2020 Press Releases

• .@AmerGeriatrics honors society’s first #pharmacist president with prestigious Nascher/Manning Award in #geriatrics #AGS20 #AGS21 http://ow.ly/yyGZ30qE4yP

New York (May 8, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) will this year honor past AGS President Todd Semla, PharmD, MS, AGSF, with the prestigious Nascher/Manning Award, given biannually at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21, to be held next year May 13-15 in Chicago, Ill., following the cancellation of the AGS 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting due to COVID-19). Dr. Semla, who served as the AGS’s first pharmacist president, now joins a cadre of less than 20 geriatrics healthcare professionals recognized with the Nascher/Manning Award since its inception in 1987.

“I’ve been fortunate to call Dr. Semla my mentor and to follow in his footsteps leading our country’s largest interprofessional society dedicated to the care we all need as we age,” noted Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, FCCP, FASCP, BCPS, BCGP, AGS board chair. “Across his career and commitment to the AGS, Dr. Semla has modeled and championed the collaborative team spirit that’s a hallmark of geriatrics. That’s as much a testament to Dr. Semla as it is to the interprofessional commitment he helped us achieve.”

New York (May 6, 2020)—Annette (Annie) Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF, has a simple message for colleagues, caregivers and older adults, but one she hopes hits home: “We’re with you—because building momentum for aging today, troubled as today may seem, will build momentum for a better tomorrow.”

Dr. Medina-Walpole’s “today” is certainly unprecedented. She not only assumes responsibilities as the newest president of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) but also does so as shifting demographics and a global pandemic bring urgent attention to her expertise and that of her more than 7,000 AGS colleagues.

These are extraordinary times, but Dr. Medina-Walpole is no ordinary leader. She’s a geriatrics health professional—a pioneer in advanced-illness care for older individuals, with a focus on championing interprofessional teams, eliciting personal care goals, and treating older people as whole persons. And she believes that expertise will be key, not only to combatting COVID-19 but also to ensuring health, safety, and independence for us all as we age. Her AGS colleagues believe so, too, and now will work with her and other AGS leaders to ensure that vision remains an actionable priority.

• New @AmerGeriatrics position statement published today in @AGSJournal addresses one of #healthcare’s most difficult #COVID19 issues: #Aging & resource allocation #ThisIsGeriatrics #geriatrics http://ow.ly/x4em30qDKcQ

New York (May 6, 2020)—The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on societies worldwide, given the pandemic’s rapid, often deadly spread. In health care, the pandemic has raised the pressing question of how society should allocate scarce resources during a crisis. This is the question experts addressed today in a new position statement published by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16537). The statement focuses primarily on whether age should be considered when making decisions to allocate scarce resources, with a related article addressing ethical considerations regarding older adults when rationing limited health care resources (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16539).

New York (May 1, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is encouraged that the White House has established a Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes as part of our national response to COVID-19. This interprofessional task force will now assess action on COVID-19 for a critical and disproportionately impacted group: Older American residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

“As we’ve already learned, outbreaks in nursing homes are a foreseeable consequence of this pandemic, even with our frontline providers working as valiantly as they are,” notes AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “Our advocacy at the AGS has emphasized ensuring that all people—especially those most at risk—receive the care they need. We urge the Administration to ensure the task force includes experts important to public health planning, such as geriatrics health professionals and nursing home administrators. We also look forward to working with the Administration to advance the task force’s work in key areas, like prioritizing testing and safety for older adults and those who care for them in long-term care.”

New York (April 30, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today commended the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which announced a new round of regulatory waivers and rule changes aligned with feedback from the AGS. Specifically, CMS now broadened its list of telephone/audio-only services to include behavioral health care and patient education. CMS also increased reimbursement for telephone/audio visits, so they remain on par with reimbursement for similar office and outpatient care.

“For geriatrics health professionals, telehealth has emerged as an invaluable tool for ensuring that older Americans have access to the care they need,” said AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “One challenge has been how best to care for older adults, many of whom are not comfortable with or do not have resources like smartphones or are uncomfortable operating audio/video-capable software and mobile applications. This change from CMS will help ensure that medically complex older adults will have access to their clinicians using familiar technology.”

New York (April 28, 2020)—In a policy brief published today in its namesake journal (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16510), the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) offered a roadmap to guide federal, state, and local governments addressing COVID-19 concerns in an important but oft-overlooked arena: Assisted living facilities (ALFs). The brief, which joins an earlier statement on COVID-19 care in nursing homes (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16477), outlines recommendations based on the latest research and guidance, encompassing actions on resource needs, patient transfers, priorities for public health, and opportunities to better empower health workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 care.

“As we’ve already learned, outbreaks impacting older people are a foreseeable consequence of this pandemic, even with experts working as valiantly as they are,” notes AGS President-Elect Annie Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF. “We hope this brief can help policymakers, advocates, and clinicians look at but also beyond the circumstances we can control—and those we can’t—to prioritize the innovation, collaboration, and compassion that can put residents and public health first. That’s a cardinal direction for planning in crisis and in calm, regardless of where we may live as we age.”

New York (April 27, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today commended the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) for supporting crucial efforts to enhance the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs). The assistance comes through supplemental funds of $4.35 million for telehealth services as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed on March 27, 2020.

In letters to the Administration and Congress regarding the CARES Act, the AGS strongly advocated for including additional funding for the GWEPs, one of the only federal programs supporting training for the workforce we need as we age. Support in response to COVID-19 remains key, as new care delivery models are deployed rapidly through Congress’s COVID-19 relief packages.

The $4.35 million for telehealth provides for funds to be distributed among GWEP grantees to:

• .@AmerGeriatrics experts: Here’s what older adults need to #ReopenAmerica that can serve us all as we age #geriatrics #aging http://ow.ly/joXA30qzRDl

New York (April 22, 2020)—As federal and state officials announce plans for reopening the U.S., the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) reiterates important priorities for reopening a country where more individuals than ever before are older adults.

Today’s U.S. is home to more than 50 million people 65-years-old and older, and tomorrow’s U.S. is building the momentum we need for millions more to contribute to our communities as we age. But today’s U.S. also has seen the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardize that progress in critical ways. At present, more than 30 percent of COVID-19 cases involve older people, who also account for 45 percent of hospitalizations, 53 percent of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and 80 percent of deaths.

As we look to reopen a country that ensures we remain as safe, healthy, independent, and engaged as possible as we age, AGS experts encourage federal, state, and local authorities to anchor plans in better health and care for us all:

• .@AmerGeriatrics shares more #COVID19 #geriatrics recommendations with #Congress, Trump Administration to inform next wave of federal assistance http://ow.ly/Wj1730qyHJI

New York (April 17, 2020)—In a new series of letters sent yesterday to Congressional leaders, Vice President Pence, and White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx, MD, experts at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) continued to reinforce the need for medical supplies, telehealth, expertise in older adult care, and a range of other priorities as the federal government plans the next phase of America’s response to COVID-19. As diverse as these important focal points are, they highlight a key theme that crosscuts the pandemic: Building momentum for older adult care builds momentum for us all.

“This virus affects everyone, regardless of age or any other characteristics,” notes AGS CEO Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “By advancing supports that serve the most vulnerable, including older people, we can build better treatment and prevention for all Americans.”

New York (April 8, 2020)—In a policy brief published today in its namesake journal (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16477), the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) offered a roadmap to guide federal, state, and local governments addressing COVID-19 concerns for a critical—and critically impacted—group: Older adults in nursing homes and long-term care. The brief outlined recommendations based on the latest research and guidance, encompassing actions on resource needs, patient transfers, priorities for public health, and opportunities to better empower health workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 care.

“As we’ve already learned, outbreaks in nursing homes are a foreseeable consequence of this pandemic, even with experts working as valiantly as they are,” notes AGS President-Elect Annie Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF. “We hope this brief can help policymakers, advocates, and clinicians look at but also beyond the circumstances we can control—and those we can’t—to prioritize the innovation, collaboration, and compassion that can put key patients and public health first. That’s a cardinal direction for planning in crisis and in calm, for nursing home residents but also for us all as we age.”