inc. and Pfizer Inc., and ointly sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, the CLA Center on Aging, and the Academy for Healthcare ducation. Over the three-day meeting, a slate of distinuished faculty with international distinction in clinical esearch and practice presented current concepts and opinon in diagnosis, treatment, and care. The overall goal of the Dementia congress is to encourge a positive clinical attitude toward active medical mangement of dementia over the course of the illness from iagnosis through the end of life. The event features keyote addresses, general interest sessions, and three breakut tracks geared to members of the primary care team, eurologists and psychiatrists. Attendees are free to move rom one track to another to take advantage of specific resentations that serve their educational goals. All preentations and meals are free of charge to attendees. Each annual program kicks off with a “hot topics” anel moderated by congress chair David S. Geldmacher, .D., in which track leaders and other selected faculty ebate high-interest emerging issues. Topics tackled by his year’s panel included the potential for future therapies o be both symptomatic and disease modifying; possible iological mechanisms underlying the impact of cardioascular disease on cognition; and the applicability of arious positron emission tomography (PET) imaging echniques to presymptomatic diagnosis. Panelists addressed “hot topics” in the order selected by ttendees via a state-of-the-art, real-time interactive keyad response system. Featured in all sessions, the keypads rovide a means for attendees to answer questions, offer pinions, and evaluate faculty and educational content mmediately following presentations. With the exception f faculty and content ratings, all feedback is instantly uantified and displayed on the presentation projection creens. Audience participation is also encouraged through requent question-and-answer opportunities. Key concepts emerging from congress sessions inluded the following: