AGS - News - AGS Press Release - Speed-of-Processing Training May Cut Car Crashes Involving Elderly, Study Presented at American Geriatrics Society's Annual Meeting Suggests

For Immediate Release
October 18, 2006

Contact:
Erin Weller
212-308-1414 ext. 329
eweller@americangeriatrics.org

American Geriatrics Society Applauds Reauthorization of Older Americans Act, Supports Action on Other Recommendations of White House Conference on Aging; AGS Experts Available to Comment on Array of Issues on Aging

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) - a nonprofit association of geriatrics healthcare professionals with expertise in aging and health - applauds the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), landmark legislation that provides support and funding for, among other things, senior-center services, meals, transportation and home care for older adults, and caregiver support for those caring for older people.

President Bush signed legislation reauthorizing the act yesterday; both the House and Senate had earlier approved the legislation unanimously. Reauthorization of the OAA was a chief recommendation of the 2006 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA). The conference - the decennial meeting that has helped shape national policy on aging for half a century - last month released a final report that includes resolutions concerning the OAA and other issues affecting America's growing population of older adults. More than three dozen AGS members were among the delegates to the conference.

"The top resolutions in the WHCoA's final report to the President and Congress recognize, in many ways, that older people have unique healthcare problems and needs," says AGS President Jane F. Potter, MD, director of geriatric medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

In addition to calling for the reauthorization of the OAA, the resolutions in the WHCoA's final report call on the President and Congress to take a variety of steps, including:

addressing the growing, nationwide shortage of geriatrics healthcare professionals - those trained to meet older adults' unique healthcare needs-- by supporting geriatrics training programs. Despite the coming "Age Boom," Congress eliminated all funds for federal Title VII geriatrics health professions programs in 2006. AGS and other healthcare organizations are urging Congress to restore funds for these highly cost-effective programs.
exploring ways to better coordinate care for older adults, especially those with multiple health problems who are likely to need care in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and the community.

Dr. Jane F. Potter, MD, AGS President and Chief of Geriatrics at the University of Nebraska, is available to discuss the growing shortage of geriatrics health professionals and ways in which we can address this shortage.

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (http://www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,700 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies and practices in geriatric medicine.