Sleep and Ageing: Recognising, Assessing and Managing Sleep Disorders in Later Life

Sleep and Ageing: Recognising, Assessing and Managing Sleep Disorders in Later Life is organized by The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and will be held on Feb 02, 2027 at The Royal Society of Medicine, London, England, United Kingdom.

Description:
Join the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) Sleep Medicine Section for this one-day meeting providing a clinically focused update on recognising, assessing and managing sleep problems in later life. Through expert presentations, clinical examples and panel discussions, participants will develop a clear understanding of age-related sleep changes, common sleep disorders and the factors that make diagnosis and treatment more complex in older adults.

Sleep patterns change throughout later life. However, persistent poor sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness and disrupted sleep shouldn’t automatically be accepted as consequences of ageing. Sleep disorders in older adults may be overlooked, present differently from those in younger people or be complicated by physical illness, mental health conditions, cognitive impairment, frailty and medication use. This multidisciplinary meeting will give attendees the knowledge and practical skills to distinguish normal age-related changes in sleep from clinically significant sleep disorders.

Aims of the event:

• To provide healthcare professionals with up-to-date knowledge and practical clinical skills to distinguish expected age-related sleep changes from clinically significant sleep disorders, and to assess and manage sleep problems in older adults safely and effectively
• To explore current and future research into the role of sleep therapies in detecting and treating neurodegeneration.

Learning outcomes:
By attending this meeting, participants will be able to:

• Differentiate expected age-related changes in sleep from symptoms indicative of a clinically significant sleep disorder
• Apply a structured approach to assessing sleep problems in older adults, taking account of physical and mental health conditions, cognition, frailty, medication and environmental factors
• Evaluate behavioural, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management options, including their benefits, limitations and potential risks in later life
• Identify when further investigation, specialist referral or multidisciplinary input may be needed.