The “golden years” just got brighter for aging
Americans with the University of California’s creation of six
endowed chairs in geriatric medicine, the study of medical care for
senior patients.
The chairs have been awarded to the five UC medical school
campuses, including UCLA, and UC Berkeley. Their mission will be to
help meet the special needs of older patients.
The chair for the David Geffen School of Medicine has not yet
been appointed, but a committee has been created to appoint a
chairperson.
“They’re looking for a physician who will lead the
education program and academic program,” said Dr. David
Reuben, professor of medicine and chief of division of
geriatrics.
The UCLA chair will focus on education, research and clinical
care, with hopes of findings or methods spreading to other health
professional schools, Reuben said.
Geriatric clinical care is somewhat new for the medical center,
but the division of geriatrics anticipates greater demand for
services with California having the largest elderly population in
the nation.
An estimated 3.3 million Californians are 65 years or
older”“Â a figure likely to be a problem for the health
care industry.
“In terms of health care delivery, there are a lot of
complicated illnesses we have to be smarter and better organized
about, making sure things are done correctly without errors,”
Reuben said.
To combat some of the problems associated with caring for older
patients, including communication problems, the chair will focus
heavily on educating the school of medicine’s graduate and
post graduate students in geriatrics care.
“A goal is to have every graduate of the medical school to
have a set of core competency in geriatrics so they can provide
high quality care for older people,” Reuben said.
“We want each resident to feel very comfortable caring for
older people,” he added.
The geriatric center was recently moved from the Westwood campus
to the Santa Monica center because of the city’s older
community members, and the center provided a smaller, more intimate
office.
“We think that kind of environment is very good for older
people,” Reuben said.
Some common problems associated with the aging process include
arthritis and Alzheimer’s, a progressive, degenerative brain
disease characterized by confusion, forgetfulness and personality
or behavioral changes.
Patients often feel that their doctors do not understand them,
that their problems are part of the aging process and nothing could
be done to help them, Reuben said.
“That’s just not true,” he said.
Training for geriatricians typically lasts one to three years
after medical school, with further education required throughout
their career.
But some older adults are not sure about seeing a geriatrician
for their medical problems.
“If I have a broken leg, I want to see an orthopedic; if I
have a heart problem, I want to see a cardiologist,” said
73-year-old retired school teacher Claudine Casey.
Many express the same sentiment.
“I want to see, not a specialist in geriatrics, but
(someone for) the problem I have,” said Wolfgang Nehring, a
64-year-old professor of German, adding that a specialist trained
in geriatrics care would be even better.
The UCLA chair is almost entirely funded with a $1.5 million
contribution from the Archstone Foundation, located in Long Beach,
Calif.
“It’s something we could do to hopefully build a
lasting impact on health care within the state,” said vice
president Mary Ellen Courtright.
The foundation focuses on supporting programs that prevent
illnesses and disability in older patients, with special emphasis
on education and service for the elderly.