Today U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) held a hearing to address the impending severe shortage of health care workers who are adequately trained and prepared to care for older Americans. The committee reviewed key factors that are contributing to the deficiency, such as the lack of geriatric training in the medical education system and the need for federal and state training requirements for direct care workers, such as home health aides and personal care attendants. The panel also heard from family caregivers that enhanced education and training would help them develop the necessary skills to provide the best possible care for an ailing family member. Currently there are over 44 million Americans serving voluntarily as the sole source of care for an older family member or loved one. Chairman Kohl announced his plan to incorporate lessons from today's hearing into legislation to expand, train, and support all sectors of the health care workforce, including doctors, nurses, direct care workers, and family caregivers.
"By the year 2020, it is estimated that the number of older adults in need of care will increase by one-third," said Chairman Kohl. "The United States will not be able to meet the approaching demand for health care and long-term care without a workforce that is prepared for the job. Fortunately, understanding what we need to change is half the battle, and this hearing provides us with that knowledge."
The hearing was the first in which Congress reviewed the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) major recommendations for improving and expanding the skills and preparedness of the health care workforce in their report, "Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Healthcare Workforce," released Monday. Dr. John Rowe, Chairman of the IOM's Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans, focused his testimony on the report's recommendations. Joining him on the first panel was Dr. Robyn Stone, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future of Aging Services at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. Dr. Stone's testimony highlighted the weaknesses and limitations of the current health care system in meeting the needs of aging boomers.
On the second panel, businesswoman and author Martha Stewart testified on the role of family caregivers in providing essential services and support to loved ones. Ms. Stewart shared with the committee her experience as a caregiver for her mother, and how it shaped her decision to establish the Martha Stewart Center for Living, a model clinic for coordinated outpatient geriatric services at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Todd Semla, President of the American Geriatrics Society, made the case for using existing law to increase the number of trained geriatricians practicing in the U.S.
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