Advances in geriatric legislation highlight collaboration for care as we get older

New York (January 31, 2019) – The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced its unwavering support for the bipartisan staff development law, which was proposed by the US Senate to ensure to communities throughout the United States access to health professionals and others. critical support improve care for all of us as we get older.

Presented by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), The bill seeks to address the shortage of expertly trained health care professionals to care for seniors, and also includes support for seniors, caregivers and seniors. interprofessional teams responsible for providing high quality care. The bill builds on strong ideas from the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), a collaboration of more than 30 member organizations, including AGS, which reflects the diverse expertise of millions of professionals who support health and wellness. aging in older Americans.

"The future for which we work at AGS – a future where all older Americans have access to high quality, person-centered care – begins with building the necessary workforce." to make this happen and by ensuring that the workforce can connect with the tools and support we need as we get older, "said Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA, Executive Director of AGS. "We congratulate Sens. Collins and Casey have worked with us and our partners to make this future a reality with the Geriatric Staff Improvement Act. By adhering to this law, we are committed to a future where all Americans can expect affordable, high-quality, person-centered care. "

The Geriatric Staff Improvement Act supports two essential goals for geriatric health professionals, the elderly and millions of caregivers across America. First, the bill would formally establish and authorize the funding of the Geriatric Workforce Strengthening Program (GWEP), the only federal program designed to increase the number of health professionals with the skills and competency in the field. training needed to care for the elderly. The GWEP was launched in 2015 by the Health Services and Resource Administration (HRSA). 44 grants of three years duration were awarded to fellows in 29 states where the shortage of manpower is particularly pronounced. This important legislation will provide $ 45 million per year under the Global Drinking Water Program through 2024, which will enable current and future Fellows to:

• Educate and engage family caregivers by training providers who can badess and respond to their care needs and preferences.
• Promote interprofessional team-based care by transforming clinical training environments to integrate geriatric and primary care systems.
• Improve the quality of care provided to seniors by educating families and caregivers about critical care issues such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

The bill would also re-authorize the Geriatric Academic Career Awards (GACA), a program that has enabled the career development of hundreds of clinician educators (so named because they excel at taking care of elderly people and in the training of others). The program was eliminated in 2015 by consolidating several training programs. However, HRSA announced at the end of last year that it would bring back the program. The bill will authorize a GACA funding of $ 6 million per year until 2024. Since 1998, the first beneficiaries of the GACA program have trained up to 65,000 colleagues in the field of geriatrics and have contributed geriatric training, research and leadership in the United States. moment for the field. Researchers reporting in 2017 on the impact of GACA noted that without a substantial increase in funding for geriatric training and research, the US could "decimate a critical workforce for training professionals in the field of geriatric medicine. to the specific health needs of the elderly ".

The introduction of this important legislation follows announcements of HRSA funding opportunities in November 2018, making each program more exploitable even as legislation reaches Congress. HRSA plans to fund 47 GWEP for five years and 26 GACA for four years. The authorization of the GWEPs and GACAs, as defined in the Geriatric Workforce Improvement Act, will help ensure that the HRSA receives funding to advance these training programs. vital numbers for geriatrics.

"This law supports health professionals and clinical educators engaged in geriatric education and research," said Lundebjerg. "The GWEP is providing support for the current transformation of primary care, while GACA is developing the next generation of innovators to improve outcomes and delivery of care." Together, these platforms play a vital role in the development of the community. workforce that we all need as we get older. "

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Support from the United States voters will be essential for lawmakers to recognize the importance of this legislative proposal. For more information on how to contact your US Senators, visit the AGS Health in Aging Advocacy Center at cqrcengage.com/geriatrics.

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a national society of geriatric health professionals, nonprofit, which has been working for 75 years to improve health, health and wellness. independence and quality of life of the elderly. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family physicians, medical badistants, pharmacists and internists. The Society provides leadership to health professionals, policy makers and the public by implementing and advocating for patient care, research, professional and public education and public policy programs. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.