United States Has ‘Critical Shortage’ of Geriatricians, Study Shows

With America "graying at a rapid rate," seniors have "flood[ed]" the health care system and offered a "clinical challenge" to medical providers, a problem that will require more trained geriatricians to care for seniors, the Hartford Courant/Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. The Institute of Medicine, the National Institute on Aging, the American Geriatrics Society and the Alliance for Aging Research have warned against a "critical shortage" of geriatricians, and a RAND Corp. study found that the United States, which has 7,000 practicing geriatricians, needs to have "at least" 20,000. According to Dr. Robert Butler, former director of the International Institute on Aging and founder of the National Longevity Center, the field of geriatrics has "declin[ed]" for years. "Many medical schools don't include geriatrics in their curriculum," he said. Dr. Christine Cassel, chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, added, "It's a hard sell. Young physicians see geriatrics as depressing and not as well-paying as other specialties." As a result, the Courant/Appeal reports that seniors often receive "substandard" care. In a new study conducted by the Longevity Center, Butler said, "Care of older adults is disorganized and confusing; symptoms are often misunderstood or dismissed ... diagnoses are often extraordinarily late, and doctors have limited understanding of the proper use of medications in older persons." He added that physicians who treat seniors could help address the problem by "reorienting" their treatment toward care of chronic conditions (Vann, Hartford Courant/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 3/20).