An Indiana group that trains people who work with seniors received almost $4 million in additional funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal is to develop a health care workforce better suited for older adults.
In the past five years, the Indiana Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program trained about 200 clinicians and 10,000 patients, family members and caregivers. It focused on issues like dementia, falls and risky medication use among seniors. With the new grant, it will train at least as many more people at 17 community health centers in central Indiana.
Debra Litzelman is a researcher from Regenstrief Institute and directs the program. She says training everyone is important because there aren’t enough doctors trained to deal with the growing number of geriatic patients.
“There are so many important aspects of care for the elderly that are beyond their medical conditions that will allow them to age in place,” she says. “And that’s what this is all about.”
The institute has received more than $7 million in federal funding since 2015.
