Who will care for older adults? We’ve plenty of know-how but too few specialists

Thirty-five years ago, Jerry Gurwitz became one of the pioneering geriatricians in the United States, specializing in the care of elderly patients. Despite recognizing the growing need for geriatric medicine due to the increasing elderly population, he is now concerned about its decline.

In a recent article, Gurwitz highlighted a decrease in geriatricians over the past two decades, with only 7,400 currently compared to 10,270 in 2000, despite a 60% increase in the population aged 65 and older. Each geriatrician is recommended to care for no more than 700 patients, but the current ratio of providers to older patients stands at 1 to 10,000.

Compounding the issue, many medical schools do not offer comprehensive geriatrics education, with less than half requiring specific training or clinical experience in this field.

For more information see Judith Graham “Who will care for older adults? We’ve plenty of know-how but too few specialists”, CNN, November 2, 2023.