Gerontology Experts Hit Washington to Stump for Senior Issues, Funding
Gerontological Society organizes first Take Action Week to push funding for aging research; renewal of Older Americans Act
Sept. 27, 2011 Many of Americas experts on aging are in the nations capital this week to urge elected officials to
secure funding for aging research and education, as well as reauthorize the Older Americans Act. This Take Action Week is organized by The
Gerontological Society of America.
"Take Action Week will allow our best and brightest researchers, educators, and practitioners to highlight the importance
of their work to improve the quality of life for persons as they age," said Greg O'Neill, PhD, director of GSA's policy institute, the
National Academy on an Aging Society.
"The challenges and opportunities presented by America's growing senior population must have a prominent spot on the
national agenda."
The GSA is the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging.
This first Take Action Week by the GSA will have experts on aging meeting with their senators and representatives to
underscore the needs of the country's senior population. The number of Americans age 65 and older will make up 20 percent of the population by
2030.
One of the chief messages that Take Action Week participants will share is that Congress must not make cuts to crucial
government-funded aging research, which is heavily concentrated in the National Institute on Aging.
Late-in-life conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, heart disease, and
osteoporosis are increasingly driving the need for health care services in this country. Preventing, treating or curing chronic diseases -
achieved through adequately funded biomedical research - is the single-most effective strategy in reducing the costs of these services, the
advocates will argue.
Similarly, safeguarding support for education and training will be on the Take Action Week agenda. "Retooling for an
Aging America," a 2008 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), stated that America's aging citizens are facing a health care workforce
too small and unprepared to meet their needs.
Another effort in the education field will be to ask legislators that federal Pell grants be exempt from cuts in future
budget conversations - to ensure that more students have the opportunity to receive proper training.
The IOM report estimated that in 2030, there will be approximately 8,000 geriatricians in the U.S., while as many as
36,000 will be required to cover the workload.
The Older Americans Act, currently up for reauthorization, will also receive a lot of attention during Take Action Week.
Since 1965, this legislation has aimed to help older people maintain independence in their homes and communities.
GSA is recommending significant changes to Title IV of the act in order to increase the authority, rigor, credibility,
and accountability of research, demonstration, evaluation, and training activities administered by or through the Administration on Aging.
The Gerontological Society of
America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field
of aging. The principal mission of the Society and its 5,400+ members is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among
scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSAs structure also includes a policy institute, the
National Academy on an Aging
Society, and an educational branch, the
Association for Gerontology in Higher
Education.
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Sept. 27, 2011 Many of Americas experts on aging are in the nations capital this week to urge elected officials to
secure funding for aging research and education, as well as reauthorize the Older Americans Act. This Take Action Week is organized by The
Gerontological Society of America.