Tuesday, 23rd June Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

SPACES ARE LIMITED, PRE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

Join Dr Desmond Graham, Chief Medical Officer at Geriatric Care Australia, and featuring a Q&A panel on proactive care with Dr Stephanie Daly & Caroline Gibson.

About the symposium:

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is increasingly recognised as a heterogeneous, potentially modifiable clinical state rather than a single pre-dementia pathway. In day-to-day practice, cognitive symptoms rarely occur in isolation: they intersect with frailty, sarcopenia, malnutrition and multimorbidity, driving functional decline, falls, hospitalisation, and loss of independence. This presentation provides a contemporary, practical framework for clinicians to assess and manage MCI through a “cognition–function–nutrition” lens.

We will review modern definitions and phenotypes of MCI, including how to differentiate neurodegenerative trajectories from reversible or contributory factors (medications, sleep, mood, sensory impairment, delirium vulnerability, and systemic illness). We will then explore the bidirectional links between cognitive impairment and frailty biology, shared inflammation, hormonal changes, inactivity, and social determinants, and how sarcopenia and poor nutritional status amplify cognitive and functional risk.

Attendees will be guided through an integrated assessment approach that pairs brief cognitive screening with functional evaluation (ADLs/IADLs, gait speed, balance), frailty and sarcopenia screening, and structured nutritional assessment (weight loss history, protein/energy intake, swallowing/dental issues). Evidence-informed management strategies will be discussed, emphasising multidisciplinary care and targeted interventions: resistance and balance training, optimisation of protein and energy intake, addressing vitamin and micronutrient deficits where relevant, medication rationalisation, and goal-oriented care planning.

Using case vignettes and actionable tools, the session will highlight referral pathways, monitoring metrics, and communication strategies to support patients and families, including telehealth-enabled follow-up and links with community and aged care services. The aim is to shift practice from “diagnose and watch” to proactive, measurable care that preserves function and supports healthy ageing.