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New York (Jan. 3, 2019)—Experts in geriatrics, the healthcare specialty dedicated to our needs as we age, are making more than a New Year’s resolution to continue improving our care as we grow older. With the publication of new research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), these experts also hope their resolution will become a more tangible reality thanks to the Emerging Leaders in Aging (ELIA) Program, a promising approach to leadership development for a profession that has witnessed impressive growth but also tremendous demand in recent years.

Piloted by Tideswell at UCSF, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), and the Association of Directors of Geriatrics Academic Programs (ADGAP), ELIA has offered intensive leadership training to more than 60 geriatrics health professionals from all corners of the country. With an eye toward driving the social change necessary to make high-quality, person-centered care an actionable priority, ELIA’s qualitative and quantitative successes, published today in JAGS, chart a course toward leveraging long-distance mentoring and project-based learning to empower the emerging innovators we will need in greater and growing numbers as more of us age.

New York (Jan. 31, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today unveiled its latest update to one of geriatrics’ most frequently cited reference tools: The AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. With more than 90% of older people using at least one prescription and more than 66% using three or more in any given month,¹ the AGS Beers Criteria®—a compendium of medications potentially to avoid or consider with caution because they often present an unfavorable balance of benefits and harms for older people—plays a vital role in helping health professionals, older adults, and caregivers work together to ensure medications are appropriate.

“Medications play an important role in health and wellbeing for many older people,” noted Donna M. Fick, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, a co-chair of the expert panel responsible for the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria®. “With this new update, we hope the latest information on what makes medications appropriate for older people can play an equally important role in decisions about treatment options that meets the needs of older adults while also keeping them as safe as possible.”

New York (Jan. 31, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today offered a ringing endorsement of the bipartisan Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act, a proposal in the U.S. Senate 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 Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the bill aims to address the shortage of health professionals expertly trained to care for older people, and also advances supports for older adults, caregivers, and the interprofessional teams responsible for delivering high-quality care. The bill draws on considerable insights from the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), a collaborative comprised of more than 30 member organizations, including the AGS, reflecting the diverse expertise of millions of professionals who support health and aging 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 age,” notes AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA. “We commend Sens. Collins and Casey for working with us and our partners to make that future a reality with the Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act. By standing behind this legislation, we’re committed to a future when all Americans can look forward to affordable, high-quality, and person-centered care.”

New York (Feb. 7, 2019)—Medical care for older adults has long focused on preventing and treating chronic diseases and the conditions that come with them. But now, geriatrics researchers and clinicians hope a new understanding—one honed at a prestigious conference hosted by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), with support from The John A. Hartford Foundation—can lead to better and more effective interventions by targeting the aging process itself rather than discrete conditions or concerns.

“Aging is complex and varies from one person to the next, but there’s a growing body of evidence that aging itself is driven by interconnected biological factors we call ‘hallmarks’ or ‘pillars,’” said Christopher Carpenter, MD, MSc, FACEP, FAAEM, AGSF, one of the co-authors of a report on the conference. “We believe disrupting these hallmarks—which cover everything from the stability of our genes to ways our cells communicate—can contribute to chronic disease and frailty, which is why a better understanding of how they work is so important.”

New York (Feb. 8, 2019)—The pipeline of research supporting care as we age is about to look a bit more like the country it serves—and for good reason. Beginning this year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), America’s premier institution for medical research, will for the first time in its history require NIH-funded scholars to eliminate arbitrary age limits in their work, age limits that previously allowed for excluding groups like older people without just cause. A series of articles recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) explores how the change came to fruition—in large part thanks to advocacy from organizations like the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and its member experts—and why the change matters, particularly in a world where living longer is possible thanks to past breakthroughs originating at the NIH.

“Clinical research, much of it championed by NIH scientists, has made increased longevity with less morbidity a tangible reality,” said William Dale, MD, PhD, one of the co-authors for an article describing the policy change. “To keep up that momentum, we need greater attention to age in current and future scholarship. We all have unique physiological changes and medical care needs as we get older, and the insights we gain working with older people today will teach us how to be healthier tomorrow.”

New York (March 14, 2019)—Trillions of dollars in cuts to everything from the nation’s largest insurer to programs for training more health professionals already in short supply round out a 2020 budget proposal that is “deeply troubling for older Americans, their families, and their health professionals,” so say experts from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). In comments posted today, the AGS raised several such concerns about priorities outlined in President Trump’s “Budget for a Better America,” a proposal falling far short of its name as it seeks to shrink or even eliminate health training, health research, health coverage, and health services for older adults in communities across the U.S.

“Even though this proposal is just a ‘wish list’ for now, it sends a troubling message” said Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA, Chief Executive Officer of the AGS. “That’s why we’re urging everyone to let the White House and Congress know that cutting supports for older adults now cuts care for us all as we age.”

In assessing the Trump Administration’s proposal released earlier this week, the AGS raised its most significant objections to:

• With unique expertise in #geriatrics & population health, Dr. Amy Kind of @UWSMPH to deliver prestigious @AmerGeriatrics #AGS19 Yoshikawa Lecture http://ow.ly/oVkz30oddud

New York (March 27, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that Amy Kind, MD, PhD, one of few physicians in the U.S. with doctoral training in population health, will be honored with the 2019 Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation. At the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19; May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.), Dr. Kind will deliver a marquee presentation on the social determinants of health with an eye toward reorienting research, policy, and clinical practice to broader systemic factors that shape what it means to age.

“In geriatrics, age is more than a number. It is a complex story of many factors that shape who we are as we age,” said Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF, AGS President. “Dr. Kind brings to the AGS and to #AGS19 a unique appreciation for what it means ‘to grow older,’ and how appreciating the role of social determinants in that process can help to catalyze real and lasting change in our care.”

• Laura Mosqueda, MD, of @KeckMedUSC to deliver prestigious #Henderson lecture at @AmerGeriatrics’ #AGS19 on preventing #ElderAbuse, the mistreatment of older adults http://ow.ly/3LNI30oddHj

New York (March 27, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced that Laura Mosqueda, MD, AGSF, Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, will deliver the prestigious Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture at the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19; May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.). Her talk, Disrupting the Silent Winter: Geriatrics Role in Stopping Elder Abuse, will discuss the state-of-the-art in elder abuse identification, treatment and prevention, a subject on which she’s one of the country’s foremost experts. Dr. Mosqueda’s talk will examine geriatrics’ approach to elder abuse in clinical practice, research and education, including how the field has advanced, ongoing challenges, future horizons, and the vital role of geriatrics health professionals.

“As one of the first geriatrics health professionals to lead a major medical school, Dr. Mosqueda is helping steer medicine—and medical education—toward a deeper appreciation for meeting our needs as we age,” notes Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF, AGS President. “In a fundamental way, that begins by ending the mistreatment of older adults with the type of strong social supports Dr. Mosqueda is so well known for identifying.”

• Top Presentations at #AGS19 Address New Findings for Prescription Filling Patterns, High Blood Pressure, Frailty http://ow.ly/ahpv30ode5P

New York (March 27, 2019)—Data on the chronic use of opioids following spinal surgery, intensified treatment of high blood pressure after hospital discharge, and assessments of which frailty measures best predict poor outcomes following aortic heart valve replacement are among headline presentations at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19), held May 2-4 in Portland, Ore. Research reviewed at the prestigious #AGS19 Plenary Paper Session (Thurs., May 2, 9:30-10:15am PT) represents some of geriatrics’ most promising scholarship drawn from a pool of more than 1,000 submissions. This year’s highlights include:

• At #AGS19, @AmerGeriatrics & #geriatrics experts cast widest net yet for social & scientific innovations shaping better care for us all as we age http://ow.ly/1Lja30odeP1

New York (March 27, 2019)—When today’s Baby Boomers were just starting their careers, smoking was still en vogue, American life expectancy still hovered in the 60s, and “Medicare” was a term yet to be coined. Yet the advances that have allowed Baby Boomers to live longer than any generation before took root in those early days, when “today” was still “tomorrow.” That same spirit now will shape care for future generations of older adults, as more than 2,500 of the world’s leading geriatrics experts converge on Portland, Ore., this May 2-4, for the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19).

This cadre of the field’s preeminent physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, social workers, long-term and managed care providers, healthcare administrators, journalists, and advocates will collectively explore the latest research, education, and innovation across a program with more than 100 events and built from more than 1,000 scholarly submissions. Browse highlights below, and be sure to visit Meeting.AmericanGeriatrics.org for registration, the full program schedule, and everything else #AGS19.

• Dr. Lauren Ferrante of @YaleMed @YalePCCSM @YaleGeriatrics, critical care expert with unique focus on research & care in #geriatrics, becomes inaugural Arti Hurria Awardee at #AGS19 http://ow.ly/dPY530oeg4Q

New York (March 28, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today conferred one of their newest honors on Lauren Ferrante, MD, MHS, a pulmonary and critical care physician with a unique commitment to researching better care for older adults. An Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., Dr. Ferrante will receive the inaugural Arti Hurria Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in Internal Medicine Who are Focused on the Care of Older Adults at the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19; May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.). Dr. Ferrante’s research presentation, “Predictors of Functional Decline among Older Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Survivors,” identifies promising markers of poor functional recovery, which could help target older adults for interventions to improve function after ICU care.

• Training all health professionals to care optimally for older adults is critical as we all age; the new @AquiferOrg @AmerGeriatrics online curriculum has solutions to get us closer http://ow.ly/Wqn130okZ8e

New York (April 5, 2019)—Among many breakthroughs that have made living longer possible, better health care—and more experts to make that care possible—loom large. Given that all of us are aging, we need more clinicians, researchers, and advocates to keep that momentum going. Ideally, for example, we’d already have more than 22,000 geriatricians in the U.S. (though at present less than 7,000 certified clinicians are practicing nationwide). With a limited number of geriatricians, how are we to train the next generation of clinicians to optimally care for older people? A new tool from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and Aquifer (the non-profit leader in developing clinical learning tools for health professions education) holds promise for bridging that gap. Aquifer Geriatrics (available at Aquifer.org/Courses/Aquifer-Geriatrics/), the AGS national online curriculum in geriatrics, is leveraging e-learning and geriatrics’ thought-leadership to advance much-needed training to care for older adults.

• The @AmerGeriatrics names @UAB’s Dr. Kellie Flood #Geriatrics Clinician of the Year #AGS19 http://ow.ly/Rhu530onxnZ

New York (April 9, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today named Kellie Flood, MD, one of Alabama’s premier geriatrics health professionals, its 2019 Clinician of the Year. An Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), as well as Associate Chief Medical and Quality Officer for Geriatrics and Care Transitions at UAB Hospital, Dr. Flood will be honored at the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19) May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.

“Dr. Flood represents everything we’ve come to expect from a geriatrics health professional,” noted Laurie G. Jacobs. MD, AGSF, AGS President.  “She’s a skilled researcher, educator, and health system leader—all this because she remains so connected to the older people under her care.”

A board-certified physician in internal medicine, geriatrics, and palliative care, Dr. Flood wears dual caps as a leading clinician and an influential educator in a state where both are in high demand. Dr. Flood launched and continues to serve on the inpatient geriatric consult service that currently performs more than 1,400 consultations annually. And while coordinating that volume of care is impressive in its own right, Dr. Flood is perhaps best known for “going above and beyond” for each of her patients as individuals.

• At #AGS19, Dr. Nicki Brandt of @UMSOP honored for impact training future #geriatrics leaders in pharmacy & beyond http://ow.ly/3m8Y30onxtr

New York (April 9, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced that Nicole Brandt, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, BCPP, FASCP, of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will be honored with the 2019 Dennis W. Jahnigen Award celebrating work to train health professionals in the care we all need as we age. A Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Science and Executive Director of the School of Pharmacy’s Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging, Dr. Brandt has dedicated more than two decades to uncovering best practices in medication management for older people and to training fellow pharmacists, doctors, nurses, social workers, and other colleagues in the compassionate, team-based care we all need as we age.

“In her research, leadership, and approach to education, Dr. Brandt embodies all the hallmarks of geriatrics as a ‘team sport,’” notes Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF, AGS President. “An expert on medication management—one of the most important topics for our patients—Dr. Brandt has helped the AGS build a bridge between that expertise and the training our diverse health workforce needs to keep us all safe, healthy, and independent as we age.”

• Leaders & colleagues at @AmerGeriatrics bestow one of #geriatrics’ highest honors on the late Dr. Arti Hurria, who set the gold standard for bringing geriatrics expertise to all health specialties http://ow.ly/Q63J30onxyK

New York (April 9, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) will recognize the late Arti Hurria, MD, a geriatrics oncologist who was one our country’s most passionate advocates for older adults with cancer,  with the David H. Solomon Public Service Award. Dr. Hurria, who tragically passed away in November 2018, was committed to improving the geriatrics competence of all physicians and health professionals—like David H. Solomon, MD, namesake for this award. Dr. Hurria set the standard for interprofessional collaboration between researchers in aging and those from other specialties. Her husband, Thomas Lee, MD, will accept the award on her behalf at the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19), May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.

“We are privileged to work in a profession attuned to the memory of those who have gone before us,” notes Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF, AGS President. “The model Dr. Hurria set of servant leadership continues to benefit her colleagues and older adults. We, like many others, will continue to carry that legacy forward.”

• At #AGS19, Dr. Courtney Balentine of @UTSW_Surgery and Dr. Candace Yvonne Parker-Autry of Wake Forest Baptist Health will be honored for research building broader home for #geriatrics in other specialties http://ow.ly/q2SB30orL9G

New York (April 16, 2019)—Advancing care for older people across health specialties, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that Courtney Balentine, MD, MPH, of the University of Texas Southwestern and Candace Yvonne Parker-Autry, MD, of Wake Forest School of Medicine will receive this year’s Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties. Presented at the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19, held May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.), the award will recognize Dr. Balentine and Dr. Parker-Autry for accelerating research at the intersection of geriatrics and other specialties.

“Our country is changing as we age, and our health care needs to follow suit,” notes Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF, AGS President. “In their efforts to build connections and expertise beyond geriatrics, Dr. Balentine and Dr. Parker-Autry prove that our colleagues from across medicine can not only become proficient in the care we all need as we age but also can build a rich body of research to push that care to new heights.”

• .@AmerGeriatrics Honors Expert & Emerging #Geriatrics Leaders at #AGS19

New York (April 16, 2019)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) annually honors researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older people. This year’s award recipients include more than 20 leaders representing the breadth of disciplines championing care for us all as we age.

Arti Hurria Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in Internal Medicine Who are Focused on the Care of Older Adults

• Lauren Ferrante, MD, MHS (Yale School of Medicine)

Choosing Wisely® Champion Award

• Rebecca Dobert (Baystate Medical Center)

Clinician of the Year Award

• Kellie Flood, MD (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Clinical Student Research Award

New York (May 1, 2019)—Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, BCGP, BCPS, the new president and second pharmacist to lead the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) since its founding, is no stranger to questions about a “magic pill” for aging.

“The ‘prescription’ we all need is broader but also much simpler than any one pill,” Dr. Linnebur explains. “It’s about prescribing a better approach to care for our health system. That approach is powered by collaboration, driven by how health changes with age, and focused on prioritizing what health means to us individually.”

That prescription “takes a village,” Dr. Linnebur is quick to note. It also takes cutting-edge research, innovative public and professional education, and better public policy. The latest updates across all these frontiers will be on display at the AGS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS19; May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.), where Dr. Linnebur and more than 2,500 of her colleagues will cast their widest net yet for social and scientific breakthroughs shaping better care for us all. Among this year’s highlights are marquee presentations by:

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:

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.

• .@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.

• .@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.

• 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.

• #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.”

• 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.

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.”

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.”

• #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 (Feb. 19, 2020)—Experts at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) raised grave concerns with President Trump’s 2021 budget proposal, which remains “deeply troubling for older Americans, families, and health professionals.” In comments shared below, the AGS warned that the proposal would eliminate training programs, reduce funding for health research, and jeopardize coverage and services for older Americans if adopted as written.

“Even though this proposal is just a ‘wish list’ for now, it sends a troubling message,” said Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA, Chief Executive Officer of the AGS. “That’s why we’re urging everyone to let the White House and Congress know that cutting support for older adults now cuts care for us all as we age.”

In assessing the Trump Administration’s proposal, the AGS raised significant objection to changes that fail to reflect the needs of all Americans, particularly those who are most vulnerable.  Specifically, the proposal would:

• On #WorldDeliriumDay, @AmerGeriatrics launches AGS CoCare: HELP™ to turn tide for serious condition affecting millions #delirium #geriatrics #aging #ThisIsGeriatrics http://ow.ly/8GwJ30qp4OW

New York (March 11, 2020)—With the launch of HELP.AGSCoCare.org, the online home for AGS CoCare: HELP™—a seminal program designed to prevent delirium, functional decline, falls, and other adverse outcomes among hospitalized older adults—the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) hopes this World Delirium Day will be one that turns the tide for this serious health condition affecting millions annually.

“Empowering health systems to recognize, manage, and prevent delirium is a hallmark of geriatrics,” notes Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH, who developed the original Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), now known as AGS CoCare: HELP™. “With this critical expansion of a key program that made delirium prevention possible, we have bandwidth through the AGS to reach more health systems than ever before,” Dr. Inouye concluded.