For Dionissis Savvopoulos it only took one dive into his own verse: There is the short time, the natural time that changes with the seasons, and the big time, the time of our hearts, the one that is determined by our own personal moments and the one that belongs to us and marks our lives. For Titos Patrikios, time can be a poem that connects the past with the present, creating a new image of the present – like the poems he continues to write in his 91st year. And time is independent of creation: Mozart started to compose before turning ten years old, Goethe wrote his greatest works when he was 70 years old. For the writer and academic Thanassis Valtinos, time is ultimately determined by what is impressed upon our memory. For the internationally renowned professor of endocrinology Dr. Fotis Pavlatos, time is the one that sustains the torch of knowledge and ties one generation to the next. And for Katia Dandoulaki, Maro Kontou and Marinella, time is a personal choice associated with will and creativity: our age is where we want it to be and is not linked to a birth date on an identity card. All of the above-mentioned, together with the Professor of Surgery Dr. Dionissis Voros, and the Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery Dr. Sotiris Prapas, were present at the special event held on October 1st at the Amphitheater of the Henry Dunant Hospital Center, occasioned by the International Day of Older Persons during which the Geriatric Assessment Center that operates within the health-care facility was officially presented.
It is the only center of excellence in Greece that offers people over 65 years old the opportunity to diagnose and treat a wide range of disorders, such as chronic illnesses and geriatric syndromed (repeated falls, mental and physical decline, taking of multiple medications, weight loss, urinary incontinence, dizziness/instability, osteoporosis, sarcopenia etc.). The main objective is for them to optimize their health condition and maintain their quality of life and autonomy.
"Geriatrics deals with the elderly and fills the gaps between what we were taught during our medical specialization and reality, the gaps between a repaired fracture and a functional return home, the gap between vulnerability and recovery of functionality…", said Dr. Natassa Koutsouri, Director of the Geriatric Assessment Center and of the 1st Pathological Department of Henry Dunant Hospital Center, adding that Geriatrics, as a specialty, "goes beyond medicine that is only focused on human organs, offering additional treatment within a multidisciplinary-interdisciplinary team".
"We have created and strengthened the Geriatric Assessment Center not only because we consider it necessary to support the elderly, but primarily because we invest in innovative, specialized centers of excellence, following the most up-to-date international practices," pointed out Mr. Themos Charamis, President and CEO of the Henry Dunant Hospital Center.
On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, in addition to the aforementioned discussion with intellectuals and cultural figures, the Geriatric Assessment Center organizes a series of activities and events by the end of the week under the general heading "Growing Up". More specifically:
From Tuesday October 1st until Saturday October 5th, a Photography Exhibition and Video Installation will take place at the Henry Dunant Amphitheater, presenting original works of the photographers Marilena Stafilidou and Panos Mazarakis.
The exhibition is open to the public, with free admission, from 11:00. until 18:00.
On Saturday, October 5th, a Scientific Conference (Geriatrics: The Specialty of the Future) will take place at the Henry Dunant Amphitheater (08:30 - 15:00). The Scientific Conference, which is credit-allocated by the Panhellenic Medical Association, will bring together doctors and health professionals specialized in Geriatrics, as well as Prof. Nele Van Den Noortgate, President of the European Academy for Medicine of Ageing. The President of the European Geriatric Medicine Society, Prof. Athanasios Benetos, will give a speech.
