Digital ageism: are we designing older people out of healthcare?

Dear colleagues,
dear friends and supporters of geriatric medicine,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the continuation of our Geriatrics Seminar Series. With the 2026 annual program, we once again set new standards – scientifically, didactically, and in terms of content – while continuing our mission to further develop geriatrics as an academically grounded, interdisciplinary, and forward-looking field. Geriatrics operates at the intersection of medicine, technology, and society – and it is precisely here that we aim to build bridges, connecting clinical excellence, research, and education. Geriatrics exemplifies the medicine of the future: complex, interconnected, and profoundly human.

With international participation, innovative formats, and a clear scientific focus, we are creating a space for reflection, exchange, and progress. A major milestone is the new interactive platform geriatrics-update.com – a digital knowledge network that links continuing education, research, and clinical practice. It enables direct dialogue between clinical care, science, and society, and is unique in its form in Switzerland.

The 2026 program reflects the breadth and depth of modern geriatric medicine: from longevity and muscle health to delirium management, digitalization and artificial intelligence, geriatric oncology, empathy, and ethical leadership. These topics mirror the evolution of a discipline that extends far beyond daily clinical work, touching on fundamental questions of quality of life, meaning, and sustainability.