It isn't every day that the Foundation's concerns are echoed by an impartial and authoritative body like MedPAC, the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee, commissioned by Congress to advise on the Medicare program. Although geriatric care was only a small part of a long chapter on graduate medical education payments in…
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In an early 1970s cartoon, an exchange occurred between two cartoon, Jackie-Mason-sounding anteaters that went something like this: “You an anteater?” “Yeah. I’m an anteater. You eat ants?” “Yeah. I eat ants.” That little dialogue has been a long-standing metaphor in my house. My husband and I always refer to…
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Earlier this month, I spoke—along with many colleagues in the health professions—at a Capitol Hill briefing with Senator Kohl (D-Wis) and his staff. Senator Kohl sponsored Senate Bill 245, Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009, which amends the Public Health Service Act to require…
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Unofficial aging week in the New York Times continues with a nice piece in yesterday’s Science section, “Preparing More Care of Elderly” by Milt Freudenheim. Starting with a description of the demographic shifts our aging society is facing, the story more or less echoes the Institute of Medicine's Retooling the…
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When I joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) 11 years ago, Steve Schroeder, the president at the time, had a saying that had become famous within these walls: “Execution trumps strategy every time!” As I get bombarded with questions and predictions about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care…
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It is incredibly heartening to see the impact the Hartford Foundation’s 10-year investment in social work has made both on the field of geriatrics generally and on the health of older adults directly—as described in the Foundation’s 2009 Annual Report. Reading the report reminded me of an experience I had…
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In the last few weeks I've been telling people that I feel more confident of eventually improving care for older adults than at any time in my 13 years in philanthropy. Part of that confidence stems from the inevitable effects of demographic change itself. As the share of the U.S…
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One Friday afternoon in spring 1999, I got a phone call from Dr. Barbara Berkman. In a welcoming tone she said, “Nancy--congratulations! You’ve been selected for the first cohort of Hartford Geriatric Social Work Scholars.” All of the Hartford Doctoral Fellows and Faculty Scholars know that this message changes your…
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A few weeks ago the New York Times published an interesting piece on hospitalists caring for patients and particularly what hospitalists are doing to improve the discharge planning process to improve care and reduce rehospitalizations. (See "New Breed of Specialist Steps in for Family Doctor.") While the separation between physicians…
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I have met Beatrice. In fact, I have met a hundred Beatrices, because prior to joining the Hartford Foundation I worked directly with older adults as a geriatric social worker. Therefore, I can say with confidence that the story of 86-year-old Beatrice described throughout the 2009 Hartford Annual Report is…
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