Polish Geriatrics Conferences Call for Integrated Senior Care and Workforce Boost

Two recent conferences in Poland highlighted the growing need to embed geriatrics into the mainstream health system. The national meeting "Geriatria w systemie i w praktyce" was held on 22‑23 May 2026 in Białystok, gathering geriatricians, policy makers and health‑care officials. Speakers warned that without a coordinated approach the country faces higher complication rates, unnecessary hospitalisations and rising costs from fragmented, multi‑drug treatments.

A separate event at the Academy of Silesia in Rybnik focused on the economic and social dimensions of an aging population. Experts stressed the shortage of geriatric doctors—about 400 active specialists—and the looming deficit of nurses needed for senior care. The conference also discussed the "silver economy," mental‑health support for seniors, and the new Law on coordinated long‑term care that aims to link doctors, institutions and families around the wellbeing of older adults.