Urgent Need for More Geriatric Training for Healthcare Professionals Focus of Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing 2/26/2002
From: Amber McCracken of the Alliance for Aging Research, 202-293-2856 News Advisory: Americans over the age of 65 represent over one-half of physician visits annually, yet only a small percent of healthcare professionals actually have specific training to appropriately care for this population. With the number of Americans over 65 expected to double within 30 years, our healthcare system is woefully unprepared to handle the inevitable surge of geriatric patients. This serious but overlooked problem is highlighted in "Medical Never-Never Land: 10 Reasons Why America is Not Ready for the Coming Age Boom," a new report by the Alliance for Aging Research that will be released at a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on this critical issue. The report highlights the crisis in the lack of formal training of healthcare professionals to care for the elderly. Consider the following: -- Of the 650,000 physicians in the United States, there are only 9000 physicians with geriatric certification -- Less than 1 percent of nurses have geriatric certification -- Less that 1/2 percent of almost 200,000 pharmacists have such certification What: "Patients in Peril: Critical Shortages in Geriatric Care." A Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on the urgent need for more geriatric training for healthcare professionals. The hearing will feature the release of a new report by the Alliance for Aging Research and an appearance by a panel of patients and experts. Other patients will be available for comment following the conclusion of the hearing. When: Feb. 27, 9 a.m. Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628 Who: -- Sen. John Breaux (D-La.), chairman, Senate Special Committee on Aging -- Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) ranking member, Senate Special Committee on Aging -- Daniel Perry, executive director, Alliance for Aging Research -- Steven Bizdok, patient -- Dr. Charles Cefalu, board member of the American Geriatrics Society -- Claudia Beverly, Ph.D., RN, associate director of the Reynolds Center on Aging -- Michael Martin, executive director, Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy |