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The Summer Course "The Geriatric Education in Europe" took place from the 11th to the 13th of July 2007 at the Royal Monastery of Yuste (Cáceres, Spain).

It is organised on an annual basis by the Yuste European Academy Foundation and receives support from the European Commission, the Government of Extremadura, the universities of Salamanca and Extremadura and the British Geriatrics Society. I had the pleasure to attend the course as part of a small delegation of UK-based Geriatric Medicine trainees selected by the BGS. Delegations came also from Brazil, Argentina, Chile and several Spanish centres. The course fees, accommodation, meals and transport were all courtesy of the Foundation. It was a worthwhile experience which I would strongly recommend to any Geriatric Medicine student or trainee.

The speakers were of the highest quality including Juan Florencio Macías Núñez and José Miguel López Novoa (Salamanca), Sinead O'Mahony and Anthony Bayer (Cardiff), Mark Cottee (London) and Roberto Kaplan (Buenos Aires).

The language of the course was English with simultaneous translation into Spanish. The programme was comprehensive and ranged from the major topics in Clinical Geriatrics to current concepts in molecular biology of ageing. There were also reflections on Geriatric Medicine training from a cross-national comparative focus, a session on international scientific communication and clinical case-based discussions in the end. It was both educational and fun.

The Monasterio was built in the 15th Century and it is still inhabited by monks. It is situated on top of a green hill next to the Sierra de Gredos, overlooking the region of Cáceres. Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) chose it as the place of his retirement, so historical references can be found all over the place. All the lectures were held in the open under the monastery arches. Photos were posted on the Fundación website.

Roman Romero-Ortuno
SHO Care of the Elderly
St Mary’s Hospital

BGS Newsletter, October 2007
Issue 13 ISSN 1748-6343 13