The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced over $200 million to support “42 programs across the country aimed at improving care for older Americans, including those experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program “will train primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and other health care clinicians to provide age-friendly and dementia-friendly care for older adults. The program also focuses on providing families and other caregivers of older adults with the knowledge and skills to help them best support their loved ones.”
This initiative “integrates geriatric training into primary care to ensure that health care providers are prepared to identify and address the needs of older patients. Primary care providers are the usual source of care for many older individuals.” It will also include “a coordinated Department-wide effort to identify opportunities to improve health workforce recruitment, retention, and career advancement. It aims to help to elevate workforce programs and activities across the Department, engage with stakeholders, and identify opportunities to further advance federal efforts to support the workforce. It also advances HHS’ work to fulfill the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease: building a workforce with the skills to provide high-quality care to people with dementia is a key strategy to better support the more than six million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as their caregivers.”
