SLAGM promotes good health and wellbeing of seniors

The Sri Lanka Association of Geriatric Medicine (SLAGM) is the only professional body to widen its scope to include all members of a multi- disciplinary team.

It was established in 2014 with Dr. Lalith Wijayaratne as its Founder and Dr. Dilhar Samarawera as Founder-President.

The SLAGM was formed with the goal of promoting good health and wellbeing among senior citizens, as it is essential to have current knowledge in managing the elderly, with the discipline of geriatrics being in its infancy in Sri Lanka, it is learnt.

It supports networking among different professionals, keeping in mind the model of multi-disciplinary care which includes doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, pharmacists and social workers.

This association is the key professional organization in introducing training for the multidisciplinary team which should be looking after elderly patients.

The common diseases of the elderly include falls, sarcopenia (degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass), neurodegenerative conditions, cognitive impairment, osteoporosis and malnutrition.