It seems ironic, but often the best way to advocate for older adults in our health care system is to articulate how critically important it is to consider age, and in the next breath, explain its irrelevance. While admittedly oversimplified, my point can be seen in a consensus report on…
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I was honored last week in Cleveland to be elected chair of the board of directors of Grantmakers in Aging, one of the major funder affinity organizations to which the Hartford Foundation belongs. I follow great member-leaders like Mary Ellen Kullman of the Archstone Foundation and Robin B. Mayrl of…
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I am a geriatric social worker. Amy is a nurse. Wally has degrees from the London School of Economics and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Nora and Marcus recently earned a PhD in social welfare and an MPA, respectively. As you can see, none of the Hartford…
Read full postDavid has bipolar disorder, and for years has participated in and even collaborated on studies conducted by Colin A. Depp, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry. In the latest installment of our 2011 Hartford Foundation Annual Report video…
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View a PDF of the full report. Who cares for our ill, our aged, our vulnerable? Is it physicians, nurses, social workers, aides? Or is it perhaps another member of the health care team? The largest portion of health care is delivered by families. Whether it is taking mom…
Read full postI’ve been working on health care for older adults for 17 years and I’ve made learning about Medicare’s ins and outs a priority. But still I am constantly surprised. Last weekend, my Dad asked me if he could get a medigap insurance plan on top of his Medicare Advantage (Kaiser)…
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"Some cold hard steel is probably just what they need." I love the way surgeons talk. That quote comes from a recent GeriPal blog post about older surgery candidates that was written by Dr. Gretchen Schwarze. While most of her piece focuses on how surgery can be a terrible idea…
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Kim Peters, right, and her grandmother Making the transition from the “for profit” world to the not-for-profit John A. Hartford Foundation has been an eye-opening experience. After a decade of pitching medications and strategizing over the benefits and deficiencies of a product, I realized that the overall well being…
Read full postPeople who dedicate their careers to geriatrics and care of older adults tell us that their career choice is often received by colleagues in other fields with incredulity. Something along the lines of: “You seem like a smart person, why would you want to do that?” Today, we unveil a…
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I have some great news to share today: Eric A. Coleman, MD, whose career, research, and work have received Hartford Foundation support for more than a decade, is one of 23 MacArthur Fellows named for 2012. I can think of nobody more deserving of the honor. In announcing Eric’s selection…
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