Adults over 65 and their families in eastern Pennsylvania will have greater access to geriatric care thanks to a $5 million Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) grant from the federal Health Resources & Services Administration. The program, led by Lisa M.Walke, MD, Chief of the division of Geriatric Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, will train primary care providers in aging-related medicine, and educate older adults and their caregivers on topics relevant to health and aging.

The program, called Advancing Geriatrics Education with Strategic, Multi-dimensional, Age-friendly Resources and Training (AGE SMART), aims to provide education that will improve care for the expanding population of older adults. By 2030, 20 percent of the United States population will be age 65 or older. The state of Pennsylvania is already pacing ahead of the national average, with over 19 percent of the population over 65 as of 2020. Nationwide, there are currently 52.4 million older adults, but only about 7,100 geriatricians who focus on older adult care..

We’re planning for a massive population shift and proactively training primary care providers to incorporate geriatric medicine into their practice organically, to make sure the needs of that population are met. We also hope that by directly educating individuals and their caregivers, we can arm them with the information they need to prepare for how normal aging might impact their health, as well as warning signs for disease to discuss with their providers.”

Lisa M.Walke, MD, Chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

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Beyond primary care: Training to care for aging adults

Many older adults have a primary care physician they know and trust, but as they age, a provider trained in geriatric medicine may be a better fit to coordinate care for complicated conditions, like cognitive decline or osteoporosis.

“Geriatricians take a ‘whole body’ approach. A geriatrician will discuss what is important to individuals and their lifestyle. We can have a diagnosis and a plan, but if it doesn’t fit with how a patient wants to live, it’s not going to be successful,” said Walke.

The AGE SMART program has three arms: provider training, trainee education, and community education. The training arm will educate existing providers across health care specialties, from primary care providers to pharmacists to social workers on common conditions and complications that arise as individuals age, as well as provide guidance on appropriate care.

The training will also incorporate more geriatric medicine into medical education at all levels for students, residents, and fellows, so that they can better care for older adults as they enter the workforce.

The community education arm of the program will capitalize on Penn Medicine’s existing relationships with organizations across eastern Pennsylvania, from Lancaster to Scranton to Philadelphia. AGE SMART will feature events partnering with the Philadelphia Free Library and advanced care facilities to deliver programming on topics like cognitive assessments, guardianship, avoiding financial exploitation, and promoting vaccinations for common conditions.

“Penn Medicine has excellent providers and resources for older adults, and by leveraging our strong relationships throughout Pennsylvania, we can share this expertise with more people and build a more knowledgeable population that can age better,” Walke said.