An AGS Members Only Resource
AGS members play essential roles in raising awareness of the vital importance of geriatrics care, research, and education among the Media and the public, and in influencing legislation that affects the quality of care for older Americans.
Keep in mind that writing for and preparing to give interviews with the Media doesn't have to be time-consuming - the AGS has numerous publications and other resources that you can use as sources of information for letters, Op Eds or columns or as "talking points" in interviews.
Volunteer to Work with the Media
AGS staffers in New York often get calls from reporters looking for geriatricians to interview for articles and stories. If you feel comfortable giving interviews about specific topics, click here to register to become a member of our media contact database.
Rest assured that telling us that you're interested in giving interviews doesn't obligate you to agree to give any particular interview. If we get a call from a reporter who wants to talk to someone with your background, we'll check with you to find out if you want to talk to him or her about the subject at hand, and whether you can fit an interview into your schedule. We'll do our best to ensure you have as much time to prepare, and as much assistance, as possible. Because reporters are often on tight deadlines, however, they frequently ask to be referred to someone who can do the interview within a couple of days or even a few hours.
We will also make an effort to find out what types of questions the reporter will be asking during the interview and providing you with any materials that we have on hand that might be useful to you in preparing for your interview.
Help Us to Identify Patients and Caregivers
One Patient's Experience With Geriatric Medicine
For most of her adult life, 85-year-old Ethel Metz, suffered from medical problems that ranged from arthritis and hypertension to cataracts and hernias. Unfortunately, many of her previous physicians dismissed her health concerns and blamed them on her age. But then, eight years ago she moved to North Carolina and found herself in the care of geriatrician Dr. Jan Busby-Whitehead. For Ethel, the encounter was life changing - "Quite frankly, when I moved to North Carolina I didn't have a prayer for any life extension."
According to Ethel, never before had she seen a physician so caring, so consistent and so available to her. She was equally impressed by the way her geriatrician took time to understand and explain her unique medical conditions and evaluate ways to handle them. Since Ethel's initial consultation with her geriatrician, she has been able to re-evaluate her lifestyle and eliminate some of the medications previously prescribed to treat her high blood pressure and other ailments that are no longer a factor. Ethel has been able to regain control of her health and now lives a more pleasurable active lifestyle - all of which she credits to her geriatrician.
Stories like these were once few and far between, but they are becoming more commonplace today as the aging population increases. Now more than ever before, AGS geriatricians find themselves spending more time counseling a wider range of patients. Not only are they treating older patients for multiple and chronic health conditions, but they are also educating healthy, active older adults about how to stay healthy.
Let Us Know About Your Patients
Your stories can be powerful tools to help educate the public and key thought leaders about the importance of geriatric medicine and they need to be told! If you have a patient that is interested in sharing their unique story with the media, please contact Erin Weller at eweller@americangeriatrics.org.
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