2nd Symposium of HM Queen Mathilde of Belgium on 'Mental Health of Older Adults'

2nd Symposium of HM Queen Mathilde of Belgium on 'Mental Health of Older Adults'

Dear Colleagues,

On October 2, 2024, the 2nd Symposium of HM Queen Mathilde of Belgium on 'Mental Health of Older Adults' took place at the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium in Brussels. During a year of intensive preparations, Prof. Mirko Petrovic (UGent), the President of EuGMS, representing the Koninklijke Academie voor Geneeskunde van België, collaborated with Prof. Eric Constant (ULiège), on behalf of the Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique. Maintaining contact with HM the Queen, they coordinated five working groups and drafted advice for policymakers. Prof. Petrovic, who served as the coordinator of the scientific program and as co-author and editor of the recommendations from both academies (Dutch and French-speaking), had the honor, alongside Prof. Constant and in the presence of HM the Queen, to present the academies' advice and the conclusions from the five workshops.

It was an important and memorable day for the mental care of older adults in Belgium, drawing royal attention and interest! At the same time, it provided significant support for our formulated advice to genuinely influence policy.

The symposium program featured outstanding keynote presentations by Dr. Hans Kluge (Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organization), Professor Hilde Vrebeek (Maastricht University, Netherlands), and Professor Emily McDonald (McGill University, Montreal, Canada). They presented on the following topics: A Revolutionary Shift in Mental Health for Older Adults, Innovative Living Arrangements for Older Persons: How the Environment Contributes to Daily Life and Mental Health, and Mental Health and Older Adults: The ABCs of Appropriate Prescribing in Belgium and Canada, respectively.

During the preparations, several key issues emerged:

We must move away from solely medical treatments and the indiscriminate use of medications in older adults; prevention, mental health, and overall well-being should take precedence.

Older adults should be empowered to make as many decisions as possible regarding their care trajectory. This approach ensures that they feel valued and heard as full members of society.

The training of caregivers must be enhanced to better equip them to understand and address the specific biological, psychological, and social needs of older adults.

Mirko Petrovic

(EuGMS President)