 |
|
|
For Immediate Release |
Contact: Todd Kluss |
Congress Must Protect Funds for Aging America, Advocates Say
America’s experts on aging are headed for meetings with their senators and representatives to underscore the needs of the country’s senior population, spurred by the first-ever Take Action Week organized by The Gerontological Society of America — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging.
During the September 26–30 congressional district work period, these advocates will urge their elected leaders to secure funding for aging research and education, as well as reauthorize the Older Americans Act.
“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.”
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. The number of Americans age 65 and older will make up 20 percent of the population by 2030. 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. Aging experts will ask their 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. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.
Click here for a printable PDF version of this press release.
Mildred M. Seltzer Distinguished Service Recognition
Presented to C. Joanne Grabinski, PhD, Eastern Michigan University, and Mary Alice Wolf, PhD, Saint Joseph University.
This award honors colleagues who are near retirement or recently retired. Recipients are individuals who have been actively involved in AGHE through service on committees, as elected officers, and/or have provided leadership in one of AGHE’s grant-funded projects.
Administrative Leadership Award
Presented to Tammy M. Bray, PhD, Oregon State University
This award honors administrators on AGHE member campuses who have made exceptional efforts in support of gerontology or geriatrics education.
David A. Peterson Gerontology & Geriatrics Education Best Paper of the Volume Award
Presented to Nina M. Silverstein, PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston; Elizabeth Johns, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston; and Judith A. Griffin, MA, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the article “Students Explore Livable Communities.” Honorable mention is given to Emily J. Robbins, MS, Miami University; Jennifer M. Kinney, PhD, Miami University; and Cary S. Kart, PhD, Miami University, for the article “Promoting Active Engagement in Health Research: Lessons Learned from an Undergraduate Gerontology Capstone Course.”
The purpose of this award is to recognize excellence in scholarship in academic gerontology in AGHE’s official journal, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education.
Graduate Student Paper Award
Presented to Deborah Gray, MBA, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the paper “Weight and Wealth: The Relationship between Obesity and Net Worth for Pre-Retirement Age Men and Women.”
This award acknowledges excellence in scholarly work conducted by an AGHE Annual Meeting student attendee.
Book Award for Best Children’s Literature on Aging
Presented to Caitlin Dale Nicholson and Leona Morinn-Nelson for “Niwechihaw/I help” in the primary reader (pre-K to 2nd grade) category, and Ann Grifalconi and Jerry Pickney for “Ain’t Nobody A Stranger to Me” in the elementary reader (3rd to 5th grade) category.
This award recognizes portrayals of meaningful aging in children’s literature.