2018 Press Releases

ACA Ruling Risks Future Stability of Care as We Age, AGS

New York (Dec. 20, 2018)—As it has since 2016, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) again expressed concern for the future stability of high-quality, person-centered, and affordable health care should bipartisan collaboration falter following a federal court ruling last Friday, which jeopardizes important gains under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The AGS is not alone. A host of legislators, policy experts, healthcare stakeholders, and older adults, families, and caregivers across the country have also called for swift action to clarify and appeal the decision, which questioned the constitutionality of the ACA after its “individual mandate” for health insurance was repealed in 2017. Though this week’s district court ruling does not immediately strike down the systems put in place by the ACA—systems which have been critical to securing health coverage for more Americans, including older adults—it does risk throwing our health care into greater chaos without swift, bipartisan action on effective solutions.

We All Want “Healthy Aging,” But What is It & How Do We Promote It? New AGS Report Looks for Answers & Solutions

  • New report from #geriatrics experts at @AmerGeriatrics explores concept of “healthy #aging”: What it means, why it matters, how it can become a reality for us all as we age https://bit.ly/2EXZsIV

New York (Nov. 1, 2018)—“Healthy aging” sounds like a priority we all can share, but for geriatrics healthcare professionals—the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physicians assistants, social workers, and many others dedicated to the care we need as we age—that term represents something specific, and something worth defining. Led by Paul Mulhausen, MD, MHS, FACP, AGSF, colleagues from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) set about doing just that as part of an expert panel convened to look critically at what “healthy aging” really means. Their definition—published in a white paper today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15644)—explores the intersection between our personal care goals and innovations in science, education, and public policy as the place where healthy aging may be understood best.

New Geriatrics Research Offers Roadmap to “Revolutionary Change” for Person-Centered Care

  • New #geriatrics research published in @AGSJournal offers roadmap to “revolutionary change” for #personcenteredcare

New York (Oct. 3, 2018)—Published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), two new research articles and a corresponding commentary from preeminent geriatrics leaders describe ways to make person-centered care—a novel approach to health that puts personal values and preferences at the forefront of decision-making—more actionable for older people. With our national health system at a tipping point favoring care focused on personal priorities, these new studies are among the first to celebrate “thoughtful, systematic, and incremental” approaches to ending care long fragmented and fraught with the potential for poor communication between patients, caregivers, and health professionals.

“Making person-centered care a reality for older adults with complex care needs will take time and effort, including significant research to move promising approaches from the lab bench to the clinic,” said William B. Applegate, MD, MPH, AGSF, Editor-in-Chief of JAGS and lead author on the editorial addressing the two new studies (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15536). “This work is helping test innovative strategies, which will move us toward a broader and more balanced approach to care while also providing an impetus to reengineer our care systems.”

New Report on Assessing Mobility Has Experts Moving Toward Consensus on Care We Need as We Age

  • New @AGSJournal report on assessing #mobility has experts moving toward consensus on care we need as we age #geriatrics @AmerGeriatrics http://ow.ly/obHV30lXOUF

New York (Oct. 2, 2018)—Experts at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today unveiled a list of recommendations to help health systems prioritize a vital function for us all as we age: mobility. Mobility refers to our ability to move freely and easily (on our own or with assistance). Published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), the AGS white paper (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15595) focuses on assessing mobility for hospitalized older adults, offering a roadmap for shifting health care’s focus away from negative markers of mobility loss and toward a deeper appreciation of ways mobility can be proactively assessed—and often preserved—to promote high-quality, person-centered care.1

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