2019 Press Releases

• #Geriatrics experts at prestigious @AmerGeriatrics @NIHgov conference hope a call for hard evidence can address “soft tissue” disorders that make falls, fractures, & muscle loss unnecessarily common w/ age http://ow.ly/e6FV30pYKig

New York (Dec. 3, 2019)—Experts at a prestigious medical conference hosted by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) National Institute on Aging (NIA) hope their work—reported this week in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS)—can help yield hard evidence to address the range of “soft tissue” and bone disorders that contribute to falls, fractures, and muscle loss as we age.

“Falls, fractures, and muscle loss all have a major impact on our health as older adults, not only because they stop us from keeping active but also because that inactivity can have a ripple effect on all aspects of health and quality of life,” said Cathleen Colón-Emeric, MD, MHSc, FACP, AGSF, who co-chaired the AGS-NIA conference this past March. “By looking at some of the key and interrelated health conditions that can contribute to falls, fractures, and muscle loss, we hope we can contribute to closing knowledge gaps as we develop better care.”

New York (Oct. 28, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) congratulates the U.S. House of Representatives, which within hours of bringing the legislation to the floor approved by voice vote the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781) championed by Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Michael Burgess (R-TX). The bill, which received early, widespread bipartisan support as a critical measure to support health for all Americans as we age, now moves to the U.S. Senate, where AGS experts have advocated ardently for swift passage to ensure appropriate supports for older Americans.

 “The future we’re working for at the AGS—a future when all older Americans have access to high-quality, person-centered care—begins by building the workforce to make that possible, and by ensuring that workforce can connect us to the tools and supports we need as we grow older together,” observed Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA. CEO of the AGS. “The EMPOWER for Health Act will make that possible by supporting two training programs that are as critical to our future as they are widely supported, thanks in large part to the bipartisan efforts that will make this bill law.”

New York (Oct. 28, 2019)—Among several legislative proposals slated for a vote today in the U.S. House of Representatives, one in particular offers a glimpse at something unique: Bipartisan collaboration and support. But as experts from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) observe, that may be because the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781) stands poised to accomplish something as unique as it is necessary: Putting federal power behind training the health workforce we need as we age.

“The future we’re working for at the AGS—a future when all older Americans have access to high-quality, person-centered care—begins by building the workforce to make that possible, and by ensuring that workforce can connect us to the tools and supports we need as we grow older together,” observed Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA. CEO of the AGS. “The EMPOWER for Health Act will make that possible by supporting two training programs that are as critical to our future as they are widely supported, thanks in large part to the bipartisan efforts that will make this bill law.”

• With @AmerGeriatrics CoCare: HELP, #Geriatrics Experts Are Expanding Seminal Program that Put #Delirium Prevention on the Map http://ow.ly/N2Ss30pHkm6

New York (Oct. 10, 2019)—A seminal program for preventing delirium (the medical term for abrupt, rapid-onset confusion or altered mental state, affecting millions of older adults annually) and loss of function for hospitalized older adults stands poised for a major expansion thanks to the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). As the soon-to-be newest addition to the AGS “CoCare” portfolio, a suite of programs helping embed geriatrics expertise in broader care for older adults, AGS CoCare: HELP™ represents a new step forward for a program that has already taken significant strides.

• #Geriatrics experts on achieving #gender #equity in health care: “When #women rise, we all rise.” Learn more in new @AGSJournal position statement from @AmerGeriatrics https://bit.ly/WhenWomenRise

New York (Oct. 1, 2019)—Putting power and potential behind gender equity in health care isn’t just common sense. It’s critical to the future of health, safety, and independence for us all as we age, so says the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) in a new position statement released today, International Day of Older Persons. The statement outlines strategic objectives that can help us achieve a simple truth: “When women rise, we all rise.”

“Gender discrimination isn’t just ‘wrong.’ It has real and alarmingly negative public health consequences,” said Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, FCCP, FASCP, BCPS, BCGP, president of the AGS. “At a time when more of us than ever before are poised to contribute to our communities thanks to longer lifespans, we need the whole of society—irrespective of gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation—to stand against discrimination as we stand up for women. Because when women rise, we all rise.”

• We’ve long thought cognitive decline was just “characteristic of aging,” but researchers convened by @AmerGeriatrics w/ funding from @NIH suggest there’s nothing “just characteristic” of connections between #age & #cognition http://ow.ly/KNww30ppggU #geriatrics

New York (Aug. 23, 2019)—Declining mental sharpness “just comes with age,” right? Not so fast, say geriatrics researchers and clinicians gathered at a prestigious 2018 conference hosted by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) with support from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). In a report published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), attendees of a conference for the NIA’s Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists Transition into Aging Research (GEMSSTAR) program describe how increasing evidence shows age-related diseases—rather than age itself—may be the key cause of cognitive decline. And while old age remains a primary risk factor for cognitive impairment, researchers believe future research—and sustained funding—could illuminate more complex, nuanced connections between cognitive health, overall health, and how we approach age.

• .@AmerGeriatrics Commends Bipartisan Leaders on Bringing HR2781, Important #Geriatrics Workforce Training Legislation, Even Closer to Becoming Law http://ow.ly/vqrZ30p9OoK

New York (July 17, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) again pledged enthusiastic support for the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781). H.R. 2781 took a significant step toward becoming law today following an approval of the legislation’s language by the full House Energy & Commerce Committee Wednesday evening. The measure now moves to the House floor for consideration, hopefully before Congress breaks for its summer recess in August.

Introduced by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Michael Burgess (R-TX) earlier this year, the bill reauthorizes workforce training programs under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act. Among these initiatives are the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) and the Geriatrics Academic Career Awards (GACAs), both critical to the care all Americans need as our country continues to age.

• .@AmerGeriatrics Commends Bipartisan Leaders on Bringing HR2781, Important #Geriatrics Workforce Training Legislation, That Much Closer to Becoming Law http://ow.ly/A2YA30p6LK8

New York (July 11, 2019)—As members of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce move to debate, amend, and revise a host of important health proposals, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) again pledged enthusiastic support for one of the Committee’s most important bills under consideration: The Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781).

Introduced by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Michael Burgess (R-TX) earlier this year, the bill reauthorizes workforce training programs under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act. Among these initiatives are the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) and the Geriatrics Academic Career Awards (GACAs), both critical to the care all Americans need as our country continues to age.

New York (May 17, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today offered a ringing endorsement of the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781), a proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives to ensure communities across the U.S. have access to health professionals and other critical supports improving care for us all as we age.

Introduced by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Michael Burgess (R-TX), a physician, the bill reauthorizes the workforce training programs under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act including the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) and the Geriatrics Academic Career Award (GACA) Program. The bill draws on considerable insights from the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), a collaborative comprised of more than 30 member organizations co-convened by the AGS and now reflecting the diverse expertise of millions of professionals who support health in aging for older Americans.

Portland, Ore. (May 2, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today honored 21 leading health professionals who joined the newest class of AGS Fellows—a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age.

“All of our fellows are colleagues who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to geriatrics, have contributed to advances in care, and are active participants in AGS activities,” noted Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, BCP, BCGS, President of the AGS, in recognizing the new AGS Fellows at the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19; May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.).

This year’s fellows hail from all four corners of the country and reflect the increasingly interprofessional nature of geriatrics as a field attracting doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physicians assistants, social workers, and many others. They include: