Doctors urge a focus on geriatrics

Boston Globe, November 16, 2009

Doctors who specialize in treating the elderly are calling on the nation's medical schools to require all students to demonstrate competence in treating senior citizens. With the first of the 78 million baby boomers nearing retirement age, the American Geriatrics Society is proposing that elder care be added to the list of six core areas that have long been the focus of medical school training. While many schools are integrating more geriatrics into courses, the training varies greatly and less than 1% of the faculty responsible for teaching future doctors are experts in geriatrics, according to a 2008 report from the Institute of Medicine.