New Geriatrics Legislation Promises a Better Present and Future for Us All as We Age

Earlier this fall, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) offered a ringing endorsement for the Geriatrics Workforce and Caregiver Enhancement Act (HR 3713), a proposal for programs addressing not only the shortage of health professionals equipped to provide long-term care for Americans as we age but also the need for more supports benefiting older adults, caregivers, and the interdisciplinary teams responsible for delivering high-quality care. Introduced by Reps Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Doris Matsui (D-CA), and David McKinley (R-WV), 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 that reflects the diverse expertise of millions of professionals who support health in aging for older Americans.

“The future we’re working for at the AGS—a future where all older Americans have access to high-quality, person-centered care—begins by building the workforce to make it possible—and by ensuring that workforce can connect us to the tools and supports we need as we age,” noted AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy E Lundebjerg, MPA. “We commend Reps Schakowsky, Matsui, and McKinley for working with us and our partners to make that future a reality with the Geriatrics Workforce and Caregiver Enhancement Act.”

The bill supports two critical objectives for geriatrics health care professionals. First, it would formally and legally establish and authorize funding for the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), the only federal program designed to increase the number of health professionals with the skills and training to care for older adults. The GWEPs were launched in 2015 by the Health Resources and Services Administration with 44 three-year grants provided to awardees in 29 states where the workforce shortage is particularly pronounced. 

The bill would authorize GWEP funding of more than $45 million annually through 2023, allowing current and future awardees to:

• Educate and engage with family caregivers by training providers who can assess and address their care needs and preferences;
• Promote interdisciplinary team-based care by transforming clinical training environments to integrate geriatrics and primary care delivery systems; and
• Improve the quality of care delivered to older adults by providing education to families and caregivers with critical care challenges like Alzheimer disease and related dementias.

The bill also would reestablish and enhance the Geriatric Academic Career Awards (GACAs), a previously funded program that enabled career development for more than 200 clinician-educators before it was eliminated in 2015 through a consolidation of several geriatrics training programs. Since 1998, original GACA recipients have trained as many as 65,000 colleagues in geriatrics expertise and have contributed to geriatrics education, research, and leadership across the United States. Renewed GACA funding—with special priority for awards at institutions also working on GWEPs—would come at a critical juncture for the field; researchers who reported earlier this year on the impact of the GACA noted that, without a substantial increase in funding for geriatrics education and research, the United States risks “decimating a workforce that is essential to training health professionals on the unique healthcare needs of older adults.”

“Supporting these programs individually and in tandem builds the momentum we need to ensure access to high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age,” Ms Lundebjerg observed. “The GWEP will help transform primary care for older adults in the here-and-now. The GACAs extend that vision to our future by developing educators for the next generation of professionals. Together, these programs embrace the present and future of health, safety, and independence for all.”

For more information, or to take action to ensure the future of the geriatrics workforce, visit cqrcengage.com/geriatrics.

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