The Geriatric Education Center of Michigan, winter 1997



by Mary Ann Humphrey
Geriatric Education Center

Americans are living longer than ever before, and meeting the complex needs of an increasingly older population poses a challenge for health care professionals.

The Geriatric Education Center of Michigan (GECM), administered jointly by Michigan State UniversityÕs College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Human Medicine, strives to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for older adult citizens by enhancing the quality and availability of geriatric health care through education and training for multidisciplinary primary care practitioners. The GECM's goal is to help clinicians, administrators and educators coordinate their skills and work cooperatively to improve health care services for the elderly Ñ a population which studies show will increase dramatically within the next few decades.

Currently over 12 percent of the U.S. population is 65 years of age or older, and it is estimated that figure will reach 21 percent within 30 years, as the "baby boom" generation, born between 1946 and 1964, matures. In addition, the age group 85 and over, consisted of 3.3 million people in 1994 and is projected to be 8.6 million people by the year 2030. This vulnerable population is at highest risk for the increased use of both acute and long-term care services. Those over age 85 also have the greatest rates of disability, nursing home use, and multiple chronic conditions. Annual health expenditures for this population are almost six times more than for those aged 19-64.

As more people live longer and move into the over 85 years age bracket, there will be many who experience chronic, limiting conditions or illnesses such as osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, dementia, heart disease and stroke. "The practicing physician can no longer strive for a large number of cures among elderly patients," said Joseph Papsidero, PhD, MPH, director of the Geriatric Education Center and a professor in the MSUCOM Department of Family and Community Medicine. "Instead, interdisciplinary teams of health professionals must assess comprehensive functional status and plan for long-term care that will maintain or improve functional ability. Professionals from a wide range of disciplines must integrate their specialized knowledge and expertise and set goals for client care as a team."

The variety and complexity of health care needs for the elderly requires various professionals in the medical, psychosocial and community services fields to integrate their skills in a coordinated effort, which is the GECM's overall mission. Bringing multidisciplinary groups together to assess the patient as a whole and determine long-term needs not only facilitates improved care, but continuity of treatment and effective communication among providers; all of which strengthens the chance that elderly citizens will maintain optimum functional ability with decreased risk of loss of independence.
The Geriatric Education Center of Michigan is committed to advancing interdisciplinary geriatric care and education within the state to meet the needs of today's older adults as well as those of the future. As a federally funded consortium, the GECM consists of MSU's Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, and the Michigan Primary Care Association. The GECM is one of 50 centers nationwide which provide didactic and clinical education and training to over 300,000 health care professionals and students. Clinical activities often include experiences in community based programs as well as in long-term care settings. Emphasis is placed on high-priority services and high risk groups among the elderly, special concerns such as cultural and racial diversity in geriatrics, and geriatrics in managed care environments.

The GECM is currently conducting three major training programs for health care practitioners throughout the state, which present gerontologic and geriatric knowledge organized to meet the needs of participants from various disciplines. Sessions are presented one day a month over a six month period, and for the 1997-1998 training year, some will be administered through video-conferencing.
The courses include Interdisciplinary Training of Primary Care Geriatric Teams, which offers intensive geriatric training with an emphasis on methods of geriatric assessment and care planning, and includes units which focus on multidimensional assessment of the older adult, normal aging and functional status, and interdisciplinary geriatrics, among others. Trainers and participants are recruited from various health care agencies, the state's community health centers, universities, hospitals and medical clinics. Trainees may include physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, dietitians, or occupational and physical therapists, as well as many other professions.

Administrative Leadership: Organization, Delivery, Financing and Improvement of Geriatric Services, is designed to develop administrator's skills in problem solving and action planning regarding the organization, delivery, financing and improvement of geriatric services and includes understanding and application of Continuous Quality Improvement principles. Trainers and participants consist of administrators, board members, clinical directors, finance directors, and quality assurance directors.

The Academic Leadership in Geriatric Education course brings together educational leaders and faculty in geriatrics from the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Nursing and Human Medicine for the purpose of studying the current status of geriatric education. Included in the course will be a module on designing a plan for enhancement of geriatric education within and among the schools.

In addition to its training programs, the GECM networks with educational institutions, health professional and community organizations to serve as an information resource center.

The Geriatric Education Center is located at B-215 West Fee Hall, Michigan State University, telephone 517-353 - 7828. It is funded by a $165,000, three-year grant from the Bureau of Health Professions under the auspices of Health Resources and Services Administration.


Last Updated on 1/21/98 By Edward A. Vanek Jr. Email: vanekedw@pilot.msu.edu