[Mb-civic] Assault on the elderly - Sue Levkoff - Boston Globe Op-Ed
William Swiggard
swiggard at comcast.net
Fri Jan 13 04:04:48 PST 2006
Assault on the elderly
By Sue Levkoff | January 13, 2006 | The Boston Globe
IT IS HARD to reconcile the Bush administration's ''compassionate
conservatism" with its very uncompassionate assault on the safety net
for our nation's most needy and vulnerable citizens, low-income
Americans and the elderly. Recent budget cuts by Congress to the
departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education target
programs aimed at this growing segment of society.
It is not just elderly and low-income Americans who will be touched by
these deep cuts in federal spending. It is each one of us. We are all
aging, and many of us will become caregivers for an older parent or an
aging spouse. What is less well known is that these budget cuts
eliminated the only federal initiatives that fund geriatric education
programs, which play a vital role in addressing the profound shortage of
healthcare professionals trained to respond to the healthcare needs of
today's older adults -- and tomorrow's rapidly graying America.
This vote begins the dismantling of a 20-year-old infrastructure that
includes 50 geriatric education centers, located in almost every state
across the United States, that have trained nearly half a million
healthcare professionals. Also eliminated are geriatric training
programs that support physicians, dentists, and mental health
professionals who are equipped to train the next generation of leaders
in geriatric care. Fellowship awards that support the academic career
development of physicians committed to teaching geriatrics in medical
schools across the country have also been discontinued.
The irony of these cuts is overwhelming. We are on the crest of an age
wave, with the oldest members of the nation's 78 million baby boomers
turning 60 this year, and starting to require care designed to meet the
needs of the aging. Eliminating special geriatric training programs will
only increase medical errors made by healthcare providers who lack
knowledge of the special health challenges facing older adults. Lack of
appropriate treatment will undoubtedly lead to an increase in the need
for costly long-term care.
The paradox becomes even more bizarre. Slightly more than 1 percent of
the nation's practicing physicians have certification in geriatric
medicine. Similarly, fewer than 1 percent of nurses are certified in
geriatrics. The dearth of healthcare professionals and faculty trained
in geriatrics, in social work, pharmacology, and other health-related
professions makes the situation even more dire. Why, on the eve of an
expected demographic explosion, are we dismantling programs that support
the training of the next generation of healthcare providers?
Something is terribly amiss here. These cuts in geriatric education are
at complete odds with recent recommendations made by the President's
White House Conference on Aging. In December, delegates from across the
country adopted a list of 10 recommendations, two of which included a
call for increased training for geriatric healthcare professionals.
Perhaps most ironic of all, when proudly touting its new Prescription
Drug Benefit of the Medicare Modernization Act, the Bush administration
acknowledges the serious healthcare challenges facing older adults.
Does the president really believe that the recent Senate vote is a
''victory for taxpayers, fiscal restraint, and responsible budgeting?"
Vice President Dick Cheney flew back from a diplomatic mission in
Pakistan, eager to break the 50-50 tie vote, in favor of a budget
designed to cut the federal deficit by $39.7 billion. According to
budget experts, these cuts will barely dent the federal deficit, cutting
less than one-half of 1 percent from an estimated $14.3 trillion in
federal spending over the next five years. Elimination of geriatric
education programs will have rippling effects on the health of the
current and future waves of elderly.
Perhaps some of the lawmakers who voted for these cutbacks will rue
their decisionwhen they too are faced with a life-threatening decision
for their aging parents, their aging spouse, or themselves, and cannot
find an adequately trained healthcare provider to help them with making
the right decision. But then it will be too late.
Sue Levkoff is an associate professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital
and director of the Positive Aging Resource Center.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/01/13/assault_on_the_elderly/
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