Jhn A. Hartfrd Fundatin Message Framewrk [MAIN MESSAGE/CONTEXT] 1. An aging ppulatin will transfrm ur sciety and ur health care systems in the next century. The demgraphics are clear; ur sciety is aging and becming mre diverse. - Peple 65 years r lder cmprised 12.4% f the U.S. ppulatin in 2004. By 2030, there will be abut 71.5 millin lder persns. (AOA, 2005) - The percentage f peple ver 65 by 2030 will be apprximately 20% f the entire US ppulatin. This is greater than the percentage f lder peple in Flrida tday. (AOA, 2005) - The number f thse ver 85 is prjected t increase frm 4.2 millin in 2000 t 8.9 millin in the year 2030. (AOA, 2006) - Centenarians are the fastest grwing age grup in the U.S. By 2050, there may be as many as 1 millin peple ver the age f 100. (U.S. Census Bureau) - The percentage f peple f clr ver the age f 65 will grw frm 18% in 2004 t 36% by 2050. Hispanics will accunt fr abut 17.5% f the lder adult ppulatin, up frm 6.0% in 2004. (AOA, 2006) [SUB-MESSAGES AND EVIDENCE] This grwing ppulatin pses challenges: - The need t preserve bth incme security and health security fr lder adults is raising issues abut the fiscal health Scial Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Frm 2000 t 2030, the number f peple n Medicare is prjected t rise frm 40 millin t 78 millin. (Kaiser Family Fundatin Fact Sheet, April 2005) Medicare spending grew frm 3.2% ($6.2 billin) f the federal budget in 1970 t 12.4% ($329.9 billin) in 2006. (Public Agenda, 2007) - Our aging ppulatin will challenge the natin's financial and especially human resurces. - Our aging ppulatin will place significant stresses n the families, friends and cmmunities respnsible fr caring fr frail elders. - All scial services (e.g., husing, transprtatin, etc,) will have t adapt t meet the needs f lder peple. But this grwing ppulatin als presents imprtant, thugh perhaps less bvius pprtunities:
- The prcess f refrming and integrating health care systems fr lder adults can help imprve these systems fr all f us. - Geriatrics and gerntlgy will attract increasing talent, and yield imprtant health care innvatins and new knwledge that benefit lder adults and the rest f sciety. - "Old age" is changing, and ur perceptins f ld age must catch up with the new realities f retirement and the grwing, prductive abilities f 65, 75 and even 85-year-lds. Cntrary t ppular perceptins, nly 4.5% f lder adults live in nursing hmes, and nly 18.2% f thse ver 85 live in these facilities. (U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Special Tabulatin). - We must increasingly view lder adults mre psitively, as valued and valuable citizens, as cmmunity assets, as a significant strand f the natin's brader tapestry. 2. Reshaping and imprving health care is necessary t meet the needs f the grwing number f lder peple. Older adults require different kinds f medical care than yunger adults. - Disease patterns are different; there is mre chrnic disease and ften there is the c-existence f multiple diseases and cnditins. - Older patients' preferences are different and highly diverse and generally reflect cncerns abut quality f life, rather than cmplete cure. - Cst-benefit patterns are different. Addressing the psychlgical and scial needs f lder adults can imprve their health, activity, and prductivity. - Prviding better patient infrmatin and caregiver training can imprve the effectiveness f interventins and imprve rates f independence. - Older adults ften d nt get the care they need because the cmpnents f the current health care "system" are t fragmented, and services are uncrdinated. - Current systems, develped t "cure" episdic, acute illness in yunger peple, can be mdified, s that lder adults receive crdinated, nging care designed t manage chrnic cnditins ver time. - Redesigned reimbursement plicies can attract physicians and ther health care prfessinals t geriatrics and enable health care teams t manage the nging care lder adults require efficiently and cst effectively.
- Alng with systemic refrms, cmmunity prviders will always have t adapt health care innvatins t fit lcal realities and the needs and preferences f a diverse lder ppulatin. 3. We have t train mre health care prfessinals qualified t meet the needs f lder adults. Our prfessinal schls need t train mre geriatricians, geriatric nurses, scial wrkers and ther health prfessinals wh are well prepared t prvide apprpriate care fr lder adults and help their families navigate the cmplexity f ur medical and supprtive services systems. - Currently, there is ne mre geriatrician fr every 5000 adults age 65 and lder. In 2030, it is estimated that there will nly be ne geriatrician fr every 7,665 lder adults, representing a 50% decline ver the next 25 years. (AGS Fact Sheet/Web Site, 2007) - There are 3.8 geriatricians fr every 10,000 Americans ver the age f 75. (2007 ADGAP study) - Schls must "gerntlgize" the training f internists, family practitiners, and ther physician specialists, as well as nurses. Prfessinal schls must augment the number f academic leaders wh can: - Prvide us with new bimedical insights in aging research; - Develp new clinical innvatins in geriatric care; and train the next generatin f dctrs, nurses, allied health care prfessinals (including dentists, pharmacists, public health fficials, nutritinists, and physical, ccupatinal and recreatinal therapists) and scial wrkers t care fr lder adults. - Current practitiners and their disciplines must hasten t re-tl their capacities and cmpetencies t meet the needs f an lder ppulatin. 4. Aging research prvides the knwledge we need t live lnger and healthier lives and reduce the human and financial csts f caring fr lder adults. Current practitiners and their disciplines must hasten t re-tl their capacities and cmpetencies t meet the needs f an lder ppulatin.
- Fr FY 2005, the federal gvernment apprpriated $1.056 billin fr the Natinal Institute n Aging, just 3% mre than in 2004, making it impssible t expand needed aging health research. - This investment in research pays real ecnmic dividends. It serves as an engine fr ecnmic grwth and prductivity and may eventually reduce the per capita cst f health care fr lder adults. - Research and interventins that reduce the incidence r even lead t mdest delays in the nset f the chrnic diseases f ld age can have dramatic human and ecnmic benefits. - Aging research must cntinue t study the whle range f lifestyle and medical care chices peple make thrughut their lifetimes and prvide ur sciety with the infrmatin we all need t live better lives. - The new knwledge derived frm aging research serves t imprve the health and medical care f all peple, nt just lder adults. - Scientists thrughut the medical cmmunity must include mre lder adults in research prtcls t understand age-related differences in treatments and utcmes. - Aging researchers must pursue mre studies that examine the impact f race and ethnicity n health and care and that include members f underrepresented minrities and wmen in their chrts. 5. JAHF is a cmmitted champin f better health care, training, research, and service systems that ensure the well being and vitality f lder adults. - JAHF is deeply cmmitted t the health and vitality f lder Americans. It is the natin's leading private philanthrpy with a sustained fcus n aging and health. - Fr almst tw decades, JAHF has fcused its grantmaking n imprving geriatrics training and integrating health care services fr lder adults. - JAHF's nging cmmitment t this area has served t build the institutinal capacity f medical schls t train mre geriatricians and build the field f geriatrics. - We are cnfident that mre recent investments in gerntlgical nursing and scial wrk will have similar impacts n these prfessins. - JAHF's investment has led t a variety f innvatins in health care training and delivery including PACE, Guided Care, GITT, Care Management Plus, Hspital at Hme, and thers.
- JAHF invites and encurages innvative partnerships with ther fundatins and funders designed t increase the resurces available t geriatrics and aging research and better meet the needs f lder adults. - JAHF lks frward t wrking with all public, nn-prfit and private grups dedicated t adding life t years, nt simply years t life.